The Art is in the process

We had two great Discussion groups on Tuesday. I am going to highlight some of the different points that we talked about and some I have talked about with other people in One-to-ones.
First some Module Two questions (and reminders for Module Three.)

What is the recommended time frame for the primary research aspect (interviews, questionnaires etc) in module 3?

I recommend 3-4 weeks for each section1-4 wks data collection (interviews, etc..)
5-8 wks analysis (triangulating the data, literature, your experiences)
9-12 wks creating communication of experiences and discoveries (written essay and artifact) 

How many research questions do you recommend? 
It depends on how you are working - I recommend being open to the area you are looking at and not pinning it down too much. This might mean one to two very open questions or lots of small ones that build to create a bigger picture together. You are not looking for answers you are looking to find out something more about an area in your own professional practice remember.

and how many pieces of literature to review? 
You are not reviewing single bits of literature - you are reviewing what is said about the topic in general (The Literature). Like not reviewing a show (Kinky Boots) but reviewing (overviewing) all the different types of shows there are - Musical Theatre, Drama, Medieval, Dance etc…. You are explaining the field where your one small area fits. In doing this you might (and should) identify three or four written books / articles that are particularly relevant and that will be key in informing your inquiry analysis. For ‘Review' think ‘overview' or 'The Literature' think ‘whats out there on the general subject…’ so a literature review is An overview of what is out there on the subject.

Other ideas we talked about

Don't get stuck trying to perfectly answer one question - cycle round tasks, come back to things review older Modules and tasks. You don't go to a ballet class and spend two weeks just standing at the barr trying to do the perfect plie or playing a song on the saxophone you don't spend two weeks  getting the perfect first note. (You know when to come back to it and when to work extra on parts. Use the same skills in your 'academic' study. Don't make the artist you a different being from the 'academic you'.

Reflection is about keeping track of your process

Differ your approach to ideas - organize yourself so you can play with looking at ideas from different perspectives.

Don't look at things in terms of 'I agree' or 'I disagree' - look at things in terms of what their relationship is with other experiences you have had and other ideas you have encountered. 

Ethics is not a thing it is a more a word that indicates you have taken or are taking an approach... 

Rather than the 'ethics of the situation' (as if Ethics was a thing)  you would say 'the ethical consideration made in the situation' (about how things were done). My last blog  Oct 30th 2017 talks more about this. 

For module Two and Three rather than think 'What question an I finding / exploring' think 'what do I want to find out more about / what am I finding out more about'.

People who attended the discussion ate writing the links to their posts about the discussion below. Also please comment below.