Skype Discussion: 27th November: Questioning construct

On Wednesday morning I engaged in a slightly different skype call to the others I've been a part of as this one only consisted of only three participants! One including Adesola, so the only other student was Tom who is also currently in module one. Initially I felt a sense of anxiety as I realised I'd really have to vocally contribute, which as a performer you think I'd be used to by now (sadly not). But the whole experience was incredibly helpful and I believe that between the three of us we managed to construct a relevant, thought provoking discussion.

Tom and I are both in the process of refining our Essay and diagram submissions which formed the background of our conversation. I was able to share the feedback I'd had from Adesola which had prompted me to make some improvements to my writing style. To elaborate, my first draft was very wordy and without realising it, my anxieties around not appearing 'academic' resulted in me inserting hundreds of citations, regardless of their impact. When I was instructed that to correctly format my essay, I needed to place all quotations on a separate line it highlighted to me how disjointed my writing had become. The document almost felt like a Wikipedia style fact page as opposed to an explanation of my personal practice. What I perceive to be relevant- how the theory actually applies TO ME.

Therefore, I used my initiative to research a little about APA citations and I came across a website which explained quotations should be used scarcely and only if absolutely necessary. Instead one should aim to explain a citation in their own words, whilst still correctly making reference to the original source. This was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me. Relating back to Kolb's learning cycle (1984), Kolb explains how knowledge is attained through experiences and then the transformation of these experiences into action. (Kolb, 1984, p. 41) By using reflective observation, I learnt from viewing paraphasing examples online and used this knowledge to make adjustments to my work:

Examples of Paraphrasing rather than direct quotations

EXAMPLE 1

BEFORE:

This follows the emphasis Lo et al place on student variations as they explain

“Crucial is a deep and thorough understanding of the different ways by which students come to acquire the capability targeted”. (2002, p. 4). 

AFTER:

This follows the emphasis Mun Ling Lo et al place on student variations. They explain how vital it is to understand how contrasting capabilities require adjustable targets. (Lo et al, 2002, p. 4). 

EXAMPLE 2

BEFORE:

Twyla Tharp explains that this type of Tacit knowledge

'doesn't need to be accessed through conscious effort'. (Tharp and Reiter, 2006 p 65.) 

AFTER:

Twyla Tharp, author of 'The Creative Habit' (Tharp and Reiter, 2006 p 65.) explores this type of tacit knowledge which she characterises as automatic, non-verbal and sensed rather than articulated. 

As you can see, rather than just inserting direct quotations from another source, I was able to convert what I was trying to say into my own words. Inadvertently this made the essay a little less 'academic' in my eyes which prompted me to reflect on where my focus is being directed. I was prioritising the correct writing style and proving how much theory had been understood rather than selecting what was necessary. Adesola described this in a different way by explaining students need to be telling their own story, saying what they want to say rather than just saying what they predict the tutors want to hear. 

Tom and I then both reflected on our past experiences of the notion of academia. What does it mean to be academic? My initial thought is intelligent, erudite, logical, correct. Ken Robinson describes in his book Out of our Minds, how seemingly academic subjects like mathematics and history are placed at the top of a hierarchy and the arts are at the bottom. (Robinson, 2017, p.9). I think this is a projected assumption within the education system and one which students are likely to inherit. I have memories of my teachers at Dance college almost insinuating that none of us were fit for academia, we were instead creative, as though the two are separate labels. 

Adesola challenged us with this perception. Academic is not a 'thing'. It's not a category you wake up and fall into much like one doesn't just become a celebrity. These ideas are the constructs created by other people which help us make sense of identity. There is safety in the streamlining of categories: academic/non academic. Famous/unknown. We perhaps fill these identities to reach the expectations of others, or embrace them to help us make sense of who we are. 

But how limiting to define oneself in such a way? In reality the world is objective; a result of social interactions and subsequent meanings. Instead our skills and qualities are fluid, on a spectrum, ever changing according to our environment. As Claire Robson explains, our identity is not just given to us, but through reflexive activities it is continually recreated. (Robson, 2012, p. 3).

The following video supports the idea of social construction and how it influences our identities. Florencia Escobedo Munoz questions some asumptions about her culture, and describes how these external views impact on her own concept of self.

