Professional Inquiry- Theories

The main theories i am looking at, are those from the Huddleston and unwin research. They focus on the theme(s) of team teaching and the relationship between both students and their teachers and mentors/suppot teaching and teachers.
These theories have prodominatly emerged from Huddleston and UNwin them selves as well as Cox.1996  as well as an interesting review from the comedien/author Ben Elton.
What i am discovering more and more is that there is definate encouragement towards involvement for all within education as well as creasting assesment/teaching methods that emphais achievement rather than 'malpractice'.
These theories have so far tied in well with the Btec assessment policy as well as my own research.

Thoughts on Critical review so far

Having been immersed in my workplacement over christmas- performing in 'Cinderella' at Chickenshed- and moving back to south london i am now in the process of drafting my critical review. So far im almost half the way through and am starting to get into the rythm of it. Im finding that what is working for me is to get any initial thoughts out of my head and straight on to the page- regardless of structure or coherence! and then going back to review and re structure the main body of what i have written. Having completed my actual project before christmas im finding that i have so many ideas, thought s and finidings in my head its hard to filter them out.

However pereverance is the key and i am now conentrating on one step at a time: the critical review and appendices- then the artefact- then the presentation.  I find that if i try to go between all three at once my mind cant seem to cope!

While drafting my critical review i have inearthed some really interesting peices of literature- one if them beinf: teaching and learning in education by huddleston and unwin 2006- link below:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GOZ2B7Ov6cYC&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=huddleston+and+unwin+2006&source=bl&ots=9o03MFce3P&sig=WE1Z22nrrwoyoIiC1Vaxmoua6jo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lUZGT_3HM5Sp8APxoOivDg&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=huddleston%20and%20unwin%202006&f=false

if any one fancies a read and will let me know their thoughts please do!

As i said previously the critical review is my main focus at the moment- step by step giving myself constant feedback as well as using feedback structures that my tutors have given me..

and so to continue....!

professional artefact/presentation

I am currentlty in the prossess of putting together my professional artefact. My idea is to put together 'scrap book' of my inquiry process.
this would include pictures from my workshops, workshop plans as well as materials used in the sessions.
I would also include an explantation of the material..why my subject was chosen for the workshops, any unexpected evenets etc.
I suppose my thinking is to create a 'step by step' guide to planning, delivering and evaluating a workshop process. This is something that is in the process of being formed.

I am also thinking about my final presentation, how i would demonstrate this. Im thinking of going down the 'audio visual' route...possible a power point presentation? however i am still debating!

a short research tool!

As my project continues- i am finding the volume of research and literature failry over wheling..however i have a tecnique that could be useful to others to help as a filter. So i find my research as a hard copy (printed/written etc) and highlight the main blocks of information that i see as relevant.
I then use a word document and go through each highlighted section; bullet pointing the information in my own SHORT words as well as my oppinions on the information.
I have found that filtering my resources in this way not only allows me to find the relevance in my research but also to comment allong the way. Using the various tools to do this stops me from coming complaicent/ passive in my working.

I hope this can be helpful...if anybody else has any tips let me know!

Planning my project

In order for me to complete my project on time as well as manage my commitments at Chickenshed, i have drawn up a schedule outling when the various aspects of my project will take place. Fitting this around my btec support and rehursal shedule means that i have to be specific in my planning from research to practical workshops.

I have used a microsoft excel spreadsheet to give me the clearest presentation possible:

I have highlighted in red project tasks. This timetable is still yet to be completed as i am awaiting replies form practioners regarding interview appointments.

Although this is an inital schedule it is still a helpful process to have undertaken and has allowed to filter my work load which can seem quite daunting at first.

preparation

so after a pretty boring summer im back and so ready to get stuck into this project! in thelast few weeks i have begun to collate the information that i am going to need for my professional inquiry. I have done my first workshop at the BRIT school but am not able to do the work at chickenshed just yet because their education programme doesnt officaially start for another few weeks.
None the less i have begun to prepare for the work ahead.

