Skype with Module Three focus...

Great conversation with a Module 3 focus tonight. I am really looking forward to the final essays and artifacts people will be submitting. There are so many interesting experiences and ideas the inquiries have raised for peoples practices.

I felt our conversation about ways to communicate was summed up in:

...THINGS INFORM ONE ANOTHER...

Have a look at the posts and comments below from the people attending the discussion.

Module One - thoughts for all

We talked about how Module One asks you to re-think and re-feel the assumptions you have about yourself and what you do as a way to better position and recognise what your own practice is.

For instance, thinking about

modesty ‘v’ showing off

and

modesty ‘v’ generosity

When you write a cover letter to an interview modesty ‘v’ showing-off makes you feel the thing to do is ‘I would really like to work with your company’ so you don’t ‘show-off’. But thinking in terms of modesty ‘v’ generosity means you write ‘I am a trained actress … giving your credentials…’ because you are giving the people short-listing for the interview all the information they need about you. Thinking like this you might give different information then ‘showing-off’ but more information than your perception of modesty would have let you.

This stepping back and critically reflecting on your actions in terms of your practice is what Module One is asking you to do. NOT the change what you are doing but to use the tasks to look at what your practice is today.

Cycle Module One!! As ever do not think about only doing the tasks once through. Do them all and then do them again and again. Each time you engage with a deeper or different layer of your practice and task. Module one you are looking at what you already do and applying critical thinking/reflection to what it is you are doing.

The thoughts of people in the session:

Nicole is partly going to use the Module to explore her goals and better understand these goals mean to her:

‘To really get myself out there and thinking of yourself as a professional rather than a student. 

Finding my purpose in what I am doing and making myself an asset to the company.

See how I can adapt myself to communicate with different people of different ages.’

Matthew D. suggests Module One has 3 lens - communication of how you position yourself in the world, what you think you need to do and why you need to do it?

Reflection: reflect on what you do and why you do it, how what you do works and how it can be improved, how could you use that process in the future

Networking: the give and take of relationships within the aspects of your life/professional life.

To not overthink what you are doing Module one is about growing as a person and developing and then looking back on where you started from.

Arghierenia says Module 1 is about your practice, you are not being asked to do something new necessarily but to look at what you do through a different perspective by using critical thinking. There are three different lenses through which we will look at our professional practices; communication, reflection and networking. It’s useful to do the tasks a few times, as the module progresses as the way you do them will change and that will help your learning and understanding of them.

We also talked about criticism ‘v’ reflection. Reflection should not start from a deficit stand point. That is, it not about what you ‘can do better’. It is about if you can see different or varied perspectives.

We about doing the tasks as a cycle also you do not have to stick to the week suggested.

The course is like the seasoning to you the meal of your life, it is not about cooking a whole new meal!

The course is about how you pull information to you meaningfully. This is difficult at first because we are often used to ‘educational’ experiences where information is pushed at you and you have to receive and memorise it! However, we are suggesting in professional settings you have to have the confidence and independence to be proactive not sit and wait for someone to tell you what to do.

What do you think-feel comment below...

Analysis and Data

Working with the full time students through the summer: we have been talking about data and analysis when working within dance research (or other arts based practices). Remember that within an arts practice research project data and analysis look different from a more 'traditional' research project. This is because what we see as an 'artistic process' is analysis on one level.

As we are creating a piece of choreography or interpreting a dance instruction in class we are in a process of analysis: taking ideas and working out connections for them and finding our own way of understanding them within the context of our unique experience /knowledge.

As you are in the analysis process you are looking at not just reproducing the information you have found as data, you are in a process of interpreting it knowledgeably within the wider context of your whole project/question/inquiry. Just as if you are given a dance sequence as a professional you don't just reproduce it as a flat copy of the steps: you make it your own. You use your skills, strong points, past knowledge, understanding if the whole choreography to interpret with timing and dynamic. At a small level you are analysing the steps in order to better understand them and perform a stronger piece of choreography.

Does that make sense?
Please comment - what do you think?
Adesola

Up-coming events

It is great to go to conferences and other dance/arts events. You can meet other people inquiring into their practice share ideas.