How Our Identities Are Socially Constructed: 

Florencia Escobedo Munoz TEDxColegioAngloColombiano

Reflecting on my assumptions of intelligence which partly have been infuenced by the messages within the industry, is an example of critical thinking, or critical refection. Robert Ennis describes this as:

“the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” (Ennis, 2015)

By engaging in this method of thinking, I am able to realise that my beliefs are not concrete. There can be a continuum apon which performers can study, self educate, be intellectual as well as creative and so on. The transdisciplinary approach of my practice almost justifies this notion as mathematical skills used in my admin contrast from my communicative skills in my teaching. Performers have to juggle many disciplines in order to make a living and in realising this, Tom and I both acknowledge a ease in pressure relating to the assignment. Rather than desperately strriving to include every theory and every quotation under the sun, I will dig deep and think about what I really want to say, then work at conveying this in an appropriate tone. Therefore, I am placing myself 'somewhere' on the intangible spectrum of academia!

Bibliography

Ennis, Robert H. (2015) , "Critical Thinking", The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN  9781137378057, retrieved 17 Oct 2019.

How Our Identities Are Socially Constructed. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIuJT1n2vRY

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Lo, M. L., Pong, W. Y., Marton, F., Leung, A., Ko, P. Y., Ng, F. P., et al. (2002).Catering for individual differences building on variation: The first findings. Hong Kong: INSTEP, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong.

Robinson, K. (2017). Out of our minds: learning to be creative. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Robson, C. (2012). Writing for change: research as public pedagogy and arts-based activism. New York: P. Lang.

Tharp, T. & Reiter, M. (2006). The Creative Habit: learn it and use it for life: a practical guide, New York, Simon and Schuster.

Networking: Collaboration, community and competition.

I haven't been able to post in a while due to my focus being intently on finalising my first draft submission! I was very tentative in sending it to Adesola, mainly because I have the usual self doubt demons running on autopilot, convincing me that I've done the work all wrong. In moments of self observation, I then have the ability to question my assumptions and affirm to myself one of the first concepts I noted at the start of the year. There is no end goal, no right or wrong. Questions lead to more questions and that is the nature of this study course.

Mindmap of Lens 3: Networks, Community and Connectivism.

In reflection, I can see that my standard approach to fulfilling a task such as an essay submission is to isolate myself, get my head down and work. I sometimes struggle to shift focus between different tasks, and in the process of writing I perceived any straying from my assessment as a 'distraction'. How ironic when writing about the importance of networks, affiliation and interactivity I was in fact contradicting this notion all together and NOT communicating. The BAPP community of practice is an example of “a group who share a common interest” where “the desire to learn from and contribute to the community with their variety of experiences” (Lave & Wenger, 1991) substantiates the generation of knowledge. There is no doubt that learning through interaction is of benefit. In fact, Siemans states “We can no longer seek to posses all needed knowledge personally. We must store it in our friends or within technology” (2006, p 51). I know that I have learnt a lot from reading the blogs of my fellow peers, especially when I am able to comment which sparks subsequent discussion. Equally the Skype discussions create innovative ideas from alternative perspectives which encourages me to embrace the diversity of input.

So if I can opening acknowledge the advantages of networking within a community, where does my resistance come from?

One factor could be my natural predisposition to introversion. Over the years I have found this to be quite a contrast to many musical theatre performers within my networks who seem to be closer to extrovert qualities. Extroverts typically gain energy from interactions, whilst introverts feel the opposite and need individual time to revitalise after social encounters. In everyday life, being an introvert may cause few recognisable consequences, but there may be implications within a professional network, especially in a profession such as the arts which is sadly a lot about 'who you know'. 

However, there is certainly a difference in willingness to participate within different networks. For example, whilst I may be tentative about contribution to a wide network of ISTD Teachers due to my perception of inadequacy, I would be more inclined to engage in a close knit team of staff at a dance school who are putting together a show. Especially if I felt inspired with creative ideas I wanted to share, and particularly if I knew that these ideas may be received without judgement. The slight change in perspective from 'networking' to 'collaborating' offers a voluntary approach which feels less suppressing than the need to network for ones own advances. Hargreaves and Dawe describe collaboration as “evolutionary relationships of openness, trust and support among teachers where they define and develop their own purposes as a community”. (1990). On the surface this sounds harmonious, but in reality human relationships consist of clashing personalities and agendas which complicate matters.

This leads me on to 'game theory' which relates to the notion of corporation, conflict and returns. In game theory, “any actions taken by the user may affect the performance of others in the same network segment”. (Lin et al, 2018). In other words, all the nodes in a network hold an element of responsibility towards the meanings and relationships within that group, where responses depend on actions encountered. 

