Talking with friends...

We had two great chats today – am and pm

AM:

In the morning chat we talked about the process of learning. We were thinking about the process of ‘doing’ the modules and how things had changed in Professional Practice as a result of reflection on the modules and Self. The tracking of this ‘change’ or ‘noticing’ is what all the Reflective essays in each of the Modules is asking for you to talk about. In Module One it is the first time you are writing a Review of Learning and it can feel like it is all mixed up in the Areas of Learning. But the Review of Learning is a review of what has happen this term (now). Looking at how the learned-You has manifested to you. How you have notice yourself in terms of the idea of learning.  In the other module we also ask for some reflection of learning this carries this idea on through the whole course. At the end of each module you reflect on the learned-You particularly in terms of your practice. We also talked about how reading other people’s ideas, such as some of the texts in the Reading list can be inspiring. As you read a book the author articulates things you have been thinking or feeling –it is like finding a friend in the text. Nighat said she found Moon’s book very useful when thinking about reflection.  We also talked about how our practice of dance touches so many aspects of life – both dance and the act of education have political, cultural, religious, academic elements. Our practices touch all these things and they organise how we carve our practice into being.

For further thinking about the AM conversations have a look at these posts.

Maite http://maitemappdtp.blogspot.com  will talk more about the process of personal change.

Barbara https://barbarabesque.blogspot.com   will post on culture, religion and politics particularly in terms of dance practice.

Nighat http://sacredsufi.blogspot.com  will post on coming into the AOLs

Parimala https://parimalamapp.blogspot.com  will talk about learning while writing and learning through writing.

Rachel https://racheleoliver.blogspot.com  will post on learning styles and how they change in response to situations.

PM:
In the afternoon chat we talked about a range of things that seemed to settle on ideas about labelling: labelling ourselves, what learning is or should look like etc… Within this we discussed the personal, political, professional and how all these aspects of ourselves affect our art practices.

Within the conversation some Module 3’s talked about their findings – which seemed to also resonate with the idea of the imagined, expected, and mediated Selves that we inhabit within our daily practices. We talked about ways to communicate ideas differents way of writing, making etc… This linked to the Module 3 hand-in. There are three forms of handing in the same thing in Module 3. The thing is the inquiry – telling us about the inquiry. The three forms are

An academic artefact – a written essay

A Professional artefact - ?? (everyone’s profession is different so you know the form it should take better than the university (a dance, a workshop, an installation etc…)

A verbal artefact – presentation (given this year on January 17^th 201).

By having more than one way to explain the same thing (the inquiry) we are acknowledging there are some things that you can explain in movement that you cannot explain in words, and some in words you cannot explain in writing etc… We are working in somatic practices and explaining the experience of the inquiry will take a felt, three-dimensional approach.

Other things we talked about are discussed in the following post:

Sam http://samanthakettle.blogspot.com   will post on the personal, professional and building community

Tamzin http://tamzinhoward.blogspot.com  will talk about how different we all are (we were talking from USA, Canada, Barbados, UK, and Qatar) yet all sharing the similar experience of dance and teaching dance.

Lisa http://lisanorris76.blogspot.co.uk  will post on labels and  not fitting into boxes

Davis http://kensdancer.blogspot.com   will post on de-compartmentalising

Alanna http://sustainablerisktaking.blogspot.com  will talk about the positive side of boxes

Tara  http://dancetara.blogspot.com  will post on the links between modules

Alice http://elysiandance.blogspot.com/2016/12/direction-and-inspiration.html  will post on direction and inspiration from talking to each other

Helen is going to post about process and change, yet how YOU are still at the heart of your own learning journey, your practice, your experiences –  you at the heart of what you are doing.

In both conversations, we talked about the importance of the blogs and commenting as a way to keep in touch over the coming weeks. It is nice to have a network of friends around the world, people thinking about the thinks you are thinking about and bothering to comment on your ideas. Building our community of learners is often just about listening to each other and sharing your own thoughts back.

Up-coming dates to remember

Hand-in is January 6^th

Get together to hear Module 3 presentations January 17^th

Next First  Sunday group chat is on the Second Sunday of February 11^th 2017 !!!

What do you feel?

Please comment.

Adesola

First Sunday AM skype chat - positioning

This morning’s group skype chat went well it was mostly Module Ones but Amanda in Module 3 was able to join us half way through, which was great also. We talked a lot about positioning ourselves:

People talked about positioning in terms of noticing where they began and where the influence of the type of way they were taught ended. We talked about how many of us had had moments when we suddenly realise we were teaching the same class we took as a child.

We talked about positioning in terms of how cultural influences effect how we see our practice.

And how this ‘cultural context’ lens affects how we see what other teachers are doing.

We talked about positioning in terms of how you situate yourself in your study – how you organise and plan. What becoming a student feels like or if it is a change at all.

Positioning in terms of sorting out where you stand with logistics: fees, timeframes, learning new skills like starting a blog.

Also positioning in terms of how we move through the modules and how they connect as a pathway or journey.

As usual we are all writing a little about ideas that came up in the conversation or ideas that that conversation sparked in us. We are doing this to share thoughts not to be an authority on the subject so each post is the beginning of a new conversation therefore please comment on the posts people put up.

Samantha https://dixieogivar.blogspot.com  and Kirsty  (Kirsty will put her blog address in the comments below)   are going to post further on reflections about how we learn, and attitudes to learning through looking at her students. This linked for her with ideas about theory and practice.

Nighat http://sacredsufi.blogspot.com is going to post on thoughts about one-to-one and collective learning and environments that generate these kind of ways of teaching/learning.

Barbara https://barbarabesque.blogspot.com is going to post about why people ‘start to study’: looking at this through the lens of the reasons why students come to her classes. She is particularly interested in how reasons for starting study shift and are influenced by age.

Michelle http://chelleymapp.blogspot.co.uk is going to look at how children challenge learning systems. So she is looking through the lens of generational changes.

Lizzy https://rowdene.blogspot.com is going to write about thoughts to do with the portfolio (handed-in at the end of Module One) and how it differs from student to student depending on their life histories.

Parimala https://parimalamapp.blogspot.com has posted giving bullet points of the topics we talked about.

Amanda (Amanda will put her blog address in the comments below) is going to post on the links between the modules and how they have fitted together for her journey to Module 3.

Helen http://helenkindred.blogspot.com is going to write about the trial and error nature of learning, and finding pathways to understanding.

What do you think? Please comment below. It is important to do more than just comment on things you need like what time you will join a skype group. Actually use the comments to comment on the post you have just read. Looking forward to reading what you think: about the ideas, about skype calls, about blogging, about teaching, about the notion of student.

Adesola

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