The main body of preparation has begun with my research- having sourced my inital literature in the previous module i have now sourced literature is more specific to my project and can develop form the previous (a review that i will post in the next blog)

All framworks and structures have also been drawn up and used for the practical elements of my project as well as the begininnings of photographic elements.

This is a very general post more still to come

Critical reflection and Summary: Digital portfolio

The initial tasks within this module required me hone in my specialist interests, exploring and defining my own interests as well as discovering other peoples. Although I have always understood that my passion for inclusion has existed, I was unclear as to how I wanted to put inclusion into context in my own working environment. The introduction of education came from my involvement of Chickenshed’s educational programme; BTEC National diploma in performing arts. Having worked closely with both staff and students involved in the programme it soon became evident that this was an area of inclusion that I wanted to be involved in.  This exploration of interest led me to raise initial questions about my workplace, the Chickenshed within the context of education:

http://emmabalaam.blogspot.com/2011/02/task-4a-my-questions.html

     These questions informed my special interest groups where I involved myself in discussions with other members of the BAPP course

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/topic.php?uid=145821545478191&topic=64

http://myinclusion.wikispaces.com/

And also professionals from within my working environment

http://emmabalaam.blogspot.com/2011/02/task-4c-sigs.html

The digital and in person debates that took place, developed my understanding of inclusion in education, interpreting perspectives that were formed outside of my own ‘comfortable’ thought process, prompting to develop my initial questions and ideas

http://emmabalaam.blogspot.com/2011/04/explain-myself.html

The constant discussion and development throughout the process of this module has led me to define more formal considerations when undertaking my inquiry. Taking into consideration aspect of inquiry such as ‘ethics’ and ‘code of conduct’

http://emmabalaam.blogspot.com/2011/04/5a-code-of-practice-my-oppinion.html

http://emmabalaam.blogspot.com/2011/04/taks-5c-my-understanding-of-ethics.html

has allowed the knowledge of practice of both my self and the Chickenshed to become informed and I feel more confident in my delivery of practice. These aspects of the inquiry have also led me to make an informed decision as to which research methods to use. Utilising the appropriate means of research will be key in conforming to my own code of practice and ethical practices as well as those established by my workplace

http://emmabalaam.blogspot.com/2011/04/task-6b-reaserch-methods.html

This module has allowed to explore a various number of tools of which I can implement in both the planning and execution of my inquiry. My knowledge and understanding of the subject matter that I wish to investigate has grown and strengthened leaving me excited and confident about beginning my inquiry next term.

My question: help required please!

As discussed in my earlier bloggs i have already begun to formulate questions with regard to my inquiry plan and the inquiry itself. However it has become clear that the wording of this question needs to be just write in order to generate the right feeling ethically and with regards to relevant responses
here are some of my ideas:

Is it necessary to formally equip students with the methodology of inclusion at BTEC National level?

How relevent is inclusion at BTEC National level?

Does the  knowledge of inclusion in further education maximise the individuals success?

any suggestions please comment....

The BRIT: making movements!

Yesterday i was invited down to the BRIT School for a meeting to discuss a oroject opportunity. Term 5 at the BRIT  is called the 'community' term, where groups from across the school; music, theatre. musical theatre, dance, art, media and production are merged together and sent out into a chosen community.
When i attended the school i took part in a project involving patients from St Christopher's Hospice- a project which changed me as a person and will stay with me forever.
So of course i was extacted to be asked back to the school to be involved as a profeesional within my field!

the project, as i understand it so far, will consist of 8 sessions run over four weeks working with students from dance, theatre and music strands as well as 10 members from the southside partnership- supporting people with mental health problems:

http://www.southsidepartnership.org.uk/fanon_mental_health_

the idea is to conduct a series of workshops to generate ideas and material to create a short piece relfective of all participants involved.