This made me consider the potential problems which arise within a professional network. Of course there is the factor of introvert vs extrovert and the existence of lurkers online who tend to browse from a distance with limited contribution. This could be due to confidence issues as already mentioned or there may be a deeper ulterior motive which perhaps is particularly apparent in the showbiz industry which is a highly competitive field. My experience of the game when I was in the audition circuit, was that values were frequently cast aside and performers would do whatever they could to get ahead, like some sort of 'survival of the fittest'. That doesn't necessarily mean that all performers are vehemently bad people with no moral obligations, it's just the way the industry is via years of construction. Therefore, it feels counterintuitive to openly corporate with members of a network who could potentially be competition.

An example of this I can relate to is during my DDE ISTD teaching course. All candidates attended weekly sessions where we'd often be put on the spot to talk about innovative teaching methods we had conjured up. By vocalising an idea which one has piloted, you then have revealed something which other candidates could use to their advantage in their own exam. This could then lessen the innovation, the pride of having invented something which then becomes common knowledge. Conversely, this 'good idea' could be shared amongst the teaching community for the greater good, as surely the goal is to be able to influence good teaching practice for all children to benefit from? But one's desire to 'be better' may override the true intentions. Ultimately, if all contributors adopt this reluctancy to share, the whole group will suffer. As Kollock and Smith state; “ A lurker may withhold information because when they contribute, it benefits everyone in the community except for themselves. When everyone then chooses to withhold information, the collective benefit is no longer produced”. (1996).

Thankfully, when considering the BAPP community of practice, there is hopefully a less dog eat dog approach! It seems that when all parties corporate to their fullest extent, all benefit as a result which is why I am going to make it my intention to be more active in engaging with the online community. In doing so, I hope that the process will become increasingly instinctive so I can not only profit myself, but pass on the skillset of networking to my students. I came across the following video which expands upon the possibility of integrating networking theory into schools, thus providing students with a more active involvement in their own learning. Wouldn't this create more enthusiasm? An authentic and engaging experience? The predictable teaching philosophy in schools is outdated in today's current digital climate and surely embracing the wondrous communicative tools we have available can take the next generation to excelling standards?

Learning Networks Could Reconfigure Schools | Steve Regur | TEDxElCajonSalon

I'd be grateful for any thoughts on the above- especially as this would be conducive towards my communication aims! Lets not lurk, lets connect!

References

Hargreaves, A., Dawe, R. (1990) 'Paths of professional development: Contrived collegiality, collaborative cultures and the case of peer coaching' , Teaching and teacher education, 6 , (3) , pp. 227-41.

Kollock, P., Smith, M. (1996). Managing the virtual commons. Computer-mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social, and Cross-cultural Perspectives. Pragmatics & Beyond New Series. 39. pp. 109–128. doi:10.1075/pbns.39.10kol

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

"Learning networks could reconfigure schools". (2016, May 10). Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpsMDbBrAbQ

Lin, D., Wang, Q., & Yang, P. (2018). The Game Theory: Applications in the Wireless Networks. Game Theory - Applications in Logistics and Economy. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.79508

Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Winnipeg, MB.

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.

Exploring the Experiential Learning Cycle. Enter, engage, experience!

Once again I decided to take the mind map route (See below to the right) to try and decipher how the second lens of Reflection, ethics and creativity related to my practice. Personally, I find this lens the most captivating out of the three we are advised to study, especially as the main segment of my practice is dance teaching. Therefore, I am always interested in the psychology of how people learn in various ways and it has made me reflect individually on how I process information through reflection and action.

This all looks a bit of a mess! But it has helped me to categorise my thoughts, and I have found a few things particularly interesting, triggering paths for further research. I thought I would firstly focus on Kolb's Learning cycle. David Kolb's concept seemed significant to my practice as I feel it is imperative to understand how people can enter the cycle at different stages according to their learning preferences. Knowing a person's (and your own) learning style enables learning to be orientated according to the preferred method. (Mcleod, 2017). When applying this to teaching children in a dance studio I can conclude that a wide range of teaching methods aimed to target these contrasting learning pathways, would perhaps be the most effective approach.

So how would that look in action? What would be involved in answering the desired dimension of learning for each individual student? This prompted me to reflect on my past experiences as a teacher, and furthermore think about how I can improve the diversity of my delivery.

1. REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION

As I have mentioned before, I believe this is where I often enter the learning cycle and this was certainly the case when I was training as a dancer. I often benefitted more from watching my peers or performers I admired in action than actually engaging in the movements myself. I could almost picture in my mind's eye how a particular dancer embodied a routine which assisted me in emulating the same. (Or at least attempting!)

In my practice, this is exampled in the way I observe other teachers in my community. As part of the DDE qualification I had to carry out teaching observations and I found it mesmerising to notice how a teacher could captivate the class with various techniques. Even in moments of observing teachers briefly before my class in due to start, I use these pockets of opportunity to embrace learning via observation.

I believe this spreads wider in the form of media which has supported me in my understanding of children's behaviour. For instance 'The secret life of four year olds' has helped educate me on methods to effectively capture a child's attention and consider the stages of socialisation in youngsters. I feel these observations have supported me in my teaching. How can I help my students to embrace this learning pathway?

TEACHING METHODS TO SUPPORT REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION?

• Demonstrating the dancing myself.
• Peer observation and feedback. Eg. Performing to the class in groups and asking each child to explain what they liked about the demo.
• Showing media Eg. Videos of performances.

In other areas of my practice I can see that I use this stage of the cycle regularly. As a Princess Party entertainer I often watch the mannerisms of other employees as they portray a different character. Watching YouTube videos about individual Princess's mannerisms assists me in delivering a polished performance. I learnt from my employer as to how the administrative system worked online so that I could effectively take over her duties. I am frequently inspired by choreography I see, perhaps the way a dancer has been instructed to express the music which subsequently helps me in choreographing future work.

2. ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALISATION

At first, I assumed this was perhaps less common in the arts industry as I associated it with 'working it out in your head' seeming more academic, theoretical. However, looking deeper into this concept I realised it is more complex than just thinking about an idea as it is at this stage that the learner must formulate concepts which “integrate their observations into logically sound theories.” (Kolb 1984, p 30) I see this almost as the web between reflection, observation, theory and experience. I wonder whether this is more prevalent in older students due to the requirement of a more advanced cognition. In trying to think of an example which applies to myself, what springs to mind is the strand of my practice which involves Pilates instructing. It wasn't until I embarked on my study for this that I really understood the notion of engaging the pelvic floor. I knew what 'it' was to some extent, I knew that the pelvic floor had to be switched on to aid technique and I vaguely knew the difference between 'engaged' and 'unengaged'.

However, by hearing how imagery can help with the feeling (imagining my core was an elevator and needed to go from the ground floor, to floor ten, to floor three) I attained more understanding. I connected the imagery to the physical feeling. In turn I observed the visual effect of the pelvic floor being engaged on other students and through anatomical study, I further understood how the position of the skeletal muscles supported the notion of it's purpose. I suddenly found myself linking accumulated knowledge to past experiences which intensified my understanding. For instance I inferred why the arms were used in certain ISTD modern core strength exercises as they helped students to stimulate the correct muscles. The dots all joined up and through considering all of these facets of learning, I achieved the 'CONCEPT' of the pelvic floor.

TEACHING METHODS TO SUPPORT ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALISATION

• Questioning students to stimulate their exploration. Eg: What does this movement remind you of? What do you think would help in strengthening your supporting leg? Etc.
• Ask students to conjure up their own imagery.
• Work as a group to create a piece of choreography through integrative ideas.
• Ask questions: How could you make your performance better?
• Encourage students to research between sessions.

3. ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION

Attempting to try out different ideas through an exploratory method. The catch 22 in this approach is that one must generate ideas first in order to trial a methodology. The need to trial new ideas is often triggered by a problem, lacking or acknowledgement of 'not knowing'. In a creative practice such a dancing this is a method which is often engaged in.

For example when choreographing the studio is an inviting haven for creative experiment and even when one feels like the desired result has been met, there is always that drive in the back of one's mind to make improvements. As Schon explains 'the experimenter might keep on experimenting indefinitely- as long as he is able to invent new, plausible hypothesis.' (Schon, 1987, p 73) Linking this to my practice I associate my choreographic work with this approach, and even when I try and pre plan a lesson or dance, I often change my mind once I see how the moves are reflected on the dancers in front of me.

Equally, from reflective observation my learning from external situations then encourages me to experiment with ideas in my own way. Discovering new tactics to promote spacial awareness in the dance studio or allowing my students to improvise to see how it can benefit them is an example of this.

