A very 'Relevant' Skype Discussion: Wednesday 16th October.

I took part in the Wednesday morning Skype discussion this week with slight anticipation. I admit that I still become anxious at the thought of speaking in a group, especially if I am unconfident with my ideas which is often the case! What if I don't get the gist of the discussion? What if I'm actually lagging behind everyone else in terms of my understanding? What if I embarrass myself and orate something which is completely irrelevant?

Which is all rather ironic as after a brief conversation from a Module 3 student, Adesola suggested we veer in the direction of 'relevance'. A topic which is more of a concept. Something we all seem to attempt to consider continually, but a notion which never really fulfils one with confidence. After all, relevance is surely quite a subjective stance? What might be relevant to one person may seem completely irrelevant to another. And how does one ever know which information takes priority over the rest?

It can frequently feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially at the start of studying a topic where all the sources of information seem so vast. However, we did come to a few conclusions and it turned out to be a very thought provoking session. Firstly, what is relevance?

RELEVANCE: 'The degree to which something is related or useful to what is happening or being talked about'

(Definition of relevance from theCambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

In the context of the BAPP course, I am striving to find relevance in the study I am undertaking, and although I cannot quite articulate the process I adopt, I do know that sometimes I get 'a feeling' when reading a particular source. Apologies for the intangible explanation but it's almost as if something clicks, like a memory has been released. With deeper reflection I came to the conclusion that often something appears relevant to me if it is something I can connect with a prior experience. An example?

When conducting my research on Lens 1, specifically Web 2.0 my attention was drawn to the ethical considerations of the online world. I have always been fascinated in the speed of technological development, but when relating the phenomenon to my practice I discovered balancing my private and public life was something I faced daily as a teacher. I agree with the view that “The boundaries between private and public information – especially on the internet – are frustratingly ambiguous, contested and changing” (Markham & Buchanan 2012, 6; Ess 2007, 499). I receive friend requests from many of my students, and with my work as an administrator I have to delve into the world of social media for advertising purposes. This has made me acutely aware of how the children interact with dance school promotions, and I have had incidences where although Parents have previously given their consent for videos of their children to be taken, they then retract this permission as soon as the media is posted online. 

Then there is the more recent enforcement of the GDPR principles which strictly ensure that client Data is protected and stored safely. This had a huge impact on the method of data collection at the studios, where no contact numbers can be on public display (e.g: on a summer camp sign in sheet) and every time I send a mass email, I triple check that all the contacts are in the Bcc field!

Long story short, the research I read turned from mere words on a page to something which sparked familiarity. This recognition unveiled a memory, which led to more connections, thus provoking further thoughts and questions about the topic which I am encouraged to explore. This for me, I thought, was relevance. Something I experienced. Something I will experience again. Something I can apply to my everyday working life.

However, the Skype discussion then sidetracked slightly to the idea of disagreements within a group. One brave participant had the courage to disagree with a statement and explain her own viewpoint with justification. Adesola exposed this encounter to the group and I personally admitted that I find it very challenging to disagree, feeling content, safe and accepted with mutually agreed points. I see this as a way to strengthen a relationship through the finding of common ground.

 

But, then I asked myself where continual passivity would get me? The principal aim of this course is to not achieve right and wrong, closed minded findings within one's comfort zone. Why not challenge my cognitions, think outside the box? After all:

Even before asking such questions, it is vital to understand the concept that “knowing something new has to start with the confusion of realising you don't know something” (Akinleye 2019). Therefore, perhaps relevance is found in the areas which are seemingly irrelevant as this gives the opportunity to discover something new within a deeper level of reflective thinking. I then started to ponder on my own approaches and realised I may subconsciously be operating in a mode of bias, inclined to merely strengthen ideas I already know. A disadvantage to my attempts to better myself in my studies. But, hopefully by engaging in 'reflective thought; as I am presently doing which according to Dewey is "active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge" (Dewey, 1997 p.6) - I can then expand my capacity to grow.

With this influence in mind, I have been consciously aware of my approach to the recommended literature for the BAPP course. I am working my way through Schon's 'Educating the reflective practitioner' and I have been finding the intensity of explanation quite challenging. Often I feel demoralised as I cannot grasp a certain concept which leads me to focus on the theories I have already understood through experience. 

Much of the book focuses on dialogue within a architectural design studio. Immediately I found myself questioning 'what does this have to do with my practice?' 'Surely this is a different field and I don't need to comprehend an entire glossary of architectural terms?' 'Teaching dance is very different' (and so on.) Although I would read the information, I can't say I'd grasp confident understanding due to my unwilling stance, which I accept is a significant barrier to future learning.

But what if I saw the challenge of irrelevance  as an opportunity to embrace curiosity? It doesn't have to be so black and white, as surely with any form of tutor and student relationship there are common themes despite the context? Foe example I Initially battled with discerning the following:

“In the designer's conversation with the materials of his design, he can never make a move that has only the effects intended for it.” (Schon 1987, p.63)

Routinely I'd skim over this information despite the fact that it could actually hold a relevant message. Once I thought deeper about the idea of how reflecting in action presents itself through a series of actions and consequences, I understood the importance of evaluation where outcomes are anticipated and influential over future decisions. For instance in my choreographic work I may picture a partnering sequence with multiple dancers. I would envisage how the staging may marry with the placing of dancers, where my next choreographed move would always be a result of the previous movements. 

Another example may be predicting how a class may flow during my lesson planning. I may include a section of floor work which could then prompt me to plan some travelling combinations in contrast. I may predict that the travelling section of the class would cause disarray if the children were particularly young and energetic, so I might then think about including a lyrical composition at the end of class, intending to ease potential chaos.

With the above example I can now see that despite the original context of Schon's explanation seeming quite irrelevant, I actually was able to find relevance, subsequently learning something about my own endeavours.

One possible problem with this new found epiphany of mine is that I may be tempted to seek relevance in every situation which would be a very time consuming process! But I believe in the notion that knowledge will be absorbed if I target areas of unfamiliarity. This is perhaps where the greatest discoveries can be made? Then as discussed in the Skype call, refining the collected information gradually should lead to common themes which reoccur. Colour coding seemed to be an agreed effective method amongst us all- An aspect we did all agree on!

 

It was a very beneficial conversation amongst us and I'm looking forward to reading more blogs from my fellow peers who were also involved- No doubt their contributions will be relevant to my learning!

Bibliography 

Akinleye, A. (2019) Establishing Professional Practice [Handbook] Middlesex University London.

Book Summary - A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. (2019, April 17). Retrieved October 18, 2019, from https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-a-more-beautiful-question/. 

Dewey, J. (1997) How we think, Mineola. N.Y. Dover Publications. 

Jouhki, J., Lauk, E., Penttinen, M., & Rohila, J. (2015). challenge to research ethics: Exploring the case of the Facebook experiment. Social Media Personhood as a Challenge to Research Ethics, 1–19. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284156533_Social_media_personhood_as_a_challenge_to_research_ethics_Exploring_the_case_of_the_Facebook_experiment

Markham, A., & Buchanan, E. (2012). Ethical Decision-Making and Internet Research: Recommendations from the AoIR Ethics Working Committee (Version 2.0. Ethical Decision-Making and Internet Research: Recommendations from the AoIR Ethics Working Committee (Version 2.0. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.)

Schön, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

Woodford, K. (2005). Cambridge advanced learners dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.