My Professional Artefact

I had originally planned for my artefact to take on the form of a lesson plan whereby differentiation was built in to allow me to cater for various students learning styles. I still anticipate I will be able to produce this as one of the outcomes of my research project but do not necessarily want it to be my artefact.

While a lesson plan will be of use to me and other teachers I feel it could be limited with the amount of information that it could provide. I feel I have learnt a great deal about my subject area and want to share this knowledge with my professional community. I am now looking at producing a leaflet or guidance booklet for teachers informing them about the benefits off using differentiation and providing them a variety of ways of integrating it into a dance class.

I feel my artefact is a worthy piece of work to produce as through literature reviews I haven’t found anything that already acts as a resource for teachers in this area, there are useful ways of using differentiation within the educational system but nothing that is specific to a dance class. One document that begins to address such issues is The Dance Inclusive Spectrum, produced as part of the Youth Sport Dance, Conference 2009. I have reviewed this document http://cerysdixie.blogspot.com/2011/11/literature-review-5.html, and found it a useful resource but it is limited with its information. I do however like its format, and its use of bright colours, lots of pictures and easy to read bullet points. Nicholas Norman has highlighted the importance of knowing who your targeted audience is and presenting your information in an appropriate way. Like Nicholas my intended audience are people within the arts industry and so an interesting, colourful, visual and not too formal approach should work best.

Job Interview…. How BAPP has helped.

I got short listed for a teaching job this week – a full time community dance development practioner post- and it prompted me into reflecting on how this course has helped me so far and what I have learnt. 

There was quite a bit of preparation needed for the interview/ audition day (practical work as well as written tasks, an oral presentation and the formal interview questions), as well as reading through the companies’ policies and what the person and job specifications were. There were so many opportunities for me to include my learning so far on this course it really did show me how valuable it has been, not just the research I am currently involved with but work we did back in module 1 on networking and social media all had its place within the interview and the questions that were raised.

It has never been about doing a degree just for the sake of having ‘a degree’, but often the focus can lean towards the end product (just like I have spoken before about in a dance class actually! Sometimes the focus is on the end result and the processes of getting there can be forgotten or not properly looked at). So it has been really helpful to take some time to see what i have achieved and learnt so far...

The course has already taught me so much about my own practise and has made me want to learn more and delve deeper and explore theories out there and put them to the test and see if they are relevant and helpful in what I do. It has made me look at things in a slightly different way and not be afraid to ask questions and find the right way of doing things for me. Already I can see the positive affects it has had on my professional practice. I feel i am continually learning as a dance artist and want to keep developing my professional practise, reflecting upon experiences, taking on board new ideas and keeping it fresh.

Coming from a dance performing background like many others on this course I have been used to auditioning for a job and not having to answer questions in a formal interview or write anything in a formal way, other teaching jobs I have got have either been achieved through recommendations or very informal interviews/teaching a trial class. This is only my second experience of having to prepare for such a formal and thorough interview process…

…now I didn’t get the job but still feel it was such a valuable experience going through the process, and I think before starting this course I never would of applied for this type of teaching job so it has given me more confidence in my ability and professional practise and is helping me to figure out where I would like to develop my future career.

Literature Review 6

Dance teaching methods and curriculum design

 By Gayle Kassing, Danielle Mary Jay: Applying Education Theaories in a Dance Class.

I have already read and reviewed another chapter in this book “Dance teaching methods and curriculum design ”, when looking for literature related to my inquiry in module 2. This can be found on an earlier blog: http://cerysdixie.blogspot.com/2011/04/literature-review.html

Going back to this book I found another chapter that would be useful to review as part of my research project now it is underway.

This chapter talks of how educational theories can be bought into the class room. There is a lot of information about the best ways to differentiate when teaching within education and the curriculum but what I found from my initial research was that this wasn’t always transferred into the dance class so this chapter gives a bit of an insight into the possible ways of doing this.

The writer talks about using a ‘student centred learning’ when teaching which links in with the work Sho Botham has promoted using a person centred approach to dance rather than a body centred one which is perhaps how it has been done traditionally.

As with Bothams works this article states that student centred learning “focuses on student’s accomplishments”.  It would make sense to me that if a teacher focuses on a student’s good points and what they have achieved, however small a step it may be, then that student will fell valued, their confidence will grow and they will want to work harder so they can continue to improve.