TEACHING METHODS TO SUPPORT ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION

• Work in partners or groups to create choreography.
• Ask the students to practice 'what works' on their body.
• Get pupils to practice technique in the wrong way momentarily so they can explore how it feels to execute correctly.
• Encourage the use of props to support learning. Eg Instruments to strengthen rhythmical awareness.
• Recommend additional training programs to help strengthen dance eg: Does going to Pilates help with your control?
  
  
  4) CONCRETE EXPERIENCE

“Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because I haven't lived that moment yet.”

Suzanne Farrel.

I'm sure many dancers can relate to the above quote, namely because dancing is a physical art so can only be perfected by the athleticism of doing it. You can think, visualise, mark and talk about a movement but it is only in doing it that you can actually achieve that kinaesthetic knowledge. This isn't to deny that this stage of the the cycle is irrelevant without the processes of reflection and observation, where improvement would never be possible if it wasn't for contemplation. 

 

The 'here and now' practice could potentially be enhanced by reflection in action as I have discussed in my previous post. In choreography I am naturally led to formulate movements in my head and I feel so sure that they will work in practice, only to then dance them in my body and realise the flow just isn't right. Additionally with my administrative work I believe I have gained most accomplishment by doing, so much so that it almost feels like an automatic process where repetition leads to mastery. The reflection of my concrete experiences can be strengthened through the emotional connection to a situation. Eg: Seeing a young child fully engaged and inspired by a storytelling dance ignites joy in my heart, which then persuades me to engage in this concrete experience again and again!

TEACHING METHODS TO SUPPORT CONCRETE EXPERIENCE

• Repeating exercises with the music numerous times.
• Giving opportunity to practice.
• Switching up spacing when performing in the studio makes the experience more engaging.
• Encourage practice time away from the studio.
• Develop reflective time through questioning: What will you improve for next week?

This diagram shows the Experiential learning cycle in more detail and introduces another additional theory:

This shows how Kolb's two continuums separate thinking and feeling. The east-west axis is labelled as “the Processing Continuum (how we approach a task), and the north-south axis is called thePerception Continuum (our emotional response, or how we think or feel about it).”

(McLeod 2017)

In other worlds Assimilating is a learning style which is logical, systematic, and cognitive. Maybe more favoured by natural scientists and mathematicians. Similarly, converging is technical in style and learners typically favour problem solving. This doesn't mean these kinds of learning can't be utilised in my practice and if a student was more inclined to think in this manner, I could use inventive ways to communicate my teachings via this approach.

Diverging and Accommodating are more aligned with feeling and expression. They involve seeing things from different points of views and generally encapsulate an open minded approach. This style is possibly more in harmony with the dance profession.

I would be interested in researching how much of the preferred learning style is influenced by genetics vs environment. Does a Teacher have the power to switch one's preferred learning style? Is it down to frequency of exposure? I hope to explore this further.

In conclusion, when thinking about this cycle I recognise that it is all in vain unless one is active in the process. “Experiential learning requires self-initiative, an "intention to learn" and an "active phase of learning" (Moon, 2004) and it cannot just be forced by the teacher alone.

Encouraging my students to recognise the benefit of being active in their own learning process would hopefully reduce the strain of trying to drag the learners through the motions, devoid of passion and interest. My past experiences of learning have always motivated me to want to learn even more. It feels satisfying. Enriching. Perhaps this is more evident when one has a passion for the topic? I know my engagement in the learning process was stronger in the performing arts as opposed to say, Geography! I question whether the educational system is dulling the ability to be a collaborative learner as the school set up is frequently a set of delivered instructions without the opportunity for innovation. This has made me consider how important creativity is in my teaching and how my own self improvement in my practice can hopefully facilitate a more effective learning process for my students.

Where do you typically enter the learning cycle? Is it different according to the situation?

 

Bibliography

Chapman, A. (2006, May). Kolb Learning Styles. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm

Mcleod, S. (2017, February 5). Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Cycle. Retrieved October 13        2019, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html.

McLeod, S. (2017, Oct 24). Kolb - learning styles. Simply Psychology. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html

Moon, J. (2004). A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning:Theory and Practice. London: Routledge Falmer. p.126.

Kolb, David. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Schœn, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions by Donald A. Schon. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Suzanne Farrell Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/suzanne-farrell-quotes.