Welcome back Module Twos and Threes

Welcome back and congratulations on keeping going in your BAPP journey. As you know the new term starts Monday 28th September. We have a welcome back group Skype chat Friday 25th at 8pm (time in London) or Saturday 26th at 11am (time in London)

Module Two is quite heavy going in terms of getting reading done. By the end of the module you will have a plan mapped out for an inquiry activity you will carry out in Module Three. But the whole of module two is there to help you build this. Do not think you have to know now what you want to do!! In fact, if you did then what would be the point of doing the module! You have to trust the process a bit more in this module. If you follow along the Reader, reading, tasks and join in with conversations ideas will emerge and that is the best way to develop what you want to do.

Those starting Module Three, you need to respond to your feedback from Module Two. Ultimately you need to send a written response but you might want to talk over ideas with your Advisor. You also need to check your participant consent form has final approval (by your Advisor) BEFORE  you start interviews or observations officially.  

Other house keeping: my advisor one-to-one times (office hours) are 10am to 11am week days. For weekends and other times by appointment (i.e. email me times you are available).

So now is a good time to just get yourself back in study mode. making a space to work physically, as well as in your schedule, and mentally. I am looking forward to a great term with you.

Please comment below to let me know if you plan to join in the skype chats. State which time you are join in with.

NOTE: If I do not have your current skype address you need to send me a request BUT within the request you must state who you are and that you are on BAPP or I will not be able to accept the request.

Looking forward to talking together September 25^th or 26^th

Adesola

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

Module Two only!!!! Well everyone should watch the video!!

Its very rare I write to only one module group, as you know. But Module Two people we need to have another look at your ethics forms. Paula and I will be trying to talk to you by Friday June 12th (Paula to her advisees, and me to mine). Then we may need to talk to you again on Sunday 14th June so have your phones charged that day!

Meanwhile have a look at your ethics forms and think about what they mean in terms of ethics as we have discussed it - in terms of how you might be experienced by those around you, how your inquiry might be experienced by those around you. It seems ironic to say it’s not just a tick-box activity when the form is actually a tick-box form!!!! but …You need to make sure the form clearly explains what you will be doing and why it is necessary to involve the people you want to involve. As well as how your inquiry might impact on them and their identity and relationship with you. - (Think about: it if you have a teacher/student relationship their identity is ‘student’ that is how they see themselves when with you so however much you feel the inquiry is different from your usual relationship they are 'student' with you and asking someone not to see themselves in that way is asking them to make the effort of changing their identity just so you can do your inquiry).

Here is a link to a great Ted video to get you thinking also - as Dave Isay suggests when we are doing what we are doing we may also be impacting on others in an important way that is much bigger than we could have dreamt of 

Below the video should be embedded but here is the address if it doesn’t work below!!

http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_isay_everyone_around_you_has_a_story_the_world_needs_to_hear

Late nights reading drafts and finally having meaningful conversations with people!!!!

:(
I have been posting on my blog, having Skype sessions and being open for learning all term and now suddenly I am everyones best friend for emails and info. Suddenly my thoughts are really important and weirdly I have been having them all term!!!

It is not about the Advisors being there to tell you the 'secrets' to submitting something that will pass!! It is about you being on a learning journey and seeing the value of Advisors as people who can accompany you on the whole journey beginning to end of the module you are on.

Opening my box of 'A's and 'B's and sprinkling them on your essays - is not what I see education, teaching or learning to be.

Trust yourself and make what you do meaningful, reflective and kind; and then it will be useful to you; and that is the goal.

Adesola

Ethics: the danger of one story

This is a great video to think about ethics - attempting to tell a multi-layered story rather than not questioning anything. This is about considering there is another side to everything.

http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

Tuesday's Skype chats…

On Tuesday we had our group Skype chats. We talked about the reflective essay mostly in terms of Module One but of course the idea/purpose is the same for the reflective essay in each module. But in Module One it is the first time you have used reflection as a mode to show your thinking and learning experience through the module. So the essay is not about re-telling the information in the handbooks it is about YOU: what the 'information' means to you in terms of how it has changed, advanced developed your thinking and actions in your professional practice.

The BA is in professional practice so that is what the essay is about: your professional Practice. You have to step away from thinking you need to prove you read the module by reproducing it and move toward the idea that you are talking about how you experienced the module. Remember we believe that experience teaches us so what you experienced reflected on becomes what you learnt.

Each module you share what you experienced by reflecting on it in an informed way including and respecting what other people have said/experienced in the same areas your have travelled in the module (i.e. the literature etc.)…

We also talked about how the module handbooks are doorways for you to find something interesting and then 'surf' on to find more out. Irini is going to write more about this.
http://irinibapp.blogspot.co.uk/

I said 'you need to stay true to yourself' as you write and wonder. Don't become who you think we want to see on the page. Explore your ideas and explain your experiences. Maddie will post further on this.
http://madeleinerosa.blogspot.co.uk

Jodie is going to post some thoughts in comments below.

Jessica is going to write more about the idea that the write-up for hand-in is not the end of something it is writing about the beginning of something. The beginning of the new knowledge of the Module you have just experience. This is something Irini said when we were talking.
http://jessicaplant.blogspot.com

Lisa is going to write about something Pip said about writing things down as they come into your head on a daily basis and then looking back at your notes to yourself as a way to reflect on your journey across a module.
http://lisameiklejohn.blogspot.co.uk

Pip is going write some reflections her artefact. During the conversation she talked about issues she was having with it and we all feedback what we thought.
http://pipspalton.blogspot.com

My advice is to remember its your BA, your life make your work meaningful by being genuinely in it. Don't just superficially repeat back what you think you should say or what you think you are expected to say. Believe in your experiences as moments you can grow from and honestly and with humility discuss your thinking and ideas.