Check out this at MDX in December

http://transmissionperformancesymposium.wordpress.com

Notes on sending work for feedback

Please do not send documents called 'Proposal' or 'AOLs' or 'Reflection' because everyone doing the same tasks. The title of the document is as much for the person receiving it as it is for you. If I get three documents called 'Proposal'. I then open them and hope that the persons name is clearly on the document!! But no!!! Often it is just the written work no page numbers or footer or header with the persons name and id number. I write this for both my BA and MA courses because they are both in professional practice and it is good practice to do the above in general. Send people things with your name on them!
Akinleye_blog post.doc
then when it is opened your name again and page numbers in case they need to print it out.

I think this is important because it means what you send is intended for the person reading it. This shows you have taken a moment to think about how the thing you are sending will be experienced by the reader and it means it does not look like you did something and sent it the first moment you thought you wanted reassurance it was ok.

Get what I mean? What do you think? Have you experienced the same thing? Do you suddenly realise you did this too!!!!!!
Adesola

OMG - its almost another Second Tuesday (non-campus session)

Finally some spring-ish weather and the second Tuesday of March!! So tomorrow Tuesday 11th is another SKYPE chat day. We have two times one in the morning at 11am and one in the evening at 8:45 (London time).

The SKYPE calls are like non-campus sessions where you can ask questions and find solutions and up-date on how your work is going. If you have not joined in before it's a great chance to collaborate to other people on the course and hear their experiences and ideas and solutions.

All you need to do is be on-line  on SKYPE.
BUT
if I don't already have your SKYPE address then make sure you send me a contact request so I can call you.

Looking forward to hearing how things are going and speak to you tomorrow…
Adesola

Why being wrong is not possible on this course!!! the problem is about depth and possibility

Has it been colourful?

We are in week 5 (sort of half way through the term). I think this is a good time to start to think about where you are heading. Are you clear about what you are required to hand-in for assessment? Do you know the deadline date? It is a good idea to ask yourself why you have been doing what you have been doing? To take a step back and ask yourself what it has meant to you so far. How is it meaningful and how can you make it meaning full. In the middle of it all it can be easy to start to forget to link things find connections and you can end up jumping through hoops just because they are there!!

How has it gone so far? Please comment lets see what people are thinking, saying and doing? Do you have any tips for others or things that have been amazing or very hard or unexpected?

Adesola

First Tuesday Coffee House meetings - SKYPE

We just had our SKYPE chat: a four way conversation. We talked about responses to blogging – how blogging can be frustrating if people do not respond to your posts by leaving comments. But also how the blog can act as documentation for yourself of your process and thinking as you travel through the course. In some ways you are posting for others to read and in other ways you are posting for your future self to read. Ahmet said a really cool analogy about being a stand up comic: you can play to the audience for the laughs or you can play to the truth and hope you get some laughs along the way.

We talked about the reflection section of Module One and how ‘doing’ a journal is not the fundamental point of the section of the module – the point is about looking at how you reflect, what role reflection has in your practice and what other people have said about reflection. Reading the handbook before you do too many journal entries is good, this is because this section is about thinking about reflection and yourself not producing a daily journal (– although you might find that helpful and fun to do).

We talked about how throughout the course there is a multi-layered experience you can have as ideas do not appear ‘straight forward’ and you feel you are starting to think ‘differently’. It was suggested that module One is a way to make yourself more stable as that you can go on to the other modules with a sense of where you are coming from. I think this is a useful comment because it also demonstrates how it might or useful to return to Module One ideas when you are in Module Two and three as a way to ground yourself.

We decided the experiment went well and was useful. So I am going to do it every first Tuesday at 7pm London time. Anyone can come from any module and we will talk about things that people bring up to talk about – making links across the course and learning from each others experiences.

I am naming it the First Tuesday Coffee House meeting – so if you want to join-in the next one April 2^nd send me your skype address and /or a skype request so we are connected.

What do you think?

Adesola

People at the meeting today were

Ahmet 

http://mrahmet.blogspot.com

Kym  

http://kymwalton.blogspot.co.uk

Sophie

http://sophiejones17.blogspot.co.uk

and me

Visit their blogs to see what they say too….

Rubric

I found this rubric as I was looking through some work. It is a good example of expectations for writing, might be especially useful for those writing their reflection of learning in Module One although I think it is interesting reading for writing in the context of  BAPP in general. What do you think?

