Module 2

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break.  It has taken me a while to get round to looking at module 2, but I have finally bit the bullet and started.  I found it all very overwhelming reading the handbook and Reader 4 as there was a lot to take in! However, I am going to break each stage up into sections to make it more manageable.

Before starting the B.A.P.P course I already had an idea of what I wanted to base my inquiry on, as it is something I have always felt very passionate about.  However, I am also going to look at a few other options to make sure I explore more avenues.


Are there any ideas from work based or organisational knowledge theories of learning that could be used to understand your own professional inquiry?

I haven't got a final question for my inquiry yet, but I want to explore something along the lines of "Does image override talent and what psychological effects does this have on a performer".

Peter Senges' quote below on the theory of the "Learning Organisation" stood out to me because I believe it takes everyone to come together and share their knowledge, ideas and experiences to make a successful show.  Not only the dancers but the choreographer, Musical Director, Orchestra, Sound, Lighting, Director and Producer etc.  It also makes the experience more enjoyable as you feel you are surrounded by professionals who also share the same goal as you (to make the show the best it can be) and you can bounce off each others ideas.  

"When you ask people about what it is like being part of a great team, what is most striking is the meaningfulness of the experience. People talk about being part of something larger than themselves, of being connected, of being generative. It become quite clear that, for many, their experiences as part of truly great teams stand out as singular periods of life lived to the fullest. Some spend the rest of their lives looking for ways to recapture that spirit." (Senge 1990: 13)

Even though there are many positive aspects of working as a group in the industry, I feel it is also one of the main factors why individuals judge themselves harshly, as they are constantly around people to whom they compare themselves, whether they are slimmer, fatter, not as flexible and I feel although this can sometimes be seen as healthy competition, it can sometimes go too far. 

I feel the "Team Learning" theory is similiar to the theory above because being able to work well in a team is crucial, whether you are performing, choreographing or teaching, because you will always be working along side other people in order to achieve what you have set out to achieve and therefore it will lead to the same problem of self judgement and criticism.

The discipline of team learning starts with ‘dialogue’, the capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter into a genuine ‘thinking together’. To the Greeks dia-logos meant a free-flowing if meaning through a group, allowing the group to discover insights not attainable individually…. [It] also involves learning how to recognize the patterns of interaction in teams that undermine learning. (Senge 1990: 10)

I will use both the theories above to help me when exploring my Inquiry because I will be asking the opinions and ideas of others to develop my own.  Whether it be from a friend, my work based community or others on the B.A.P.P course.  

I feel "Personal mastery" could also be linked to this inquiry.  This is because it is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively’.
Therefore, people are always questioning whether they are good enough.  This could be used in a positive way as people can strive to be the best they can be, however people will continue to strive if they are still not happy with the result and this could lead to psychological problems or even ill health. 

I will be using the theory of "Personal Mastery" when exploring my Inquiry as I will be continually asking myself questions on how I can improve my Inquiry and whether I could explore even more avenues and expand those I already have. 

For Argyris and Schön (1978: 2) learning involves "the detection and correction of error."

"In single-loop learning, we learn to maintain the field of constancy by learning to design actions that satisfy existing governing values.  In double-loop learning, we learn to change the field of constancy itself." [Argyris and Schön, 1974, p.  19]

I feel I will use this double loop learning theory when exploring my inquiry because it will make me think more broadly about what I need to change, if I am not receiving the sufficient information I need in order to develop my inquiry .  For example, instead of using a questionnaire I might need to ask the same questions to a small interest group in person.  This way I might be able to get more information from them if they feel like they are just having a relaxed informal chat and they might bounce off one another's ideas, therefore going into more depth. 

Do you work within a disciplinary context in the arts? Or is your situation more transdiciplinary?

When reading Reader 4, I could relate to this context, "A self-employed performer who is also a teacher has knowledge about the specific areas of acting or dance but must also understand the concepts and practice of education".  This was explained as "inter-disciplinary".  I feel I can relate to this because when I am teaching workshops, I pass on my knowledge or dance movements and techniques which I have learnt during my performing experiences.  However, I will have to take into account how I will pass this knowledge on in the most effective way to the appropriate age group I am teaching.  

I feel it is hard to work within a disciplinary context in the arts as it is very beneficial for a self employed dancer to become your own manager.  Therefore, you need to promote yourself using social media and use the communication technologies discussed in module 1. I cross over different aspects of the dance industry e.g Performing in all areas of dance and teaching, and therefore at this moment I am currently working in a transdiciplinary context.     

What do you know?  How do you know it?

I found this question a bit broad and I don't think I could make a list of what I know because sometimes I find I know things I didn't even know I did, as you can pick knowledge up subconsciously without even realising, just by going through an experience. On the other hand, things I should know that I was taught and knew at school I wouldn't even be able to recall now.  I feel it isn't until you are questioned about something that your knowledge is made known.

However, throughout my life I feel the main places I have gained knowledge from are:

• Parents/Family members
• School
• College
• Friends
• Books
• Dance class/training
• Television
• News/Newspapers
• Internet  
• Experience
• From module 1, I found out I learnt best body kinaesthetically.  Therefore, I learn best through putting things into practice.

I have learnt a lot already from module 1 on the B.A.P.P course, as I have learnt new theories and about new communication technologies that I was not aware of before.  I have now incorporated these into my professional practice.  I am looking forward to extending my knowledge when exploring my professional inquiry and learning even more in order to benefit my work and the work of other professionals around me in the industry. 

Make a brief list of your competences and capabilities.

Below is a list of competences and capabilities I feel I have learnt through my dance training and those I believe I need when working professionally: 

• Musicality
• Flexibility
• Tap Technique
• Rhythm
• Modern Technique
• Jazz Technique
• Commercial Technique
• Ballet Technique
• Ideas for choreography 
• Good fitness
• Performance skills

Here is a list of competences and capabilities I believe I need when teaching a dance class/workshop:

• Patience
• Organisation
• Effective discipline methods
• Not being biased to one particular student
• Authority
• Good dance training
• Good knowledge of movements 
• Understanding the risks of movements to prevent injuries
• First aid training
• The ability to make a class fun but also beneficial

I feel all of these competences and capabilities are important and will always have room for improvement. By being made aware of them it will enable me to analyse how I can improve on them to enhance my career. 

What knowledge and skills do you think you will need for the future?

I feel all the skills I have listed in the question above play an important role in making a successful dance career. I have been dancing since the age of 3 and went into full time training at 18.  Throughout these years I have been taught many things by my dance teachers and I have also learnt a lot from watching other students.  Whilst at dance college, they would always warn us about how hard the industry is and try to prepare us for it.  However, I feel most of my knowledge about the industry has been learnt by experiencing it.  This is why I think "Work Based Learning" is very beneficial, "It promotes awareness of the workplace as a learning environment and uses this to extend the learner's capabiilty and indivdual effectiveness" (Durrant et al. 2009).  I feel I learn from making mistakes and correcting them.  Whilst being in the performing industry, I feel one of the most important pieces of knowledge and skill is how you, as an individual, learn to deal with rejection.  It isn't easy and can destroy your self confidence and ambition.  This is why I am going to explore this more in my inquiry and how people cope with the psychological effects of their image, never feeling good enough and the effects rejection can have on an individual.  It will be intriguing to find out the many different ways in which people cope with these issues.  

Being made aware of these learning theories will enable me to look into my inquiry in more depth and at different angles.  I am currently jotting down possible questions for my inquiry and will post them in my next blog.