This blog is created to support conversation generated from and about the learning process for MA Professional Practice (MAPP) in the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries (ACI) at Middlesex University.
Wow! What a thought provoking piece of footage..... I want to say that I have many friends in the performing arts industry who are innovators, creators, motivators, inspirational and 'unqualified', indeed no more able to achieve an academic qualification than fly to the moon unaided, yet they 'know' so much about their field and what they do and approach their work in an intellectual way; so much so that they are recognised by the industry and are winning awards. On the other hand, I have made a choice to become an educator, and as such I feel it is my duty and my choice to keep learning and to develop my knowledge so that I can be the best teacher I can be. On the third hand (!) most of my students will never use the Level 6 qualification that they leave college with, but I think that having the chance to graduate with a recognised qualification is a bonus and something I would have liked to have the opportunity to achieve, at the very least as a recognition of the fact that I studied my craft for 7 years in vocational school to learn something, and worked hard for it ..... I do wonder if our industry, and I am talking about the performing and creating side here, and not the teaching side, is one of the exceptions to the rule whereby qualifications are not as important at the start of the career, but maybe have their place later in life, depending on how the career unfolds? But saying that, I have recently worked with a film director who has 3 degrees - architecture, business and film.... has that influenced his work? Perhaps it has. We are all individual and life will give us all different opportunities at different times, and we may or may not have the need to use the qualifications we have gained. I do not have children, so can only guess at what I would feel about my own and their education.... I would want them to have the best chance at life at doing well at what they are good at. All for now.... I am going to think about this further... thank you Adesola.
Its taken me this long to watch and comment - so apologies there. The footage is powerful and the message too and it directly relates to a posting I did in the wee hours this morning reflecting on a conversation i overheard between a group of young teenage kids.
This also has come at a time when on Friday I attended a meeting of edcation providers who delivers adult education in the borough. At that meeting there was invited a director of young peoples participation and engagement through education in the borough and the many ways young people are tracked and monitored. His remit was to ensure that in the borough every young person who enters the education system has the right to education through some form and is tracked and monitored - in other words they are required to engage in education and training up until the age of 19 and older which includes young people with disabilities. Its a huge task but for me it was daunting and worrying because they are being measured by an education system which despite good intentions is not always fit for purpose and sometimes alienate a young person its like asking them to wear a jacket that doesn’t fit properly and if they don’t get the mark then the jacket will remain an uncomfortable fit. Education is important but it is what you do with it and how to apply it to real life situations. I worry that a young person's measure is judged and that perhaps miss the true innovators of their educational destiny. The invited speaker was really nice and open and laid the facts bare on the table which was good and some of the challenges he faces is capturing, engaging young people who are NEETS or a "not Knowns" which is a category used by the local authority whereby they can't access young people who have dropped out of the radar. Apart from siting the usual educational structures and providers he lumped the arts as an alternative category to which I picked him up on that!
Wow! What a thought provoking piece of footage..... I want to say that I have many friends in the performing arts industry who are innovators, creators, motivators, inspirational and 'unqualified', indeed no more able to achieve an academic qualification than fly to the moon unaided, yet they 'know' so much about their field and what they do and approach their work in an intellectual way; so much so that they are recognised by the industry and are winning awards. On the other hand, I have made a choice to become an educator, and as such I feel it is my duty and my choice to keep learning and to develop my knowledge so that I can be the best teacher I can be. On the third hand (!) most of my students will never use the Level 6 qualification that they leave college with, but I think that having the chance to graduate with a recognised qualification is a bonus and something I would have liked to have the opportunity to achieve, at the very least as a recognition of the fact that I studied my craft for 7 years in vocational school to learn something, and worked hard for it ..... I do wonder if our industry, and I am talking about the performing and creating side here, and not the teaching side, is one of the exceptions to the rule whereby qualifications are not as important at the start of the career, but maybe have their place later in life, depending on how the career unfolds? But saying that, I have recently worked with a film director who has 3 degrees - architecture, business and film.... has that influenced his work? Perhaps it has. We are all individual and life will give us all different opportunities at different times, and we may or may not have the need to use the qualifications we have gained. I do not have children, so can only guess at what I would feel about my own and their education.... I would want them to have the best chance at life at doing well at what they are good at. All for now.... I am going to think about this further... thank you Adesola.
ReplyDeleteHi there Adesola
ReplyDeleteIts taken me this long to watch and comment - so apologies there. The footage is powerful and the message too and it directly relates to a posting I did in the wee hours this morning reflecting on a conversation i overheard between a group of young teenage kids.
This also has come at a time when on Friday I attended a meeting of edcation providers who delivers adult education in the borough. At that meeting there was invited a director of young peoples participation and engagement through education in the borough and the many ways young people are tracked and monitored. His remit was to ensure that in the borough every young person who enters the education system has the right to education through some form and is tracked and monitored - in other words they are required to engage in education and training up until the age of 19 and older which includes young people with disabilities. Its a huge task but for me it was daunting and worrying because they are being measured by an education system which despite good intentions is not always fit for purpose and sometimes alienate a young person its like asking them to wear a jacket that doesn’t fit properly and if they don’t get the mark then the jacket will remain an uncomfortable fit. Education is important but it is what you do with it and how to apply it to real life situations. I worry that a young person's measure is judged and that perhaps miss the true innovators of their educational destiny. The invited speaker was really nice and open and laid the facts bare on the table which was good and some of the challenges he faces is capturing, engaging young people who are NEETS or a "not Knowns" which is a category used by the local authority whereby they can't access young people who have dropped out of the radar. Apart from siting the usual educational structures and providers he lumped the arts as an alternative category to which I picked him up on that!
He’s keen to talk to us!
Hopal
Briefly. I love this
ReplyDelete