Final Presentation...Done!

So yesterday I finished the final, very last task to complete the course which was the oral presentation.
To say I was a bag of nerves on the long train journey to Middlesex when it came to the actual presentation I really enjoyed it and wasn't that nervous at all!

It was great seeing the people who I'd stayed in contact with throughout the course, sharing several skype and phone sessions as well as communicating via the sig and also seeing a couple of new faces I'd not met before. I really enjoyed listening and watching their presentations, such diversity in topics and just great to see what others had been working on over the past few months.

I felt my presentation went well and I'm so pleased I didn't let nerves get the better of me! I have attached my power point below to share and hopefully help with future students on the course.

http://www.slideshare.net/carlalmason5/how-to-effectively-teach-dance-to-teenage-students

Overall, the course and particularly the inquiry have developed and improved me on a professional but also personal level. I am much more confident in the classroom and of my teaching methods and I am just a much more inquisitive and questioning person now than when I first started on the course.

I was told before I started the course that it would open many doors for me and now it's coming to the end I can see how true that is. I think that this is one of the best things I've ever done, advancing me massively in my career as a teacher and also my attitude and my approach generally day to day. I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to take a big step in their career or for those who want to personally develop themselves!

Planning my oral presentation and learning along the way...

Only a few more days until the oral presentation at Middlesex! I can remember last year looking ahead to this point thinking what my oral presentation would be about, I can't believe I'm actually here!

I also can't believe that I'm still learning even at the final stages of the BAPP course.
I'm currently putting together my power point for the oral presentation which will be next Tuesday (Nervous, but excited!) and I don't know if it's embarrassing to admit that I've never used power point before today!
It is very straight forward once you get the hang of it but it's something I would never have used if it weren't for this course.

I'm enjoying being at this point, being able to reflect and summarise all that I've learnt ...the finish line is in sight!

Good News From the IDTA!

A few weeks ago I received a letter from the IDTA stating that I had achieved the highest mark in 2013 for the Ballet Teaching Associates exam and therefore I would be nominated for the Giles Bursary Award.
I couldn't believe what I was reading. I was really happy and couldn't help but feel proud that I had achieved the highest mark.

I've found it really encouraging and even if I don't win the bursary it won't matter because teaching dance is what I absolutely love doing and it's lovely to know that I must be doing it right so far!

Last Submission!

Feeling really happy and relieved today now that my critical review and artefact have been submitted.
I also actually feel quite sad that this piece of work is done because I've really enjoyed doing the inquiry and discovering new ideas. I would never have thought that I could carry out an investigation to get results that may not have always been conclusive but were really insightful!
I have picked up several pieces of literature on the way that I'm definitely going to read further and maybe even try and find more material to read as I do believe that this part of the inquiry has really developed me and widened my knowledge of teaching. I don't want to stop there and be happy with what I've learnt so far, I want to continue learning and keep developing my teaching methods.

Now we've got the oral presentation to look forward to!

I've posted on the Sig asking if anyone would like to have a chat via Skype just to discuss our presentations and bounce a few ideas around. If anyone would be interested in Skyping let me know!

Literature on Dance Related Injuries

Part of my inquiry covers the development of the teenage body and how teachers account for this in the dance class.

A few weeks ago when searching out literature to support my inquiry I came across a page on the Nationwide Children's Website which reported a study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

The study shows that 4 out of 10 dancers who are injured are between the age of 15 and 19. Warming up, stretching, applying correct technique and keeping well hydrated are considered to be positive ways to help avoid injury.
One of my questions that I asked teachers in the interview brought about a recurring theme on dance injuries and how careful you have to be, particularly when teaching teenagers. This study ties in nicely with my inquiry and is very informative and supports what I've discovered so far.

If others find this useful, I have copied the study finds in this blog but please click the link below to find out further information from their website.

http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/dance-injuries-by-the-numbers

Skype Session...nearing the end of Module 3!

Although I couldn't attend the final module 3 session today in person, I did manage to join them through Skype!

