A very good place to start and all the in betweens! Skype discussion, Weds 23rd Sept.

 Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…….

Goes the song, which happened to be the theme of our Wednesday Skype discussion session. Very fitting considering we are at the start of term. I’m never one to delay gettig started, as I’m often eager to complete tasks in advance of a schedule. However I’m becoming vulnerable to the curse of procrastination- so much so that I feel guilty and sick every time I think ‘I should be doing something for my studies!’. Not only do I have a lot going on at the moment, but I think one of my barriers is not knowing where to start?
How simple were the bygone schooldays, where you’d be given a sheet to fill in, or a step by step project to engage in? So much of Professional practice involves finding your own way, initiating your own research, being responsible for your own timeline.
 

As the discussion began, Adesola encouraged us to think of the concept of starting as not just one initial moment, but rather a series of entry points. Because 'How does one know whether they have started or not? This prompted me to look up the definition of ‘starting point’ so I could ponder over this further.

Starting Point:

1) The place where a journey begins

2) something that you use as the first stage in a discussion, learning process, or other activity.

Macmillan Dictionary, 2009

Although definition number 1 is more akin to describing a physical journey (on a map etc) the second definition may be more accurate when refering to the onset of a project. ‘The first stage’ could understood as an amalgamation of multiple events, and in my context this could be reading a chapter from a key text or thinking about who I’d like to interview. It may even be remembering past experiences from when I was a dance student, or coming across an article about mental health during Covid. Although there may not be a tangible starting point, all these little thoughts, wonders and collections of ideas contribute towards the beginning stages.
The subtleties of such encounters aren’t the most reassuring in terms of feeling accomplishment, but progress is still bubbling away beneat the surface!

The improvised discussion continued to follow a theme which was described as ‘The inbetween’. The in-between for me is the uneaseness I feel with the conscious incompetence stage of the learning cycle- a model developed by Howell (1982). The second stage of this model means I am fully aware of my inability to do or understand something. The metaphor of hunting around in the dark springs to mind, which is reflective of the starting point conundrum.  
 

It got me thinking that in any kind of qualitative research there is an element of conscious incompetence, as the researcher never knows exactly what answer they may find. Accutely because there isn’t one answer to the question! Instead there are multiple questions and countless explorations within a topic. Some of my peers expressed that in the performance industry which is so direct and product focused, being OK with the ambiguity is a hard task. Especially when the outside world is currently so unpredictable with the pandemic. It's only natural to want to seek a sense of control and predictability.

We also conversed over the theory of mind and body which is relevant to my enquiry process. Some people may see the mind and body as separate entities, whereas others view it as a dual connection. Again, an example of not having an answer, but having different perspectives in an ever grey area.
Adesola explained how acknowledging mind and body as one, can give value to performers as often dance can be viewed as a ‘natural talent’. Almost as if the body is just born to work a certain way without influence of the mind. If only it were that simple! I know absolutely that I am not a ‘natural dancer’. The coordination, flexibility, and style didn’t come easy to me as a student. Without applying the knowledge and using metacognition to enhance my physical skills, there is no way I could have entered the profession.

Equally, if someone comes out the womb supposedly born to dance, how will they then be able to pass on their knowledge to others if it is purely tacit? Wagner (1991) describes tacit knowledge as a type of know how that is difficult to openly state or verbalise. This could present difficulties for dancers who then intend to teach. Being a great dancer doesn’t mean you’ll be a great teacher. Surely the disadvantage during training of having to mould into something which is unnatural, can actually be an advantage as you have had to use your mind to understand the process? I found a great article from Dance Magazine which supports this but it would be interesting to hear what others think. Especially as the focus of my inquiry is on the approach of a dance teacher.

https://www.dancemagazine.com/teaching-dance-2646191253.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

Finally I just wanted to mention the free flowing discussion we were able to have as a peer group. Adesola equated the Skype discussion calls to a form of verbal improvisation. Rather than all being agreeable and supporting every idea uttered (Something I am guilty of) it’s better to question each other because then ideas can be initiated. In agreeing, we are just ending the conversation when instead we could stimulate it. I will try to remember this skill in my every day interactions going forwards.