it goes wthout saying that i am SO EXCITED. it was strange sitting in the meeting and having people who used to teach me asking me for advice!
i have also been asked to run an 'inclusive skills' workshops for 70 students before the project begins to help equipp them for the project ahead.

as well as the project in june there was also mention of doing reaserch for the school in september; looking into inclusion with education at BTEC LEVEL, something which i am already exploring within my professional inquiry plan.

fingers crossed it all goes to plan!

task 6c: literature reviews

The pieces i have chosen are just as individually relevant to my interests as they are combined. The pieces i have chosen to review are:

A plethora of benchmarks by Susan Elkin, december 2008- The Stage

Creative Inclusion in Community Theatre: A journey with Odyessy Theatre Company by Roger Wooseter, February 2009

Ofsted Report: How new teachers are prepared to teach pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilites by Ofsted September 2008 (ref 070223)

All of the links to these are posted on the SIG WIKI page.

so lets start from the beginning..

A plethora of benchmarks by Susan Elkin, december 2008- The Stage
This is an article that i discovered on The Stage website and it discuss the National Association of Youth Theatres (NAYT)'s introduction of their Excellence and Inclusion Scheme. The idea is to eventually elimate external examinations from various boards across the country and for progression to monitered and examined internally. My intial reaction to this is that it gives companies the opportunity to focus on their own process and not become distracted by tickboxes and red tape from the outside, which in my oppionion is a good thing?
However the immediate contadiction in terms is the idea of a standadised membership with the 'inclusive' schene. Although the NAYT have said that they will 'keep and eye on' smaller companies that do meet the standard of excellence to become 'members' of the scheme,  they have not outlined any strategies that could be put in place to help progression.
I agree with the authour when she says; 'too many organisations have had the same idea at once.' as i feel that the word 'inclusion' has become somewhat of a buzzword for many arts organisations and faliure to implement such a scheme would be highly frowned upon.
 However, i do challenge the authors point that  'This is surely a recipe for muddle, mayhem and confused parents?' - is this the case? or should there be positive recognition for the fact that companies are embracing the need for 'inclusion' regardless of motive?

Creative Inclusion in Community Theatre: A journey with Odyessy Theatre Company by Roger Wooseter, February 2009

From the outset in this piece, the terminology used, for me raises imediate questions about the writers true comprehension on the subject matter. Although 'pre-warns' the reader of the terminolgy he will be using;  'In this  article the term ‘learning disabled’ and ‘non-learning disabled’ will be used.' there is no explination as to why. Using the word 'disabled' within the context on inclusion, for me is an immediate contradtiction in terms. The 'dis'-abled immideatly implies the inability of the individual. I would argue that when arguing the positive's of  inclusion the positives of the individual should be the foucs rather than enforcing the idea of people having a 'lack of skill'.
The first thing this piece does is recognise the struggle for quality within inclusion to be recognised. Mainstream views of quality are often immediatly comprimised for an 'inclusive' piece has been seen due do sympathy or patronage.
This patronising view is emphasised in the piece when the writer acknowledges the Department of Education's document published in 2006. Phrases such as 'them joining 'us'' are pointed out as patronising to anybody who is deemed to be outside of the norm which then raises the question for me;
How do we define who is 'them' and who is 'us'?
Wooseter also recognises the National Disability Arts Forum (NDAF) who say that 'specialist knowlege of disbility is vital in inclusion'. This is a statment that i would have to disagree with. If the understanding of inclusion is that labels are to be removed, knowledge of each individual specifically built and not having their individuallity removed by the knowledge of their disability.
It is discussed in the piece that, Gaynor Lougher, heavily involved with the ODYSSEY  theatre company, emphasis her work on the engagement of the members and not on a fantastic performnace- is this not conflicting with the quality of the work produced? does her approach to ensemble and chrous work provied enough of a challenge for all involved in production from cast to director?