The points covered were on

Structure > Ensuring the discoveries and findings are delivered in a fashion that the reader can understand

Word Count > I currently have 7,000 words for my analysis which should only be 2,500! A bit of trimming is in order and a way Paula suggested to do this is by focusing on the strong findings only. Fewer bullet points but in more detail

Artefact > A few ideas were bouncing around for the artefact. Paula highlighted that we needed a purpose for the artefact. I originally wanted to do some sort of brochure to present my findings but now I've thought about my PURPOSE I am a lot more focused on knowing which route to take. The purpose of my artefact will be to inform prospective employees the regulations of my dance school and how I would expect them to approach teaching teenage students

Skype Session

This morning I shared a Skype session with Sophie Jones and Kym Walton. We talked about where we were up to in the Module and what our next steps would be. It was good to discuss our plans and gain new insights from each other. It's also nice to know that we have support from fellow BAPP students and that we can help each other if needed.

We are planning another session within the next couple weeks, so it would be great if anyone would like to join us!

Getting the Buggers to Behave 2...a short review.

The teacher from my first interview lent me a book which she thought I might find useful for my inquiry as it had helped her discover new teaching methods to use within the classroom.

The book is by Sue Cowley and it is aptly named, Getting The Buggers To Behave 2, an updated second edition of the successful Getting The Buggers To Behave, with new chapters on behaviour management.
Cowley is the author of numerous educational books which include the above, along with The Guerilla Guide to Teaching. Cowley has taught children of all ages and at all levels.

The book is really easy to read and I found it just as easy to apply the methods to my own teaching almost straight away.

There are chapters in the book that would be useful when teaching younger children but as my inquiry is focused around teaching teenagers I have only took out the sections that will be useful for me now in the investigation.
I used the techniques that Cowley suggests in my Monday classes last week.This was at the stage school where I teach ballet and contemporary to students around 12-18. I was astounded, pleased and very proud at the end of the evening to have realised I had applied the techniques well enough to have received successful results.

I have took out a section from the book below which are the Control Techniques that Cowley suggests are the core to keeping good classroom management. The fundamental element is remaining calm and consistent.

·         Wait for silence

·         Always be polite

·         Avoid confrontation

·         React from the head

·         Use the deadly stare

·         Use non-verbal signals

·         Control your voice

·         Use repetition

·         Personalise your teaching

·         Know when to be flexible

·         Set the boundaries

·         Set them targets

·         Give them ‘the choice’

·         Intervene early

·         Remove the problem

I'm not claiming to have successfully achieved all the bullet points above but what I did do was remain calm and in control throughout the classes. I also kept the word CONSISTENCY at the forefront of my mind as through reading the book I have learnt that teenagers respond and learn much better when faced with consistent behaviour.

I also focused on the tips below that Cowley explains in the Basic Behaviour Management chapter of the book.

Be definite – ‘I know what I want’

Be aware – ‘I know what will happen if I don’t get what I want’

Be calm and consistent – ‘I’m always polite and fair to you’

Give them structure – ‘I know where we’re going’

Be positive - 'You're doing great'

I think this book is a great guide for me in teaching but I am not going to be naive in thinking that I have read and learnt all I need to. I am going to further my reading on the topic of teenagers, teaching, dance, motivation, disciplining and any other areas that are linked with these and see if what I learn ties in with what I discover in my observations and interviews with other teachers.

Further Interviews and Observations.

So last week I conducted two more interviews and observed several dance classes of different styles.

The first interview/observation took place last Thursday with a dance teacher I have been working for the last two years and who is currently training me through my Modern Associates with the IDTA.

I felt I learned a lot from my first interview and so I knew what I wanted to do differently this time. The most important thing for me was to ensure that I press my questions, that I didn't just settle for the first and quick answer but instead encouraged the interviewees to go into further detail. This way I could feel I had left the interview with valuable and in depth information. I felt when reading the questions out loud the first time I conducted the interview that it might not actually be clear what I was asking for and therefore I might need to give a more detailed description with the question. I thought of this before I conducted my second interview and so was careful this time to briefly explain at the end of each question what it was I was actually looking for, such as giving examples of a classroom situation. This made the interview a lot more conversational based and put the interviewee in a relaxed frame of mind, more at ease in her answers.