I don’t believe that when most teachers point out something negative it is done with the intention of making a student feel bad, if you see it from a teachers perspective they are just wanting to help that student to improve by pointing out what they can do better, however if this is done continuously with no positive feedback to go along side it then it could have damaging effects on a student’s emotional state.

This chapter also address’s the fact that when you are teaching a class you are teaching a class of individuals and it must not be forgotten that each person in that class is slightly different and “has individual needs and learns slightly differently to other students” By adopting a “multi focus view” it is possible to provide appropriate learning for all – this can be done through teaching methods, class management and by including educational theories in the dance class.

The chapter talks about the importance of critical learning skills and how these could be applied in a dance class, by sharing work with each other and discussing and evaluating what worked and what could be improved upon these critical learning skills can be used in dance. Mosston’s Reciprocal and Self check learning styles on his spectrum include this critical thinking also, by students watching and analysing both each other’s works as well as checking their own work against a set criteria.

Whilst this chapter is helpful in pointing out some of the teaching theories that can be transferred into a dance class it does not go into detail or give examples of how this can be done. For this reason it feels limited to how much you can gain from this chapter as it just scathes the surface of the problem and doesn’t get stuck in with practical ways of applying these theories.

References

Botham, S. 2000. "A dancer is a person" (online). Available at: 

http://www.ethicsdance.co.uk/downloads_assets/A%20Dancer%20is%20A%20Person.pdf (accessed 14 April 2011)

Mosston, M. & Ashworth, S. (1986) Teaching Physical Education.

Literature Review 5

The Dance Inclusion Spectrum

Merie Eglesfield-Hope, Youth Sport Trust Dance Conference 2009

Available at: http://www.youthsporttrust.org/downloads/cms/dance_conference_2009/dance_inclusion_spectrum.pdf

This article provides a dance spectrum whereby there are different stages within a cycle that you can use to be inclusive within a dance session. The spectrum is shown in a diagram and then each point is shown how it could be used within a dance class. The whole concept seems relatively straight forward and is put across in a simple and easy to read format without too much extra information or complicated language. It struck me that this would be a useful resource for many teachers to have as a starting point and could be something to look at further and develop as part of my professional artefact.

There are four stages within the spectrum; the first is an open activity where every member of the group is included and taking part in the same activity. This would need to be structured at a level that all students are capable of. This type of activity doesn’t necessarily fit into the concept of differentiation as you would be asking all students to do the same thing no matter their ability or learning style. However I think there would be benefits to an activity like this as it promotes a sense of unity and everyone working together. It would fit in well to the warm up section of a dance class, so the students would be engaged and focused on the same movements before undertaking other tasks of varying levels.

The second stage would be a Modified Activity whereby students are still all participating in the same activity but depending on capabilities and individual strengths modifications can be made to suit the learner’s needs. This kind of activity can be planned for by the teacher but I think there would also be the use of reflecting in action and modifying the task as you go along depending on how various students react.

Stage three is a Parallel activity, where by students would work in smaller appropriate ability groups in their own space at their own levels. This contradicts some of my own research finding whereby teachers would often use mixed ability groups so that the stronger students can help the less able ones within the group.

I know from my own teaching experiences I will sometimes utilise students who have mastered a step and pair then up with those who are struggling, this means that students who are struggling get individual help and it challenges those who already have the step to try and pass on that knowledge to someone else so they may have to think about it and articulate it in a slightly different way.

Depending on the type of task I think that sometimes more able pupils would learn most productively together, sharing and developing their more advanced thinking however on other tasks I believe it would be of benefit to all students if groups were combined with a mix of abilities so that more able students can offer support to those who are less able.

Stage four is designed within differentiation by task in mind rather than by outcome. This is where students would participate on their own purposely planned dance activities. This stage would require you to know your class well and would also require pre planning so that you were able to appoint different people to different pre organised activities or tasks. This would also require a certain amount of trust in the students as they would have to take responsibility for much of their own learning as if there are lots of different tasks being done as the teacher you would not be able to work with all groups all the time. This fits in well with Mosston’s spectrum where student are taking personal responsibility for the work that they do.