On a final contemplation, I came across a great TED talk about ‘Where good ideas come from’. The presentation raises ideas about connecting and sharing information, reminding me of the connectivity theme in module one. Steven Johnson also talks about innovation can be found in connected environments, prompting us to ‘stitch’ ideas together to form something new. 

 Figure 1: Where Good ideas come from- Stephen Johnson

 

From this? I can take the message that remaining open, means remaining connected, and ultimately as Johnson concludes:

“That is how innovation happens. Chance favours the connected mind”. (Johnson, 2010)

 

References

Cook, A. (2020, June 22). Being a Great Dancer Doesn’t Automatically Mean You’re a Gifted          Teacher. Dance Magazine. Retrieved Sept 24, 2020, from                                         https://www.dancemagazine.com/teaching-dance2646191253.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

Howell, W.S. (1982). The empathic communicator. University of Minnesota: Wadsworth                     Publishing Company

Johnson, S. (2010). Where good ideas come from. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from
        https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_johnson_where_good_ideas_come_from?language=en

Starting Point. (2009). In Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved September 24, 2020, from                              https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/starting-point

Wagner, R. K., & Sternberg, R. J. (1991). Tacit knowledge inventory for managers: Test booklet. San Antonio, TX: Psychological.

The question is- What questions do I ask?!

 I am nearing the point of interviewing participants for my study. For some reason, when planning for this method of data collection I was fairly relaxed about the prospect of sitting face to face with someone and asking numerous questions. However, now the reality is approaching I am experiencing that familiar anxiety which causes me to question my capabilities as a human being...........But the bottom line is, interviewing isn’t just a case of waltzing in and asking whatever comes to mind! Rather there are so many factors to consider such as-

How to make the participant feel at ease.
How to ask questions which allow for expanse rather than closed responses.
How to encourage colour and description, or 'story telling' which is what differentiates a qualitative interview from a quantitive research project.
Who do I approach? How do I approach them?
How many notes can I take without being absent from the conversational engagement?
Will I be tempted to recall my own experiences even though this goes against interview etiquette?
and perhaps most importantly….
 

What do I ask? 

                       What do I want to find out??

I have recently been listening to the audiobook version of Learning from strangers, the art and method of qualitative study by Robert R Weiss. I have found this literature very helpful when considering my interview prep. Weiss has a way of explaining a concept in detail whilst maintaining simplicity. The following phrase is a good example of this:
 

"Being a good interviewer requires knowing what kind of information the study needs and being able to help the respondent provide it” (Weiss, 1995, p.66).

How wonderfully succinct? And dare I say it -obvious. Yet my mind is already going down a rabbit hole, predicting the nonsense I may ask which would lead a participant off on a tangent. But no. According to Weiss, one must consider the substantive frame of the research, meaning the topics of interest the study is aiming to explore further (p.15).
Therefore, I decided to use a previous area of learning and create a mind map to think about topics/issues of relevance. From these topics, I expanded the map to create lines of enquiry.

From the above mind map, I have started to build an interview guide which will aid the semi structured format I planned to use. The guide should not be absolute with no opportunity for adjustment. If I followed it rigidly question by question then I’d be reducing the capacity for intriguing storytelling. A guide should be just that -a guide, rather than a list of constrained categories which may inhibit participants from telling their own story in their own fashion. (Magnusson & Marecek, 2015). 

I came across a Youtube video which gives some helpful advice for creating an interview guide. The short clip focuses on the importance of asking open ended questions and gives useful recommendations for how to structure a guide.