I also audio recorded this interview as it was something I regretted not doing in the last one. This should help me clearly quote important parts at a later date. Also, instead of writing out notes this time, I used my netbook to type her answers which I found a lot more efficient as I'm a much quicker typist than writer!

The observation was very useful as the class itself was quite different to the first one I observed. It was a mixture of ballet, pointe work and tap all guided by the IDTA syllabus. As my first observation was at a dance college and this one was at a dance school, I could see the differences between the student and teacher interaction.

Again, I focused on giving brief explanations with each question for my third interview and this really helped to build a solid starting point for the interviewee to bounce off and give in depth answers.
The class I observed was free tap but the class was at different standards and some of the students were working towards their assessments so it was interesting to see how the teacher dealt with the mixed group.

My fourth interview/observation I have booked at a stage school where I work. I am intrigued to find out if the teacher/student interaction is different again to that in the college and dance school as this is something that has stood out to me so far in my investigations.

My First Interview/Observation.

I conducted my first interview and observation for my inquiry on Thursday. This took place at the college where I trained with one of my former teachers.

As she wasn't free to see me before the lesson, I observed the class first and conducted the interview afterwards.

I was extremely pleased with how this first interview/observation went as I was unsure whether my questions were at a level to encourage the interviewee to respond with thorough and detailed answers or also if I could draw out insights from my observations.

The class I observed was Contemporary dance style, with 8 students participating, all between the ages of 16 and 19.

Firstly, I handed out my information slips which were a good start to the class as the students seemed very interested as to why I was there so the information slips were a professional way to introduce myself.

My notes were quite extensive on the observation and I laid them out in a way which I was pleased with so I intend to stick to a similar format on my next observation. I gave myself headings to highlight what I was specifically looking out for in the class and I wrote what I observed below each heading.

The class was an hour and a quarter long and after this I interviewed the teacher which lasted about 45 minutes. The interviewee was extremely positive and went in to great depth with her answers. During the interview, I found that the interviewee when answering a particular question would discuss the topic in a way which also answered the questions that I intended for later and hadn't even asked yet. I think the reason this happened is because my questions are similar and obviously all related to the same topic and I designed it this way to help me draw out detailed answers.  I’m not sure whether this means I should revise my questions or to test them out again on my next interview as I feel that a different interviewee could produce a different outcome and that repetition of questions or similarity of questions may be necessary to draw out their answers and gain a full insight.

I took down notes during the interview but unfortunately for this first observation I didn't take an audio recording. I definitely plan to do this for my next interview as it is necessary to ensure I record and can later recall all the data given and it will make it easier for me to cite.

I felt my first interview and observation went very well and I went away with a good amount of valuable information. Not only this, the interviewee lent me a book on teaching which she thought would help me with my inquiry. I have started to read it and I'm already finding it very useful so I will blog about this when I've finished.

Discussion with Natalie.

Natalie Kirk wrote on the BAPP SIG that she thought it would be useful to have a Skype/phone session with anyone else on the course who would be interested to discuss their inquiries and to give each other advice. 

I thought this would be very beneficial, so on Wednesday we had a phone chat, initially planned for just 45 minutes which actually extended to an hour and a half of extremely useful conversation.

• We shared our interview questions and gave each other advice as to how we would revise them or could improve them.

My advice to Natalie was that her question could be a bit more specific and direct so whoever she interviewed would hopefully provide her with a much more thorough and detailed answer.

In regards to my question, Natalie put forward the idea of asking teachers if they take into account teenage student’s physical changes such as growing bones and also hormonal changes. 

In module 2, during my literature research, I found several articles that were particularly interesting to me which were on the emotional and behavioral changes of teenagers and also the physical changes that can affect the way they act and perform in class. I blogged about these articles as it was something that I realised was extremely important to take into account when doing my inquiry but I must admit I never thought to include this topic in my interview. After Natalie’s advice and further thought I decided to add a question that refers to these changes before my first observation which was on Thursday. Below is the question I added for my interview.

When planning a lesson for teenage students, do you take into account the changes their bodies will be going through, such as growing bones along with hormonal changes?