Example for BAPP blog: Assessment Rubric (from 3/12/2008)

	Beginner fail (below level)	Expected	Developed	Progressing	Notes
External sources of Knowledge: Aware academic / professional ideas of other and seeing how they fit into your work.	Cite one or no external ideas.	Cite others work  two- three	Cite others work appropriately (examples) four or five Aware of others doing similar work as you	Cite others work effectively – (developed ideas on) more than five
Internal conception of knowledge: Recognising own practise as a source of knowledge.	Telling the story of something that happened that helped you	Realisation: Articulating an   event or incident when self practise developed, (without the aid a teacher).	Trust: Articulate a time when you acted on your practice (self knowledge / things you have learnt) without confirmation or direction of someone else.	Giving / Risk: being able to articulate a through-line (show us how it manifests) of your practice in life outside of the arts or work.
Selection and Justification of approaches to tasks	Wrote the work	Work has a number of drafts, final draft could track the development of the drafts (work went through development stages)	Work reflects other forms of thinking used in the process of composing the essay.	Work is a vehicle that summarises a whole process of learning. Almost like a report on the learning that has been done (persons went through development stages)
Ethical Understanding	Know external frameworks.	Work articulates how student can see the impact of themselves and their practice on others. Aware of external frameworks (rules) and apply them.	Articulate how practice is informed by awareness of particular views and experiences, aware of the effect they have on others.  Know external ethical frameworks and incorporate them into this knowledge of their actions.	Articulate a clear understanding of responsibilities: Practice is informed by student’s perceived place in society – student shows a range of ways to engage with others because of the impact research / study might have. Analyse external frameworks and develop them for themselves.
Analysis and synthesis	Ideas are evident.	Can track where ideas have developed and how they have been influenced by experiences.	Show how ideas have linked in the past and the range of ways ideas emerge. Show the different ways in which ideas can be used. (concepts, principles, systems, models)	Articulate the personal process for developing and applying ideas, shows awareness of other peoples’ processes as well.
Self appraisal / reflection on practise	Explain how a teacher has helped their develop	Explain how a past experience has informed the way the student does things now. The Student explains how their impression of their work has differed from a teacher’s.	Explain how past experience has been used to inform a wide range of elements of practice.	Shows how the student has developed their practice through   intentional use of self reflection (not instigated by someone or something else). Instances of this.
Action Planning leading to effective and appropriate action (B3)	Table or schedule of events	Evidence of how they plan, including prioritising and   setting of aims and objectives.	Showing evidence of having planned for themselves and others. Plan would accommodate a number of people and schedules &/or use existing action planning tool/s.	Shows understanding of ethical implications and the impact of their work has on others. Their work theorises or cites other planning methods.
Evaluation of information (B4)	Student describes information that they think is relevant.	Presents ways that have been   used to access information and identify what is important to their personal practice.	Present a range of existing evaluation tools/ formulas that they have found valuable.	Show personally devised ways and systems that are used to evaluate information.
Application of learning in number of contexts	Shows that student learnt stuff.	Learnt something and show how student used it in a different circumstance.	Learnt something and used it in two other contexts (home-life, teaching, technique class, relationships).	Learnt something and used it in more than two contexts, or at a very deep level.
Use of resources will be effective and wide ranging	Has put aside some time each week to study.	Shows understanding of relevant resources and how they would be useful.	Gathered a number of resources (such as people, things,   ideas, funding) in support of their work.	Sees impact of their work on others. Can describe the strategic implications of their work as a resource for others.
Effective Communication	Good at story telling.	Uses the standard methods of written and oral presentation for academia. (sentence construction, argumentation and citation)	Articulation of the use of a range of approaches to communication / presentation and some are used.	Successful and clearly decided approaches to support impact of ideas and concepts in their work. Articulation of why this approach was used.
Working and learning autonomously and with others	Evidence of being organised and punctual.	Organised work, with a method of working developed from past experience. Can identify the people they work with ‘best’	Shows strategies for working autonomously and with others. Is willing to take a number of roles within a group (challenge, reflect, support).	Shows knowledge of when to engage with others, is aware of their responses to different group settings. Shows awareness of when and how to challenge and support others. Can articulate personal perspectives in relation to working autonomously and with others.