Ofsted Report: How new teachers are prepared to teach pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilites by Ofsted September 2008 (ref 070223)

I chose to look at this report inparticular as it covers my interest in education and how teachers are trained to outlook various situations in the classroom. The first recommendation this report makes is to 'ensure awareness of what constitutes 'good practice' when teaching pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilites'. My first question is how is 'good practice' recognised across the board? is there documentation of such practice? or guidlines given to the entire education system to ensure consistency? non of these questions can be answerd from this report.
it also discusses the use of teachers with 'appropriate expertise' to conduct training. Although i agree that a certain level of relevance to the subject matter would of course be positive- it then brings me to the question; how do we measure expertise? surely when dealing with individuals no matter what their age ability or background, there is not a generic course of action?
Interms of progression within schools the report embraces the need to adapt courses without great emphasis on any 'disadvatage' and individual may have in order to maintain the quality of work at a high level. This is something that i agree with as it compliments the ideals that every child learn's differently in order to acheieve their best.
The base of this report is in the need to ground teachers with professional standards giving them a familiar and strong guidline that they feel able to use as a point of reference.

task 6b: reaserch methods

Having read the course reader on 'Tools of Professional inquiry' It has become clear that, the nature of my work will inform the research methods i choose in order to balance the ethics of both my inquiry and my working environment.
For example, in order to comply with chickenshed's inclusive methodology and my interpretation of this,  i will need to choose methods that are right for individuals involved as well as taking into account my own need to gather information.

For myself , as the reasercher i need to identify my own oppionion from my professional one- or are they the same thing? because chickenshed has not only informed me as professional but has also had a huge impact on me as a person, i need to take be aware of the bias' that this can cause when gathering research.

previous knowledge of my participants
                                                                                                     personal experiences within my workplace
      awareness of current norms and values within my area
                                              REASERCHER- WHY COULD BIAS PLAY A PART?
                                                                                                               passion/love for my work
             already knowing my 'ideal' outcome

having identified these bias' the question is- HOW ARE THEY ELIMINATED?

as i am looking to form a question that incorporates two area's of interest- inclusion and education, the use of a hypothesis could be of use to me.
in my oppionion is that the hypothesis is used within a scientific setting with a quantitative answer. However although this is a tool that i would like to use in my own inquiry to outline my own oppinions and predictions before my inquiry begins. This, for me, will give me a point of reference during my studies on which i can comment and compare my own thoughts alongside gathering information from outside parties.

It is important for me to gather data that is 'representative' from my sample participants. However, this representation must be achieved with both my inclusion and ethics knowledge in mind, for example; the sample of participants i choose must not only be chosen because it is what is needed for my reasearch but also becasue it is right for them as individuals to conribute.

Observation will be something that will be great for me to use within my inquiry. My intial idea is to write a workshop plan that will be used in two environments- Chickshed and BRIT School; keeping common factors the same, e.g age range, number of participants- and what ever else i decide- but comparing the workshops based on factors such as behaviour, response, diasaplines and feedback.

Having conducted some informal interviews with friends and collegues i have found that is important to piolet my questions before putting them to use. I found from my discussions that my questions didnt always flow as well as i thought and my articulation of the question varied dependant on the setting in which i was talking. In order to eliminate bias as much as possible the need for and 'interview structure' will be of great importance.



     

taks 5c: my understanding of ethics

After reading through course reader 5 on Proffesional Ethics, my inital thoughts are to the three theorists; Aristotal, immanuel Kant and JS Mill, and whether i believe or practice their therories both in my personal and professional life.

Aristotals belief was in virues of character-bad habits/trates within a person, the list below is one of my own identified virtues as well as what i belive to be virtues that chickenshed carry:

Me
Impatience
negative assumption
need for control


Chickenshed
inability to openly acknowledge the negative
insufficent funds for new developing staff

these lists are short, although no reference to say  they are? but i found them extremely difficult to complile. Attempting to negativly pick apart my own nature and the subject matter that i am so passionate about that left me emotions in dilemma.My argument to aristotal would be that as the nature of individuals very so much, what if, for an individual the acknowldgement of virtues could not exist? do we then ask others to evalute? or should it be a 'self comfessing' exercise?