 One other area that this article covers which is very relevant to my research is the benefits in using props and visual aids within a dance class. Automatically having something visual can promote fun and spark off new thoughts and ways of moving without feeling inhibited.

I feel this article has been of benefit to me and would be useful to other teachers also, its well presented with use of pictures and colour and so grabs your attention straight away and uses short to the point sentences to keep information concise but informative. Although it does not mention any specific theories in differentiation and learning and teaching styles it certainly crosses paths with some of the theories i have already encountered.

Aims and Objectives

I have looked at a number of peoples aims and objectives and before blogging my own tried to take on board some of the feedback given. After reading Rosemary’scomments on Rebecca’s blog I have tried not to be over ambitious with what I want to achieve and keep it realistic within the time frame but also relevant to what is going to be of help to me in my practice. I was under some confusion about the differences between your aims and objectives and felt when reading there was not always a clear difference, after pointing this out to Laura she revised her original points to fit a clearer format. From looking into it further my understanding is that

Aims are your overall goal or what you want to achieve.

Objections are what you will do to achieve them.

With all of this in mind here are my Aims and Objectives for my inquiry:

Aims

• ·       To be able to structure a dance class where by differentiation is built in to allow you to cater for various students learning needs.

• ·       To recognise differences in learning styles and offer alternatives through different teaching methods.

• ·       To be inclusive in dance and ensure each student is being challenged within their own capabilities.

• ·       To give students the opportunity to maximise their own learning and enjoyment in dance.

Objectives

• ·       Review literature to find out what theories are already established within my research area and look at how these can be used specifically in teaching dance.

• ·       Discover fellow teachers’ views on using differentiation within a dance class and what tried and tested methods they use.

• ·       Improve my knowledge on learning styles and teaching styles and then apply this knowledge more specifically to a dance class.

• ·       Establish what factors contribute to students continued interest in dance.

Literature Review 4

Teaching the Dance Class:Strategies to Enhance Skill Acquisition, Masteryand Positive Self-Image.

Lynda M. Mainwaring, Ph.D., C. Pysch., and Donna H. Krasnow, M.S, Journal of Dance Education, 2010. Vol 10

This journal has been an interesting read as is the first piece of literature that I have reviewed that is specifically dance related. As with a number of other pieces of literature this journal acknowledges Mosstons theory and goes on to view it as the “single most influential model of teaching for physical education pedagogy”. Having said this it is also suggested that while the goal has remained the same some of the more contemporary versions of Mosstons theory allow for more fluidity between various approaches. Although there are guidelines to follow it seems there is not one best method for teachers to follow but it is about using a mixture of styles to create the best learning environment that you can.

This journal acknowledges that there has been no overwhelming attempt to take such literature and apply it to create a specific model for teaching and learning within the dance discipline,  although much research has been done within regards to teaching styles there is nothing specific to dance. This is interesting especially as this journal was published in 2010 which is very recent and so it makes you wonder why this is the case, is it because dance is seen as one of the arts and not a ‘proper’ subject, or could it be that as dance is not such a common subject taught within the curriculum then no specific research has been done on it. However there are a lot of private dance schools and dance is a very popular activity but as seen from Sho Bothams research often the private dance are more reluctant towards change as she has seen whilst trying to promote a more person centred approach to dance teaching.

The journal goes on to talk about 16 guidelines for teaching dance. One area that stood out for me was with regards to “Influences that affect the dances progress” and the importance of your role as a teacher. As a teacher you are in control and the actions that you take can affect a whole class or individual students very much, teachers should recognise that they are “powerful influences”. The journal suggests it is your job as a teacher to “maintain a disciplined and driven atmosphere while inspiring and encouraging the dancers…” I agree with what is said here and do believe that as a dance teacher you are also a role model for your students, what you say, how you say it and your behaviour can all affect the atmosphere and progression in a class,  “Positive reinforcement can both inspire and motivate the dancer in class.”

Another area looked at in this Journal that would influence a student’s progress is the way in which they are nurtured. By recognising that students have different learning styles and using teaching methods that cover visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning you can help your students not only learn in a way suited to them but also help them develop new ways of learning. I had not thought of it like this before and had only concentrated on ensuring students learn in a way most suited to them but can now see that it is also good for them to practice learning in a number of different ways in order to improve their own learning skills which again could then be applied to other situations outside of the dance class, “Improving and expanding learning strategies enhances skill development and self-esteem simultaneously.”