• We also discussed Natalie’s title and its appropriateness to her topic of inquiry.

• On the day of this session I was writing out the information slips that I plan to hand out to all the students before my observations to obtain consent. Natalie read through this and pointed out sections that I could change and points that I could add.

As I said before, this was an extremely useful discussion and we plan to have another phone chat in a couple of weeks’ time to see how we have progressed.

I encourage others to get involved with Skype/phone sessions as I think it really does help to give advice but to also motivate each other.

Inquiry Advice

About a week ago, I had a phone conversation with my adviser, Alan, and we discussed how I should progress with my inquiry.

The first point that was made clear to me was the question of how many interviews and observations I should plan to do in my inquiry. I had written in my summary a few days previous to our discussion that I planned to conduct 3-4 interviews and observe 3-4 dance classes. I chose this number of interviews/observations as I didn't want to limit the time I would need for analysing.
Alongside this though, I was hesitant and questioning whether 3-4 interviews/observations would actually give me enough data to work with to draw out valuable and well researched findings.
I discussed this with Alan and he suggested that I should aim to carry out 4-5 interviews/observations as this would hopefully provide me with a substantial amount of data to work with and still allow me enough time to analyse.

My second question was regarding how I would be able to obtain parents consent for all the students from each class I would be observing. Alan came up with the idea of writing up an information slip to hand out to each student.
The slip will briefly explain my inquiry and my aims, pointing out that I would have no affect on the class whatsoever and that I was there just to observe. I will also highlight the fact that all information gathered would be confidential. At the end of the paragraph I will put my contact number so if there are any questions/issues then they could discuss this with me.
This information slip idea seems to me to be a feasible way of obtaining parents consent.
I plan to write out this information slip within the next week before my first observation and I will send this to Alan to read and check through to see if I have missed out any important points.

I plan to record the information I gather during interviews and observations by writing down notes. Alan has advised that I should also audio record the interviews as it will be much easier for me to refer to at a later date when analysing and also allow me to site much more accurately.

The above sections I have highlighted for ease of read for anyone else who plan on interviewing/observing and have similar issues - I hope this helps!
All the above I find extremely useful and has enabled me to continue with my inquiry feeling that I am steadily becoming much more organised and prepared and also following an ethical plan.


I am very pleased with the grading I was awarded with for Module 2 but I would still like to keep on pressing further and aim for better results. I asked Alan how I could progress with the module with this ambition in mind. I have quoted Alan's comments below so that I can be reminded by these each time I come to my blog but also because this may help others in a similar position to me on this course.

Work Systematically, follow a design.

Explore all possible, don't accept the first explanation.

Consider alternative explanations.

What level of assurance should we have in any finding? 

 Stay with the question.

Module 2 Feedback and Applying it to Module 3.

When I started Module 2 initially I felt overwhelmed by the tasks that were involved.
I had a lot of questions in my mind on how I would be able to create an inquiry topic I was genuinely interested in which could be researched upon to discover new ideas and could also help me in my career as a dance teacher.
I progressed gradually, going through each task step by step until on the day that I submitted my Inquiry Plan I realised that I had a plan that I was happy with and I felt confident I was in a stable position to progress with the actual inquiry.

Now after a short break I am at the beginning of Module 3 and I sense that familiar feeling creeping in that I had in October when I read through the handbook and reader. Where do I go from here?
After reading through blogs of fellow BAPP students it seems I am not the only one who has raised this question.

It is remembering the stable ground that I was on when I submitted the work at the end of module 2 and the positive feedback that I've received from Alan, my advisor, that is giving me the confidence and reassurance that I need to put my Inquiry Plan in to action.

Overall I was pleased with the feedback I received from Alan and thrilled to know that I could progress on to the next module.

I have been reading through this feedback and planning on how I can apply Alan's advice in my Inquiry Plan.
The feedback highlighted two main points for improvement which are both quoted below:

I think you need to do one other thing at this point. That is to create clear ‘categories’ of questions and data you are seeking. You do mention these but a clear structured typology will help you. For example, motivation; the functional capability of teenager’s brains etc. Tag these categories as they will help form further questions and importantly help you access further literature.