'Lying is wrong no matter what the circumstance.' Immanual Kant (1779 )
I think this statement is one that could cause a major contoversy, especially in today's society in terms of its harsh phrasing. Everything in today's society has to now be put on a scale or spectrum due to the sheer diverity of the makeup of our communities. 

proffession
crime
religion
race
gender
age
sexuality...these listed are all compnents of society that inform descions and lives on an even broader scale in 2011 than at the time of Kant's statement in 1779.
'Blanket' statements such as his are of the age of 'tick boxes' and 'pigeon holes' a system that insitiutions such as chickenshed are continuoulsy trying to extinguish.

'The mean jusifies the end' JS MILL (1861)
This theory is one that, in my personal life i am aware that i put into practice, for example: in order to fund my placement at Chickenshed i work at a job that i dont partucularly enjoy or want to do. However, i know that in doing this work the money i make will benefit me in the end ie:  i can afford to be unpaid at a charity at the busiest times because i save my wages in order to fudn my time when there is no time to work. This job as i see it is a means to end. I am aware that JS MILL probably had a more extreme example to be used but that is my understanding of the statement.

Interms of Chickenshed, however, i am struggling to decide whether this is statment they would use in practice..linking back to my quesion in my blog

http://emmabalaam.blogspot.com/2011/02/task-4a-my-questions.html  :

'At what point does the process' of running a charity ever hinder the charity's intent/beliefs? if ever?'


After reading the Kevin Carter photography case  it raised a number of quesions for my thinking:

How far will be go before the decion arrises whether to comply with ethics or save a human life?

should be stick by the rules if our own life is in danger regardless of another person if sickness is involved?

is it selfish to consider ourselves? or is it selfish to not think of our own lives and our own implications?

                               -----------------------------------------------------------

In the context of Chickenshed it is in my oppinion that Morals and Practice go hand in hand. The combination of;


HUMAN NATURE + RECOGNISED STRUCTURE + FOWARD PLANNING =

                       IMPLENTATION OF MORAL PRACTICE

However, when allowing morality to inform practically how far will/ can they go?
this question links back to one used in my interview pilot  

How far does the individual's requirements affect the outcome of work before it become unbalanced?

My understanding of ethics within profession is that the ethics are there to ensure that each profession as a positive effect on society. A contrusctive critism of Chickenshed's work would be to expand their knowledge deeper and further into scoiety so that is a more accesable way of thinking/source of knowlege.

5a: code of practice-my oppinion

The chickenshed practice is one that i would say does not have a 'rule book', however thier policies and regualtions are just necessary if not more so than other establishments, in order for them to continue their unique way of working. In my oppinion there are four key elements that all play a part in the companie's 'code of conduct':

Team delivery
This is something that is an unwritten rule at chickenshed wether delivering a session, during rehursal even on the stage during performance. Delivering as a team, in whatever manner that may be, immediatly creates the feeling of support- no one should ever feel alone or isolated in a chickenshed session. This doesnt mean all of the team are stood at the from speaking one by one, they are there as a form of extended communication  for participants. Delivery supported by more than one person allows the communication to be adapted/shaped to the individuals who need that information as clearly and efficiently as possible in order for them to achieve their own personal best in whatever they are doing. This adaptation could come in many different forms, for example:

re-phrasing of a scentance
filtering of information
sign language/physical communication
demonstration of the task itself

This openess to adapt is something that chickenshed must continue to follow in order to adhere to the diverse community of members, staff and students.

