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Thursday 26 February 2015

Module 2 1st Campus and Online sessions 23/2/15



Module 2 Session 1 23/4/15

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Please add comments to this session summary - and go on others blogs to add to the conversations!

We had good ideas for discussion and comments/questions about Module 2 for the session : Paula's comments in blue

At this stage there needs to be clarification for the inquiry – needs to be time efficient – yes it needs to be planned - Module 2 is about planning your inquiry in a 'proposal' 
Planning “The right path for me” – yes it should be related to your work/future work - there should be a purpose and you may want to think about possible implications/impact to your practice - however - it is NOT an experiment and it is NOT covert - permissions must be sought form those with whom you wish to speak - these are good people skills as well
Verification of ‘social science’ type practitioner research where there is not right of wrong answers – feels like you are second guessing…- yes practitioner research comes in many forms but here it is guided into certain tools that are more familiar to arts and humanities - more about tools in Reader 6 - but the practitioner research tools/methods are only informally ' tried out' with colleagues or fellow BAPP Arts learners - you real research needs ethical approval 
Does approval need to come before a line of inquiry is okay to do – yes in a way the advice is about framing what you want to do and with whom
4b special interest groups – are they limited to your area of interest? You can also engage with others and form groups based on doing research – so anyone on the course!
My inquiry seems to be like others – but ‘in-between’ – yes good to discuss the differences and similarities
Does it just have to be in my current workplace? – the inquiry can incorporate future work pathways – but talk this over with your adviser – the work needs to be arts related in some way
What about the tools? - yes the tools are in the Readers - literature and Reader 6 - we will continue to talk about how you can gather data ethically for your inquiry 

We talked about thoughts about various individual topic ideas – some people had ones that had emerged form Module 1 and some people had focused a bit more.

The professional inquiry as a whole was discussed – so the inquiry incorporates various elements in it like – planning some practitioner research – so the research and development stage of a ‘live’ project that involves asking real people their points of view, using looking at literature/expertise to inform your thinking and theorise your topic or area of study, other activities within the inquiry like workshops, other training, interventions based on new knowledge etc.

The main submission of the module is the 1. A plan/proposal for you inquiry 2. A critical reflection of your learning (like Module 1) and 3. The 3 forms (an award specialism title, an ethics form for the practitioner research , and an employer support form where permission is needed -  a peer practitioner can sign if you are doing the inquiry outside of a ‘workplace’ but discuss this with your adviser  The headings for the proposal/plan writing are in Module 2 handbook.

Here is a drawing/visualisation of the elements I did to during the discussion.


IQ  means the Inquiry Questions that help guide the inquiry. What are you trying to find out? 
K is Knowledge R is research - these are my shorthand abbreviations when I take notes...

We went on to talk about Reader 4 – which I (although I compiled it) am now finding a bit dry and would like to make more dynamic. This is the planning stage of your work so can be an exciting time. We talked a bit about how it could be changed and the meaning of the sections as they are now. I have used some comments for these areas

Developing Lines of Professional Inquiry       
Introduction     - deciding on what you want to do for the inquiry – and formulating inquiry questions around which you base your inquiry
Professional Inquiry Explanation and Related Concepts         - this is a ‘live’ inquiry that involves real people – so it is not just you – but you the university and your employer or your workplace community of practice
Links to Work Based Learning - professional practice ideas can use this area for framing your inquiry work - so a ‘capstone project’ in the workplace for your degree work
Identifying Knowledge and Skills in the Workplace- you might have a discipline(like dancing) but work is generally more complicated than that with awider range of skills, competencies,, and capabilities – this relates to knowledge – what you know and how you know it
Professional knowledge – you are gathering knowledge and understanding about your work (paid or unpaid) or workplace to improve your practice and perhaps the practice of others

The next bits talk about the idea of doing ‘research’ in the workplace
What do we mean by research?       
What will the practitioner research be about?           
Worker-Researcher/ Insider researcher position      
Working within Groups and Teams    