Another thing that I had not considered was that if students recognise their own learning style they will be able to learn more efficiently as they would know what they need to do, “It is empowering for students to learn about their own learning styles.” By questioning students and getting them to think and understand how and why they learn better in a certain way could really help them progress.

One line from this journal really stood out within me in reference to my own research is, “Students learn more effectively in an environment that is both challenging and enjoyable.” From my own survey results I have found that enjoyment is the top reason for wanting to come to a dance class and when asked about being given challenging steps the overwhelming majority would prefer to be challenged with more difficult steps than stick to what they can do. This ties in exactly with what is said here and shows the importance of working in a fun but challenging environment.

Although there is much that I can take from this piece of literature it still shows there is a gap within this research area as although some guide lines are given there is no structured model or examples given of many of the ways you could use differentiation and different teaching strategies specifically within a dance class and so I do feel confident that the research I am undertaking will be of value to myself and others too.

References

Botham, S.  2000.  A dancer is a person (online), International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS), Miami. Available from: http://www.ethicsdance.co.uk/downloads_assets/A%20Dancer%20is%20A%20Person.pdf (accessed 7 November 2011)

Literature Review 3

The Handbook of Physical Education: David Kirk, Doune MacDonald, Mary O'Sullivan, Chapter 4.5: “Teaching Styles and Inclusive Pedagogies”, Mark Byra.

Avaialable at:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=aJv69BDaZjMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=the+handbook+of+physical+education&ots=kONcttW9oZ&sig=Zq0XZ1ZWFmwFpwdjbbREB3RxMBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Within the introduction of this chapter teaching is defined as “… an action taken with the purpose of realizing learning in another” (Dewey 1933, Robertson 1987, Smith 1987). It goes on to say how teaching aims to “...engage students in meaningful goal orientated activity with the intent of meeting instructional objectives specific to a given lesson...” (Mosston and Ashworth 2002, Rink 2002). It is good to be reminded of what teaching is actually about sometimes as it just makes you stop and collect your thoughts before going on to look at it in more depth.

This chapter informs the reader that historically more formal, teacher centred teaching styles were used in P.E up until the 1960’s, only then did there seem to be a shift and the introduction of more varied teaching styles were introduced. Reasons for this include a higher demand for physical education teachers in universities and so more research was undertaken in this area.

But does this mean that before 1960 what all teachers were doing was wrong? I don’t believe this to be the case. 

Some pupils probably respond very well to a more direct teaching approach where by the teachers says what to do and the student does it, especially if you are naturally quite good at the subject this way of teaching would work quite well for you. So it is not to point the finger and say that was completely wrong but to look at ways of helping those students who don’t respond so well to a direct approach and giving more equal opportunities for learning to all.

Throughout this chapter there are references to Mosstons theory and his research, his work is obviously well known and respected within this subject area as has been highlighted on a number of occasions in different pieces of literature.

When defining teaching styles they are described as having to do with the “how” and “why” of teaching content and not the “what” (Rink 2002). This is interesting as it links in with the idea that it is the process that needs to be addressed and not perhaps the final result. In a dance class it is often the outcome that people look at and judge whether or not it has been a successful lesson and sometimes the process of getting there is overlooked but what Byra says would imply that it is the process that is perhaps the most important part.

It would appear there is much scope and freedom when it comes to teaching strategies and not all lessons will run the same “In some cases the teachers and learners may engage in the same teaching styles for an entire 30 minute lesson, whereas in other situations, the teacher and learners may engage in two or three different teaching styles, one after another, within a 30 minute lesson”

Ethically this chapter backs up the importance of research and understanding in this area and the use of different teaching styles “ Inclusive pedagogies facilitate equal opportunities for success for all learner regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnic background, or physical and/or cognitive ability” By using inclusive teaching methods there is the opportunity to create multiple learning outcomes, students are not just learning the physical activity being taught but gaining social skills, cognitive learning and learning associated with the psychomotor domain. I think these are important points to remember when teaching, it is not just about teaching that subject but you are passing on other transferable skills that’s students can take away and apply to other areas of their learning and life in general.