Development of the Individual
In order for chickenshed to devlop as a company they need to recognise the contuious development of their participants. The care and time needed to do this is something that other companies dont have but it is in chickenshed's belief to do so.
I have often heard the saying 'Look at your own bigger picture' being used around the building, often after casting has been released. In my oppinion it is the companies way of asking people to focus on the significant development of themselves rather than others in order to understand why certain casting descions have been made (descions that would often conflict with 'mainstream' arts ideals). The word 'development' however can often be misunderstood as a negative process, meaning that development is needed because you are awful at  something. It is my understanding that chickenshed 'develop' people/skills by combing positive attributes that will compliment eachother and create an outcome greater than one positive skill alone.

Quality
In order for chickenshed to be known and respected as a 'pionerring' company, the work they produce must be of absolute excellece. It is easy, in my oppinion, to become complacent and safe with the buzz word that is 'inclusion' and use the same stragegies to demostrate this over and over again. However, as part of their work, both process' and performance's should never by hinderd by inclusion, the goal should always be to enhance it therefor contiuously demonstrationg the belief and need for the work to exist.
The push for and demonstation of such quality can only boost chickenshed's profile, advertising their work and interest in the company which inturn leads to outside understanding of the methodology...

'One day this will be the way the world works' chickeshed.

Emotion
This words seems juxdaposed to 'codes of conduct' and 'regualtions', however there is no escape from the fact that chickenshed was build with the foundations of real emotion and belief from real people.
without the constant acknowledgement and engagement of feelings from the individual the company would not be able to convey the work that they produce.
Kindness
respect
generosity of spirit 
listed above are core qualities that chickenshed belive should be in every individual within the company. I think this final element to my outlook onn chickenshed's code of conduct enforce that unique nature that Chickenshed carries with it both in reputaion and practice.

explain myself

across my wokr: blogs, journals, workshops. SIG'S etc i have often talked about 'alternative's' and, in reference to my award title rationale, 'alterative assesment methods'. Because i use these methods everyday i have become ingnorant in the assumption that others who read or engage with my work will have the same understanding as me so thought it was time to explain myself.

Within the mainstream arts there is a massive emphais/use/history  of the AUDITION which has become a traditional tool for assesment for various levels of the three disaplines. This method is used as a fliltering process..desifereing between the 'good' and the 'bad'.

as well as the expectations within an audtion there are also set ideas on perceptions on how to judge the level of talent....how deep can they strceth? how high can they sing? how loud can they shout?

all of these qurestions, in my oppinon have become accepted in the performance world due to complacency..
'its tough in the arts'
'thats just how it is'

but my interest starts with the questioning of the 'AUDITIONTRADITION'

how are we measureing talent? is it right?
is an audtion the right way for everyone to show maximum potential?
how far does a 'look' get you?
if we follow the 'un spoken rules' of audtion will we get through regardless of telent?

thoughts to begin with.....

task 4d: award title rationale

BA Professional Practice: Inclusion in Education

the eduactional rescorces in my work placement have led me have a first hand introduction  to how inclusion and education can be developed hand in hand. The line of inquiry that i am now exploring is how this reationship is developed in a 'maintstream' educational setting.
My interest lies within the merge of these two concepets and what can be impelemented in order to achieve a succesful outcome.
Teacher training is a huge contributoer this and, in my oppinion, would allow schools to build a collective understanding of inclusion and how it can best develop an individuals achievment. Alternative assesment methods and the introduction of different resorces for both teaching and practical purposes are something that i would love to introduce and discuss within a maintstream school setting.

TASK 4C: SIG'S

Having created my own WIKI, joined the facebook SIG and commented amound people within the course, i decided to take my SIG into the professional community at Chickenshed.
I used the questions that i had formulated in my previous blog to to set up a series of different interview/discussions with a variation of staff memebers within the compnay.
My questions:

Wtihin my workplace, how is the measure of standard procedure balanced with our own methodology?

How far does the individual's requirements affect the outcome of work before it become unbalanced?

At BTEC level, is it necessary to formally equipp a student with the knowledge of the company's beliefs before the arts training begins? should it be and ongoing process?