Figure 1: 6 Tips for designing a Semistructured Interview

Although the specific data content I aim to collect is important, I must not forget that the quality of data will partly depend on the atmosphere I am able to establish. Ultimately, I want the participants to feel at ease so that the encounter feels more like a casual conversation rather than a formal interview. Ideally, the participant's narrative will be rich enough to inspire themes in my analysis, which I can connect with relevent literature and triagulate with my own personal experiences. 

Because the majority of my interviews are conducted with participants I know, I’m predicting that there should be an element of comfort, although it’s looking more likely that I will need to Skype the interviewees because of logistical barriers. A face to face setting would be preferable as it allows for the capturing of nuances, facial expressions and gestures which add colour to a story.

However, Thankfully, I have chosen to record the data (which will of course be safely stored as per my ethical agreement, and disposed of as soon as the data has been amalgamated into my analysis). This means I can make very brief notes during the interview, without the pressure of scribing each spoken paragraph. Adesola gave me the helpful tip to record the time in minutes at moments of significance. This means I can easily trace parts of the interview I’d like to revisit.

Finally, I must mention that one of the hardest things I am experiencing, is trying NOT to lead my participants into an area of familiarity. ie- I don’t want to lead them down a trail into clarifying what I already hypothesise. It would be very easy of me to pick participants I know have struggled with strict teachers, and who worry about the impact this has on self esteem. I even know fellow dancers  who blame their eating disorder on their experiences in dance training.
But it is in the unexpected that ideas and patterns arise. I can’t fully predict what I expect to find, and having the integrity to question my own assumptions is an important part of the research process. Therefore, my interviews questions may need adapting after each participant as I may want change direction slightly. Uwe Flick (2006) explains that research questions will be reformulated which will help map a journey of inquiry. Decisions made my the researcher may also be significant in discovering the unknown. (p.105). This frightens me, considering I am a bit of a control freak who dislikes unpredictability! But by being reflexive throughout the process I will do my best to remain openly curious.

I am excited to explore different perspectives, and my hope is that different viewpoints will impact on my professional practice. The way I teach is a result of all my past experiences but there is always something new to learn! I hope that I can keep becoming a better teacher day by day- and no doubt the interviews will be a stepping stone to my professional development. (Fingers crossed!)

References

Flick, U. (2006). An introduction to qualitative research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 

 
Magnusson, E., & Marecek, J. (2015). Designing the interview guide. Doing Interview-based Qualitative Research: A Learner's Guide (pp. 46-57). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781107449893.005
 

Qualitative Research Specialists, I. (Producer). (2018, February 15). Semi-structured interviews guide I semi-structured interview protocol [Video file]. Retrieved September 20, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z8XV1S7548

Weiss, R. S. (1995). Learning from strangers: The art and method of qualitative interview studies. New York: Free Press.

Here we go- Welcomes, reflections and looking forward!

So here I am, at the onset of Module 3- something which seemed so very distant back in the Spring when Covid still felt like a fleeting nightmare. Little did we know that the pandemic would still have such impact over our lives where repetitive days have made the annual calendar futile. No notable events, no work, no joyful experiences. Just a lot of getting to know my four walls very well indeed. Hence part of me is relieved to be revisiting some structure in the form of a Uni term. The start of which helps to signify Autumn as 2020 thankfully nears to a close!

Anticipating lockdown- knowing that I would have more time on my hands than usual set me up with great intentions. I hoped to get a significant headstart with the term ahead by reading hundreds of books on my inquiry topic. I’d be easing the pressure which module deadlines inflict by having citations ready to go- one step ahead of the game.....

Sadly, this is not the case. I haven’t been quite so active in this pursuit but not through my own ‘laziness’. The administrative role for the dance school has been demanding due to the implementation of a new booking system. Fresh challenges arose as the school had to navigate from virtual lessons back to the studio setting. With fourteen different class venues, attaining contract agreements and adhering to each of the site guidelines has been rather stressful!
Sadly, due to my own personal struggles, I ended up being admitted into inpatient care in early June. Although I should be focusing on my treatment, any spare hour away from groups is filled with work, and before I knew it the day would be over before I even had a chance to open a book!
Anyway, this all sounds very woe is me, so I will cease the pity party.