URGENT SKYPE conversations groups

I need you send me request for contact on SKYPE and / or email me your SKYPE  addresses so I can contact you. It would be great to have sorted that out before Tuesday / Wednesday. Please email me the information.

How have you constructed your thoughts about...

This post is about looking at what three things mean to you and how you can interact with them:

A)    What it means to work when doing a work-based learning course,

B)   What campus sessions are / mean

C)   Notes about stuff on posts

I am starting with (C) – I am really excited about the SKYPE group calls plan see my post last week. If you want to do it my SKYPE address is in the handbook. This blog is open to anyone and everyone because I think the idea of open access is interesting and education needs to work out how to engage with the idea. But I don’t want my SKYPE address to be open access!! So I am not posting it, just look in the handbook. I have at least one person for each module discussion BUT for a group we need more than one so join in.. 

Looking at Blog posts this week I read Rhoda’s blog post about how much data she has. I think it’s really useful and not just because she mentions me!!! Have a look and leave her a comment on what you think.

http://rakparker.blogspot.com

Looking at (B). This relates to the open access ideas I hate to endorse too much use of Wikipedia but for the common understanding of something it is useful. Here’s what they say about open access.   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access

What do you think?

The philosophy of this course has something to do with the changes in how we can understand learning, information, knowledge and connection that the inter-net has raised. We see these issues in our everyday social life and work life. We begin the course by flagging it up, but this is for more than just how to get noticed for the next audition it is about thinking about how we interact and connect with each other. On this course we have decided to come together in the web 2:0 ‘world’ it seemed that because people are working or looking for work in the professional arena that the Internet offers two interesting concepts that we can use. Firstly, connection with each other out side of time and space as we usually use it. I am writing now, about things I care about and hopefully connecting with you but you are not ever in the same time or space as me even though we connect. Before internet maybe we could use a letter in this way to some extent but a letter requires a physical object that travels the distance between us. From my time and space to yours – the internet offers another way to address time and space. I am interesting this because of my work in embodiment.

So the internet and the blogs and lib-guides are our shared point of connection. That’s what that’s about – what do you think? How have to understood what the blogging is all about? You can see that from the perspective I have just described it is really important you post on your blog and comment on others. It is how you participate. So the campus sessions are not the places where we give you information that is on the web in Lib-guides, group emails & blogs. The campus sessions are places where we can come together to talk about what we think of the information. We then share out what we found. So not coming to a campus session is not about missing important information it is about missing connecting in a particular way – in physical person. You my be someone who needs this or likes to work that way but other than feeling sad about not working in your preferred way you are not missing key information. I think the coming together of people to talk is really fun and interesting. One of my advisees was really worried about missing a campus session and that is what made me think we should think of other ways to interact together in conversation – hence the group SKYPE idea (see previous post).

This course is not about us giving you information and you telling us back what we said. It is about you pulling the information and meaning toward you through a range of sources and us nurturing and encouraging that process. We are here to help you find meaning and value in the information. So not coming to a campus session does not mean you miss having us inject you with information.

How do you see the campus sessions? How are you finding the connections you make on the course with peers with advisors, with the handbooks, with other people’s literature….etc…?

Point (A) It’s a work-based learning course. To me that means work is central (your professional practice) so the course should not be an either /or situation: study or work. The point is you are studying your work. If you get offered a job while on this course do not see it a conflict – I mean maybe we are doing a good job of helping you open yourself to new possibilities and deeper thought and that has shifted your approach to something in a positive way or made you more attractive to employers. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that as you open the door into deep thought around your practice you get a job!!! Of course I am not saying you are validated by a paid job but think about the experience and see how things connect.

Of course work out with your advisor any admin problems if you are worried about getting work posted off for deadlines or less internet access but we are all imaginative people we can make it work. The opportunity is that the work will add experience to your study at MDX and the study at MDX with add depth to your work. That is point. If you are not finding that synergy then think about it because that is why we ask you to centre around your professional Practice in the work you hand in for assessment. Part of this course is about placing yourself in your work context, better understanding what you bring to your practice what your influences are, what you want to know more and more about. How have you seen the relationship between ‘work’ and ‘study’ so far? Have you noticed work informing study and study informing work? What is your experience in this?

Please comment

Keep up the good work

Adesola