At what point does the process' of running a charity ever hinder the charity's intent/beliefs? if ever?

I have recorded these discussions and saved them for my personal diaries as they're aswers and opinions are more for my own interest. However what it showed me was the use of extending my special interest group out of the 'study' group. Talking to people who are proffesional within my subject and are working in ways that inspire me, was an eye opener into how my education can be turned into the reality of a proffesion.
This may sound like a 'corney' comment but i was genuwinley suprised at how in oare i felt.
Of course as with any interview process i was then able to compare and contrast the responses to the questions which then led my inquiries down other avenues.

for example: my orgional question was:
How far does the individual's requirements affect the outcome of work before it become unbalanced?

after analysing and evaluationg my responses my new question is:
how should an workshop leader's training be supported in order to avoid trial and error? or should error always be part of the process even at the cost of a participant?

Task 4a: my questions

Chickenshed being a charity run establishment, automatically creates and interdiserplinery environment. However the term 'interdiserplinery' could refer to the cogs of a chartity:

• the disapline/practice
• fundraising
• business acknowledgement                                        
• practical maintence
• members/staff etc

Of course these are all elements of practice that Chickenshed adhere to and completley acknowledge the importance of, however there also elements that we believe to be just as vital in order for the charity to run:

QUESTIONS

Wtihin my workplace, how is the measure of standard procedure balanced with our own methodology?

How far does the individual's requirements affect the outcome of work before it become unbalanced?

At BTEC level, is it necessary to formally equipp a student with the knowledge of the company's beliefs before the arts training begins? should it be and ongoing process?

At what point does the process' of running a charity ever hinder the charity's intent/beliefs? if ever?

Professional Inquiry course reader 4: my views

After reading the course reader on 'Proffessional Inquiry' it got me thinking about the '3 way interest' in my own workplace:

                             the indvidual (incl. staff/students/membership): contribution/development

     Fincance                                                              Development of the work, spreading the method

As outlined in the reader, our WBL courseuses the workplace as  a 'content of learning' and uses a 'problem based approach'. At firs this approach seemed a fairly negative one to me as the nature of my work consists of trying to avoid probelms from the outset in order to maintain the comfort and accessability for both the work and the individual. However, on reflection i realised that in order to to avoid problems they must be considerd in order to put the corrrect strategies in place to avoid them.

A quote that caught my eye in the reader was this:

"Being equipped with multiple “tools of learning” may not be sufficient a

preparation for a world that is characterized also, increasingly, by uncertainty (Barnett,

2000, 2007)"

This quote is one that reflects the nature of the both the thought and practical process' used by Chickenshed and is the summary of "anti-pigeon holing" for me.
A wall that i constantly face from outside/'mainstream' practitioners is the need to put my work and methodolgy into a box. But has the above states, how can any of us by equipped for a "box" when the world around us is constantly changing through influence of its indivudials?

final work..1st draft!

A critical reflection on my developing professional practice

Professional Communication Technology

My initial reaction to communication technologies was a sceptical one (Appendix A). However, in continuing to blog and communicate with my peers via email and the internet I was forced to utilise the platforms available to me. The discussions within the ‘blogging’ world have allowed me to comment and discuss work and opinions with people who have a similar topic of interest (Appendix B) therefore extending my knowledge and inquiries into my own professional practice.

Embracing platforms such as flicker has allowed me to fulfil something that I often find difficult; to verbally explain the work of ChickenShed, as I expressed in my blog (Appendix C) therefore, simple and effective access to images and the like are crucial when conveying my professional practice. (Appendix D). The process of using these tools that I was initially ‘scared’ of, has provided me with the reassurance that they are a source of support for my work.

My skills within professional communication technologies are in constant development; however the demand to access such technologies in order to enhance my practice has allowed my work to become both efficient and effective.