These bits talk about looking at the ideas of others to expand what you know and to lead you into an area you want to know more about  - often people look at what others have said about areas of interest before deciding on their inquiry questions
Reviewing Literature for your Inquiry Planning
References, Further Reading and Web Sources  
You will have areas of knowledge that you need to find out about in the inquiry      

The last thing we did in the campus section is something that everyone can do – it relates to the literature. Christie, Michelle and Lara chose an article from The Stage – as an exercise they read it and orally described ‘what it meant’ – that is reading for meaning – and that is a part of reviewing literature. What does it say? What does it mean? You were doing this in Module 1 looking at the Readers – it is similar here but you are finding your own articles. LOOK AT THEIR BLOGS _ LINKS?




I WILL DO MORE BLOGS ABOUT SEARCHING FOR LITERATURE – but I have done some – as has Adesola – so look at past blogs for inspiration!

An earlier blog is 'the search for love' http://paulanottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/campus-session-1-continued-what-we-did.html - check this out for some strategies for key words


19 comments:

  1. This was really beneficial for me. My "workplace" is currently sailing towards Tokyo so not only is there a 9hour time difference to work around, i am also fighting against terrible wifi connections and speeds. It just goes to show that previously in module 1 I mentioned how reliant on Web 2.0 I am, when I dont have it working properly, a lot of things are impacted!

    In terms of module 2, I really enjoy the diagram, it shows the process of the inquiry that we have to plan and is a quick way to take in the information as opposed to being bogged down with vast amounts of text!

    Moving on to my own work for module 2, I feel my problem is that I have so many interests when it comes to the industry I am going to have to be really disciplined and focus on one key main area to enquire into!

    Hopefully I can get some good wifi soon and comment and research more!

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  2. I feel relatively confident with Module 2. I have a clear path for my Inquiry and my award title. Now it's just doing all the relevant research neccessary!

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    1. What have you chosen for your inquiry sarah? If you don't mind me asking. I'm interested to see if anyones thinking of going down the same route as me.. x

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  3. Thanks for you comments Anthony, a workplace on the move and sailing - great description.Yes - there is plenty of time for focus as we proceed so feel free to look at all the various aspects of what you do that interest you at this time and then you can make choices as the time for this module goes on. Yes - I find 'drawing' out and mapping really useful - so while waiting for the wifi do that thinking from what you do and observe - we have had some great inquiries form people working on cruises, form expertise to social learning! your enthusiasm is great to see!!!

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  4. Brilliant Sarah - if the wifi is cooperating - swinging around online or if you are on dry land - even library visits (remember about SCONOL for access to local uni Libraries) are great for defining an area of interest.

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  5. Thank you for this, there is a lot of information I'll keep coming back to. I feel the past week the ideas for my inquiry are becoming clearer and more focused. I'm looking forward to putting it all together.

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  6. This was a great help and great to keep re-visiting! I am just doing research as we speak towards my professional Inquiry and am hopefully meeting with someone who works and teaches performing arts to a variety of ages who have learning difficulties and disabilities. Will keep you updated on my blogs and come to a final title when my research is complete

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  7. This has been really useful for clarification that i am heading on the right tracks with my inquiry. It has given me a clearer idea of the steps i need to take towards drafting up my plan.

    I am currently deciding who i want to use in my professional inquiry and focusing on the ethics. I am figuring out how i am going to ensure i have considered all things ethical in relation to protecting the identity of my participants. Working in a school is great because i have brilliant resources and participants on hand, however ethically this needs to be thought out. Does anyone else have any ideas how they may approach this? I am hoping that my SIG group proves to be useful in this discussion!

    xx

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  8. Thank you for this. It is helpful to re cap on the online session. I am finding it hard to choose one area of inquiry as I have so many interests and ideas. I am wating on some feedback from the other dance teachers I work with to help me with my inquiry and will update on my blog.