You provide a good explanation of the coding approach you will take. Do read literature on this, it’ll help you. 

1. Categorise
2. Literature

Below are my thoughts and how I plan to progress:

1. The further I delved into my topic when planning my inquiry the more my questions developed and branched off into different questions and formed new ideas. This is something I was battling with the further I researched and the more my questions matured. I did avoid branching off as much as possible for fear it would take my topic off course but it became immediately clear that this branching off was inevitable and perhaps is probably necessary to help my plan develop into a genuine and mature inquiry. I did vaguely touch on this in my plan but after reading Alan's feedback I do agree that clearly categorising these questions will benefit me as I carry out the interviews and observations. Structuring in this way should help me clearly see the links between different sources of information gained through the interviews and observations and as Alan mentioned could also push me towards reading further literature.
2. The literature that I have read so far has helped me greatly in developing a solid base for my line of inquiry. It was searching out this literature that I found quite challenging for several reasons. Firstly, I wanted and needed pieces of literature that were relevant and related to my topic of inquiry. Secondly, this literature wasn't supposed to back up my own theories and beliefs but instead develop new ideas and questions. Eventually I found literature that I felt covered both these points and provided me with new information to progress with the inquiry. I have now come to the conclusion that my research on literature shouldn't end there as not only did it help me develop my Inquiry Plan but it could also help me put this Inquiry Plan in to action, for example, by doing further research on coding it will make it easier for me to actually carry out this analysis method.

Over the next couple of weeks I aim to search out literature that will hopefully develop my understanding on categorising questions and the coding approach that I plan to use in my analysis. I believe these methods will benefit me when I begin collecting and analysing the data as it will provide me with a reliable and authentic piece of research.

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry.

Below is the Critical Reflection that I will be submitting along with my Inquiry Plan at the end of Module 2.

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

During this short essay I’ll be reviewing the key stepping stones which have helped develop my ideas for the inquiry since I started Module 2.

The initial task was to review Reader 4 on Professional Inquiry and develop a set of questions relevant to my practice. Looking back on these initial questions (Appendix 1) I think it’s clear to see the progression in the quality of my questions.

The starting point for me developing my questions was reading the section in the Reader on Penelope Hanstein, the professor and director for dance at Texas Woman’s University and author of many articles on the nature of dance.

The paragraph which stood out to me was from the book Researching Dance: Evolving Modes of Inquiry co-edited by Penelope Hanstein and Sondra Horton Fraleigh (Appendix 2).

Hanstein highlighted the difference between a genuine question and a pseudo question, the former truly seeks an answer and the latter cannot be answered nor has an answer that is already known to the person asking the question. I immediately identified that the set of questions I had come up with at that point may have been more pseudo than genuine (Appendix 3).

Following this realisation, I rephrased the questions and scrapped some questions entirely which I felt could not be answered through investigation. Further analysis showed some of the questions needed to be more genuine in order for them to be answered satisfactorily through research (Appendix 4).

However, this was still a work in progress and after much thought, research on relevant literature and drawing from feedback received from experienced teachers and from the SIG my set of questions went through several changes before arriving at this stage where I am confident about them (Appendix 5).

Reader 5 opened my eyes to the necessity of ethics in the work place and inquiries carried out there.

For the first task in part 5, I considered the ethics in my work place relying on my own thoughts without the help of documents and discussion (Appendix 6).

I then researched the codes of practice which provide the ethical framework in my work place and to consult the Reader on Professional Ethics. I discovered there were some ethical standards I wasn’t adhering to as explicitly as ISTD demands. The ISTD Code of Conduct is comprehensive (Appendix 7), whereas my list of ethical standards just covered the surface and entirely missed some integral parts. I feel ethics are important for my inquiry and having researched the ISTD guidelines I feel better equipped to carry out my inquiry in an ethical manner (Appendix 8).

Following the completion of this module, I am now at a stage where I am confident to carry out my inquiry in a professional and ethical way with the tools that I have chosen (Appendix 9). My questions have been shaped and adapted from a primitive set, of which some could never have been answered satisfactorily, into a more mature set which should help me genuinely gain more understanding about my chosen topic.