January 18th

Come along and experience the work of Module Threes

MA Professional Practice, Dance Technique Pedagogy

Finalist Presentations

January 18^th 2016

Grove Dance Theatre (G190)

Middlesex University 

Schedule of the day

0900 Space is prepared, technicians will be available to assist with technical set-up of laptops, projection, sound etc. Dressing rooms open for any guest dancers supporting presentations.

1000-1130 Presentations 1 -

Maria R

Sarah S

1145-1315 Presentations 2 -

Cathie I

Zsuzanna M

1400-1600 - Individual interviews and Video Booth

Each presentation is 30mins (max) in total (20mins oral plus 10mins for artefact) with approx 5mins for questions, comments, invited from the audience afterwards.

If you are travelling by car, please let me know ASAP as parking on campus is limited, I will do my best to book spaces for those that need them.  Any queries about the space, technical facilities etc please do email Helen

December first Sunday skype chats ...

We had two group skype chats on Sunday

AM

We talked about how we can not tell everything but need to direct what we are writing to make a focused point. For instance in an AOL you can not tell your own life story!!! Or in the critical reflection document in Module Three you can not explain every thing you did or thought!! You have to decide what story you are telling. Tara will post thoughts on this http://dancetara.blogspot.com

Later after the PM skype I spoke to Sarah and talked more about this

It is important to understand when you write an AOL or The final critical reflection or the project plan you are telling the story ‘of telling the story’.

For instance, in Module three:

• You decide on the story the research has told you ‘children respond to images’
• Then the whole document tells the story of telling the story
• The introduction says I am going to tell the story (that children respond to images) and this is why I am going to tell it, and this is where I found the story, and this is why I think it is important to tell.
• The literature explains other people have told stories about children and images too, and this is what stories they have told…
• The methodology and method says I am going to tell the story (that children respond to images) and this is how I looked for and found the the story, and this is how I am going to tell it
• The analysis – tells the STORY children respond to images
• The conclusion says now I have told the story (children respond to images) this is how I feel and this is the next kind of story I am going to look for to tell

 We talked about analysis of data and how it is personal and how it is general. We thought about how it is both at the same time not either or. Julie has commented on this in comments below.

We talked about how we have a tendency to see people as institutions. We wondered of this was particularly prevalent in Western Concert dance (history). Doing this affects how we see ourselves as actors in our narrative history. It also means we have to think about how we position subject and object as we think about ourselves in AOLs (for instance). Also between ourselves and the university – when we decide what to submit and what not to. (It is important not to loose sight of the fact you are explaining yourself to another human being (decisions need to make sense and be meaningful to you), you are not changing yourself to become part of a mechanism (institution) called University. Alanna will write thoughts on seeing people as institutions http://sustainablerisktaking.blogspot.com

Suzy also noted that for some people this is the last skype until final oral presentation. She will write about how helpful the skype chats can be. Please note graduates can still come to skype chats as Mary did in the PM one J https://zsurcy.wordpress.com

Amanda will write thoughts on the highs and lows of Module Two. http://alawford.blogspot.com/2015/11/module-two.html

PM

We talked about a number of specific questions: ‘should I send in this …? Do I do that…?’ We decided that the answer is to own the work. If it makes sense to you (on a deep level – think it through) then you should do it. If you have any doubts explain why you think it is a good idea to do it when you do it.

Think deeply about what you are doing – explaining your learning experience, proposing a plan, explaining what you have done over a semester… What you do should make sense. Imagine if you are on the receiving end of your work it should make sense. It is not a trick it just has to make sense. Cathy will write more on this https://cathieingram.wordpress.com

We talked about not getting overwhelmed and being selective. In other words, not everything you think and do might be handed in. You are trying to tell us something send in what makes sense to best tell that story (see above). Ainsely and Jade will write more thoughts on this http://ainsleymsudds.blogspot.com

We talked about a rhizome as an organizing structure. I have written about this before. By using a rhizome structure you can focus on the connections and networks – relationships between things. In this course we value these as a large part of the reflective process and the analytical process.  It is part of our rejection of dualist constructs to move away from defining things to start to look at how things affect each other, are linked, are part of networks. Sarah created a great rhizome diagram to organize her data. She posted this on her blog http://sarahsulemanji.blogspot.com

Tamzin is going to post on some sites she has found for gnat charts and other time organizing tools. http://tamzinhoward.blogspot.com

Please look at Lisa and Maria’s blogs too

http://lisanorris76.blogspot.com

http://mariaranden.blogspot.com

Mary joined us which was great. She is going to be going on a course that follows on from her module three over the winter holidays and she will be up-dating her blog so look out for that.

http://www.marymapp.blogspot.co.uk

Helen is writing about permission , judgments, relevance: how you value what you are doing in your study http://www.helenkindred.blogspot.com

What do you think?

Adesola