The process and an artifact

An great Artifact from a former students that outlines Module 2 & Module 3

Developing Lines of Inquiry _ Friday 7th

On Friday October 7^th at 8pm (time in London) we are having a Module 2 group skype

{of course anyone else is welcome as talking about Module 2 might be useful for someone starting Module 3 or someone wondering where the yare going as they start module 1}

Also remember the First Tuesday Group Chat on Oct 4th 10am or 7pm see the post below this one for more details.

We will be talking about Developing Lines of Inquiry: This is about how as you start Module 2 you need to have a field or topic, or question you are interested in finding out more about. This will become the field or topic or question you will find out more about through your inquiry activity in Module 3. It is not about finding the perfect question in order to find the perfect answer. It is much more loose than that. You need to have a general idea about the area you want to develop so that you can begin the rest of the activity in the Module 2 – designing a research inquiry.

How do you find the field or topic or question? Well in Module 1 you looked at what and how you have learnt over the start of your Professional Practice as you have emerged into your practice from formal compulsory education. The journey to your practice is unique and for many there have been surprises along the way and for others there has been a realisation what you trained for at school and what you want to do as your professional practice/career do not match up completely. All these shifts towards finding where your passion is career-wise have come from the experience of starting into your practice. Therefore, there may very well be areas you wish you had learnt more about, classes you didn’t think important back then but are relevant to you now, or classes you were not offered but would value now. In other words, areas, fields of practice or questions you have come across as part of the development of your career but that you want to learn more about. This course is your chance.

But it is not about turning a new corner completely (maybe you’ve always fancied being a skydiver) it is about filling the ‘hole’ that already exist for you. For instance Mary did musical theatre training and now having left college she is singing professionally but she has been getting jobs and find a passion for singing Jazz. When in the studio people are talking about Jazz singers and jazz references she does not know what they are talking about. She can smile and join in the conversation to some extent and these conversations don’t affect the fact she is doing well with her Jazz singing. But she wants to find out more about the background of Jazz singing. She wants to better understand the songs she is singing. So her area is going to be looking into the history of contemporary Jazz singing in UK. She’s got an area its big at the moment but as she works through Module 2 she will refine the area down to a plan for finding out more. Making the plan will help her get clearer on what she wants to know more about. At the moment it is just everything but she knows she need to have informed questions about Jazz in order to find the area she doesn’t know exist yet. So the research she will be doing to plan the inquiry will help her better understand what she doesn’t quite know yet.  

When we have the group skype on Friday we will be talking about Lines of Inquiry. Please indicate in the comments below if you can to join the chat. Also please add a line or two about what you have been thinking about as your line of inquiry. Have a look at each other ideas so we can also share ideas so you can come to the chat we some thoughts about other people’s ideas too. If you can’t come to the chat please still put in a comment on what ideas for inquiry you have been playing with. Then we can al talk about the ideas people have and strategies for developing them.

Looking forward to reading your comments

Adesola

Feedback and First Tuesday SKYPE

Staring back on Module Two and Three you will have and feedback from your last module along with your grade. The feedback is a starting point to begin this terms module. With Those people starting Module Three this is particularly important.

The feedback you would have got for Module Two is directly about the inquiry process you are about to start. Module Threes you are asked to begin by responding to this feedback. Make your response direct to the feedback. You could cut and paste what the feedback says and directly respond under it. You can go through each point like this:

From feedback sheet “Interviews: You  state you are not looking to facilitate them answering your question. You are interested in what their experiences are (as you say qualitative approach). Therefore, to compare their answers it is easier to ask them in the same format. Different approaches to your interview method support different responses. How would you compare response if the difference has been created by how you asked the questions? Please respond to this in your ‘response to Module Two feedback’ document.”

Response: I re-read Smith (2005) chapter on interviews techniques. I had been interested in using different techniques because it seemed they would all create interesting different answers and I wanted a range of answers. But thinking about my inquiry I realised I was planning to  force the answers to be different by making the questions different. I need to conduct the interviews in a similar way and look for the different in the answers as part of the analysis I do. I am realising the analysis part of the inquiry is actually more work and time than the data collection. I think I got a bit carried away with the data collection designs and I have decided to keep it simpler. Therefore, I will be using semi-structured interviews with all the interviewees. I will be beginning each interview with the same set of three prompt questions.”

Try to answer/ address all the feedback through a clear response to the points made. Remember you don’t have to just do what the feedback suggests. You are responding to it. If you do not want to change something as the feedback suggests explain why and what you thinking is about it further.

What do you think?

Looking forward to reading your comment below.

Also next Tuesday is our first Tuesday of the Month Group skype chat. (Tuesday October 4th)

If you would like to join we have am and pm sessions.

am = 10am (in London time)

pm = 6:30pm (in London time)

Please indicate which you would like to join in the comment below.

Adesola

Starting back - group chat Friday: what do you think...?

Today we had our first group induction back. There were people from Module 2 & 3 at the chat. We talked about thinking about getting started back. We said it is an idea to start by reading your feedback from the last module, and thinking about what you felt work for you and what did not work for you as you start to plan the coming module. Then having a look at the coming Module Handbook and getting a clear idea about what you will be required to hand-in at the end of the Module and when (January 6^th 2017). Lastly, getting back into connecting with people by posting and commenting on the blogs to re-connect with the BAPP learning community.

There is no firing gun to say ‘you started’ on September 26^th it is really about you starting now to prepare yourself by making sure you have the resources you need to complete the module.

Different people in the chat are post on parts of the chat they thought were useful reminders as you start back.

Ben https://bensbappblog.blogspot.com/ and Maddy (Maddy will put her blog address in the comment below so people can visit it to read her post) are posting on the importance of time management, knowing deadline and strategies for this.

Rebecca http://rebeccajones387.blogspot.com/ is going to write a little more about thinking about what went well and what didn’t go well last module.

Lois-May https://lois-mayhunt.blogspot.com/ liked a metaphor that each module is like a field. At the other side of the field is a gate which you need to walk through with the work you are handing-in. How you get across the field is dependent on your own Professional Practice – its your journey across the field. We are there to walk with you and help you but you need to work out your own journey across the field. So knowing where the gate is (What you are handing-in and when) is clearly important. Then the ‘Tasks’ act a suggested stepping stones across the field also. The importance of being clear about what you are handing-in was something Victoria http://victoriamayvickers.blogspot.co.uk though was a good tip as you start back.

Laurence http://lawrencemassie.blogspot.com.ee/ thought it was important to note how talking to other people on the course through the blogs and skypes is a useful way to develop your ideas. We have group Skype every first Tuesday of the month so look out for those.

Grace http://gracehume.blogspot.co.uk/ also thought the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in Module Two will be helpful ways to share ideas.

Nastazia http://tazphilippoublogs.blogspot.co.uk/ liked talking about the fact Module two is quite a practical module you are making a plan or proposal to the university – you can not spend the whole module trying to get the perfect question and then not have the practical plan of action for the inquiry done!!

Cassie http://cassievercoe.blogspot.co.uk/ thought it was important to remember in Module Three that the inquiry might change even at the very start as thing do not work out the way you planned and that is part of the learning and your journey. It is not about doing exactly what you said you would do (if it is exactly as you thought why bother doing it!!!). It about learning form the activity of trying to do an inquiry. 

Paula is also posting on the idea of starting back notes from the chat on Saturday.

Please post comment and ideas in the comments below.

Welcome back

Adesola

x