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  9. Great summary, thank you. Seeing the mindmap again brings back all the details, so very helpful! My main focus now is to further define my topic which I will tackle by going through the tasks and starting to look at relevant literature. It was a very useful campus session on Monday! I will update my blog this weekend re the aspects we talked about on Monday. xx

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  10. After reading this summary I feel that everything is coming together more, I feel quite confident on Module 2 but also have lots of ideas and interests I need to choose from. I was gutted I had to miss the online session down to finishing work late and driving home but having this here has helped a lot! Thank you!

    I need to do a little more research on different topics until I finally decided my inquiry question and title. After reading about Judi Marshall in Reader 4 and always paying attention to different issues, events etc.. in the workplace and how it can develop into something more or lead you to a different area completely has really helped with coming up with ideas for Module 2, maybe a few too many! :S

    I will keep my blog updated with different ideas but hopefully make my final decision soon!! X

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  11. Unfortunately I wasn't able to join in with the Skype session due to work commitments. This post is really helpful, and it's good to know I'm on the same wave length as other practitioners on module 2!
    I will get in touch with my advisor in regards to my inquiry being outside of a 'workplace' and the most beneficial way to go about it.

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  12. Thanks for the blog Paula. I'm so sorry I didn't make the Skype session. I've been working 12 hour days this week and I am exhausted both mentally and physically. I still don't know what to do my inquiry on which is panicking me as I feel I can't start the process until I do?? I'm also worried about being left behind as I will have very limited time for my work over the next month. I have a general idea on the route I want to go down I think but it's a matter of finding out specifically. Speak soon x

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  13. I too missed both campus and skype sessions, I feel I have much research and thinking to do with regards to finding my line of inquiry, there are so many aspects involved in teaching dance and running a business I'm hoping to be spoiled for choice! I look forward to reading fellow student's blogs to gain insight and perhaps to influence my own ideas to find an area of focus.

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  14. Thank you Paula, the skype session certainly started to make things clearer for myself. I took your advice and have gone back through Reader 4 and been making notes and highlighting the things that stand out for me. I havent had time to blog anything yet but my notes are starting to develop into an area of which I would like to find more about! x

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  15. More sessions coming up soon as you know- check the schedule for both the campus and online sessions - you can also contact for a 'tutorial' chat about your work with you adviser - I have had a few now and they are helpful. Thanks for the Reader 4 comments - I think it needs to be a bit more dynamic to show all the positive directions that people do have around this time - dynamic but progressive - choosing a topic can be tricky but a useful inquiry skill. I am visiting blogs this week and will comment on these as well - not everyone perhaps - but it looks like a lot of good conversations - feel free to use comments to link with others - good to see!

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  16. Thank-you for sharing this! It has helped to settle my thoughts and concerns - and as Kirstie pointed out, It will be really handy to refer back to. A few weeks ago I was struggling to find any direction, but am starting to find my feet a little with the module and my inquiry. I feel I've gone from being daunted to excited about my inquiry! Looking forward to visiting everyone's blogs to see different and potentially similar lines inquiry!

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  17. Hi,
    Travelling round for work and experiencing intermittent internet connections in some remote places has curtailed my research a bit over the past few days so I am a bit late in adding my comment about the online session. For me it was really helpful to discover I was on the right track with Module 2 and interesting to hear everyone else's comments. I would really like to include some people on the course in my
    SIG. I am thinking of doing my enquiry in the area of dance teaching and autism so would like to get input from any dance teachers on BAPP or anyone with experience of autism.

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  18. Thanks for this Paula and sorry I am only just commenting now…been a little busy since we came back! This is great and I think I am on the right track, just need to figure out how to put the ethics on top of the practical side of working in a school. Lots to consider! Any ideas when the next campus session is as you know I find it much easier to take away from group work than sat at a desk! Thanks :)

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