Reflective practice

When reflecting on events within a given time, I find myself not only recalling incidents but forming my opinions and conclusions that I may not have considered at the time (Appendix E). This ‘reflection- on- action’, a theory formulated by Kottcamp, is one that I have used when writing my blogs, however I found myself questioning the way in which I learn most effectively(Appendix F). Evaluating my own learning has allowed me to gain an informed a perspective and extract a combination of theories that I both agree with and use: Kolb’s learning cycle- encouraging identification and active learning, Howard Gardener- each individual questioning their own learning strategies and raising question’s about Kottcamp’s ‘reflection-in-action’ theory. (Appendix G). The idea of actively encouraging my own learning and having an awareness of conflictions within theory has sparked a ‘rolling’ development of how to formulate my experiences.

The task of ‘Inquiry’ was one that led me to use and question resources available to me. My own discussion of professional’s around me formed a realisation of how far my relationships and skills have been both influenced and developed. Reflecting on sources of material that surround me led me to not only ask questions but also for others to do the same (Appendix H). The inquiry into my practice has allowed me to become my own ‘outside eye’, although a contradiction in terms, a tool in practice. Taking time to step back and reflect on my work is not only a necessity within my ‘inclusive training’ but in questioning comes progression as a professional.

Professional Networking

Understanding the construction of professional networking is something that has been influential to my way of working and communication. The idea that we divide ourselves into ‘units’ of people in order to achieve the most success, socially or professionally, is intriguing. The investigation of network theories has, for me, clouded the idea that a network is to work as a team or to co-operate and has highlighted the presence of competition within professional groups. From reading other blogs, I am fast discovering how the process’ by which I work and create within an inclusive professional network are often non- comprehendible to others (Appendix I). Networks within the Performing arts have shown a clear divide between on and off stage. A cast network is clearly one that is striving for the same acknowledgment of success; audience applause, and I agree with Crisp and Turner 2007 pp266 who said that 'a network of support that will help us when we are in need' but is this purely an on stage ideal? I have become aware of the networks around me and am now asking how they are an asset to me. Breaking down my networks into smaller pieces on my blog has allowed me to discover where I fit within them and how I utilise them to the best of my ability (Appendix J).

Studying my immediate networks in such detail gave me the impetus to question past networks and how I could incorporate them into my present practice to build a future. (Appendix K). I am now looking to develop my current networks in order to build awareness of my professional practice and how organisations/institutions could utilise my knowledge in the future. This is a platform that is ever growing in order to establish my career.

Task 2c: Reflective Theory

Education: 'Continual re-organisation, reconstruction and trasformation of experience' Dewey, 1916. This quote from John Dewy acknowledges the constant development ab]nd responsibility within learning. As this course is based on 'self' learning and relflection this idea of constant evalution is key in order to sucessfully produce the skills and knowledge needed to complete tasks. I agree that the quality of education is reflected in the engagement of the pupil, In my oppinion the non-engagement or desire to learn should be seen as a direct impact from the both the teaching environment and method NOT the learner themselves.
The importance of identification is acknowledged in the Kolb leaning cycle. This compliments Dewey's conecpt of evaluation and promts active rather than passive learning methods.
Howard Gardner's (1983) mulitple intelligences prompted me to explore my own style of learning and relflection. Looking back on experiences i have i had i think that it is true to say that i am a kinasthtic and interpersonal learner. For example;  having watched and studied workshop practices i find myself needing to make my own mistakes when workshop leading inorder to learn and devlop from them. Although i love discussion and oppionion, the physical side of learning definatly has the most positive influence on my own development.
Having discoverd this about myself i find myself asking if Robert Kottcamp's 'reflection-in-action' is easier for kinasthetic learners; 'the actor must simultaneously attend to performing the action and observe and analyze his or her action' (Kottcamp, R. B. (1990). Means
for facilitating reflection. Education and Urban Society, 22, 182-203.) The physcial action process for a kinasthetic learner is to their advantage and could it therefore positvley influence their reflection?