What do you think
Adesola

Tuesday April 28th group Skype chats.

Tuesday April 28 is our next group Skype chat date.
AM chat is 10am (London time)!
PM chat is 9pm (London time)!

Please comment below to let me know if will join and which chat you will be at.
If you have not connected with me on Skype before remember to send me a request to connect before Tuesday!!!
Speak soon
Adesola 

PLEASE READ - Module Three

Re: the artefact ……….Indicative word count of 3000
Indicative here means the same value as 3000 words
or
the same amount of effort as writing a paper that was 3000 words long!!!

Please do NOT make your artefact another set of words you are already writing a reflective essay. Enough with the words already you're an artists, creative person….

Remember in Module One: Howard Gardner’s work, 

Communication that uses languages such as naturalistic, bodily kinaesthetic, interpersonal, interpersonal, verbal linguistic, logical mathematics, existential, spatial visual, and musical.

In your professional practice do people use verbal linguistics to explain things OR do they move, sing, act feel, chat, draw to explain ideas to each other. Use the language of your practice NOT WORDS 

Online 'Campus Session' for Module Three

The Module Three Online 'Campus Session' was last Thursday. We talked about a number of points:

Literature

Having collected data in the field you can find meaning in it - analyze it - by comparing it to what the literature says. You might also find that through the field data collection a new theme or idea has emerged and you need to find particular literature to learn more about this theme the participants are bringing up for you. Remember that just showing us the raw data or organizing it into a graph is not inquiry. The analysis of the data is what we are looking for and part of that is using your literature review to make comments on the field data. We are interested in your perspective on things knowing you are working professionally in the field you are inquiring into.

The ‘elevator speech’

By now you should be able to describe you inquiry in terms of what it brought up for you NOT in terms of what you did. In other words if I ask

“what is your inquiry about?” you can say

“I looked into dancers experience of injury, particularly how much injury they accept, how they self medicate and coping strategies for injury.”

This means you have moved on to what your inquiry revealed to you. You have moved on from describing the inquiry in Module Two terms like ‘my inquiry is into how dancers deal with injury I am going to talk to seven dancers’. That description is what you are leaving behind because it is about the how of the inquiry not the what. You are at the what stage now.

The Artefact

We talked about the artefact being a non-verbal communication of your inquiry. It is a way to explain the ideas you found in a non-written paper form. For most of us writing a reflective paper is not how we explain ideas or understand them. The artefact should be something that you can use to explain your whole inquiry to someone from work. For instance if you are in dance then people understand dance. That is how we express our ideas. See my past posts on this:

Thoughts from Campus session

Clarity

Campus Session , Module 3 (October 19th 2011): Artefacts

Having fun, chatting and being brave!

Themes

We talked about how you need to narrow down your themes so that you can write about the important points clearly. You must BA aware by now that your topic is much bigger than a single term of inquire so share the inquiry know some part are highlighted more than others because you can only do so much in the time you have.

Below are people in the conversation who are also writing about the session. See what they say too

Pip http://pipspalton.blogspot.com

James M http://jamesandrewmorgan.blogspot.co.uk/

Rohanne http://rohannecb.blogspot.co.uk

Claire  http://claireradford1987.blogspot.com

Now what do you think?

Please comment below

Adesola

Writing for Dance Professional Practice Summer Intensive

Hi,

Just a note / dates for your diary - We're holding our a Summer Intensive this August!  Some info for now, with more to follow;

The Dance and Writing Professional Practice Summer Intensive will take place August 17th-21st 2015 and will be held at Middlesex University's Hendon Campus, London.

The programme has been designed in response to feedback from students on both the  BA Professional Practice (arts) and MAPP DTP programmes concerning the transition from vocational training, performance work, independent practice, studio teaching into studying within a university environment and being able to confidently share rich bodies of experiential knowledge through academic writing.

The programme intends to address these transitions through a mix of studio (practical) dance classes and classroom sessions;  accessing and developing literature reviews, citation methods, academic writing structures and written expression of physical experiences, engaging with social media and web 2.0 online developing confidence in online learning and sharing.

Each day will begin with a movement class followed by sessions looking at text, research skills and writing to help students develop confidence in what they have to offer as academic students and to encourage students to draw on their somatic knowing of movement to inform their ideas and writing.

The Summer Intensive will be open for booking and a full programme available through the MDX online store by the end of the month, we just wanted to flag up the dates to you now appreciating that you're probably in the process of planning your summers!


Provisional Details:
Dates: August 17-21, 2015
Costs: £350 (Full) £250 (concessions/unwaged)
Venue: Middlesex University London NW4 4BT
Facilitators: Adesola Akinleye and Helen Kindred
Bookings and Payment online: www.mdx.ac.uk/onlinestore
The programme is open to all current students, alumni and enrolling students for the coming academic year, and would be a great opportunity to come together and learn more whatever stage you are at.  

We look forward to seeing some of you there!
Let me know if you are interested, or have any questions.

Adesola

On-line campus session Thursday - for Module Three

Hi
We have a Module Three on-line 'campus session' on Thursdays April 9th (via Skype).
It is 6pm to 7pm (London time)

Please leave a comment below if you will attend.
Also if we have not spoken on Skype before please make sure I have your Skype address by sending request to contact to me.

Speak soon
Adesola