My feedback conversation with Adesola was scheduled at the start of this week. I have to admit I was a little nervous about what would be said. I felt ashamed that I hadn’t been powering on, fully assured about what I needed to do next when it came to my inquiry.
However, the call was incredibly constructive and rather than making a strict to do list of tasks, dates and targets, I realised that this driven approach isn’t compatible with the open mindset I have been trying to develop throughout this course. I was reminded that the more I strive to find an answer, the more I will miss out on, and the less I will learn.

So rather than focus on all the things I haven’t done, I have now come to recognise that the Summer did actually provide much experiential learning. Or rather, I have not learnt from the experience, but instead learnt from reflecting on experience.  (Dewey, 1933, p78).
For instance, I have engaged in observing how the topic of mental health in performers has been prominent across Web 2.0 platforms. Numerous performers have struggled with the void that has been imposed on their lives as Covid has robbed many of employment. 

As practitioners, we know that ‘employment’ isn’t just a day job we can switch off from. Performers adopt a transdisciplinary practice where multiple jobs- teaching, performing, choreographing, acting, entertaining are all part of earning a living. There is an anxiety which comes with being self employed- the fear of being left in the dark, of not knowing where your next pay cheque is coming from. This is daunting enough under normal circumstances, but with the pandemic, the future seems particularly bleak.

This lead me to think about human perception. Questioning this fatalistic mindset and instead wondering whether there may be some optimism somewhere? When the world has been turned upside down, we must become even more creative to solve a problem which wasn’t once there.
No dance classes allowed? Switch to Zoom! I am still astounded by the rapid transformation of the teaching industry, where online lessons have become the new normal. How wonderfully flexible. Who knew this could be an efficient method of teaching, and perhaps students from all over the world can attend a weekly dance class anywhere rather than having to be loyal to the local village hall.

I came across this wonderful video which shows how despite adversity, dancers of the Dutch National Ballet were still able to generate connection between themselves. As Best and Krueger state, connection over the internet can supplement offline social interaction by giving us a way to maintain existing social connections (Best & Krueger, 2006). The video is an example of this;

                          Ballet dancers under lockdown in Rome train from home

 

Figure 1: Ballet dancers under lockdown train from home. (2020)

Obviously connections across the web are vital in my BAPP studies and it was great to participate in the first welcome meeting Skype of the term. There were some familiar voices as well as new students and I always enjoy how fruitful the conversations can be despite everyone being at different stages in their journey.

Helpful pointers were shared from my peers to remind me of how I can really utilise my study time. I was enlightened again about the benefits of Kortext and how the blogs are a successful way of interacting via the student network. A recurring theme seemed to be the notion of trusting in the unknown- To feel the uneasiness which comes with not having all the answers. 

Adesola recited a great quote which I will certainly keep in mind for the term ahead- together we create the world at the same time as exploring it. In other words;

“The tenet that people make their social and cultural worlds at the same time these worlds make them.” (Fairhurst, 2010).

I’m looking forward to the term ahead and connecting with others once again. Please do share any thoughts or ideas- the more we collaborate, the more we innovate!

 

References
 

Best, S. J., & Krueger, B. S. (2006). Online Interactions and Social Capital: Distinguishing Between New and Existing Ties. Social Science Computer Review, 24(4), 395–410. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439306286855

Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Chicago: Henry Regnery.


Fairhurst, G.T.; Grant. D. (2010). "The Social Construction of Leadership: A Sailing Guide". Management Communication Quarterly. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications. 24 (2): 171–210. doi:10.1177/0893318909359697

 
G. T. (Adapter). (2020, March). Coronavirus: Ballet dancers under lockdown in Rome train from home [Video file]. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oHBhXe3lO-U