Critical Reflection for Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Looking back on module one I gained  an interest in certain issues that arose from my journal and blogs and once I had addressed each question, I could see where my passion and interest remained,  Appendix A. I automatically found an interest when looking at theorists and the ways in which people learn whilst linking them to  my time as a student  Appendix B.

I wanted to base my research on ways to enhance my dance teaching and how to benefit my students. I had  accomplished a three year  physically intensive course in Musical Theatre where  I received  training from the best and I wanted to be able to pass this information on to my students and I have found that  by undertaking  my research it has given me an  understanding of how to incorporate my experience within my teaching in an exciting way to benefit my students.

I have experienced a variety of teaching styles and I would like my students to also experience the variety in order to help advance them as dancers. It would mean that by looking into different learning styles I could try to incorporate them within each dance class. I also wanted to cater for children with Dyspraxia and Cerebral Palsy by incorporating any students who are affected by these disabilities/learning difficulties into my research, which in turn would, enable inclusion within the classes I provide (Appendix C).

To be certain that I had selected the correct Award Title for myself I looked into each avenue that I would like to pursue. I have spoken to a Head Teacher of a school and also looked into the ISTD qualifications to ensure that my title is acceptable for each of the routes I plan to follow, see Appendix D.

Ethics for my Inquiry

When looking into Ethics I already had an insight as to what is needed (Appendix E) and I have also looked into the ethics of dance associations (Appendix F). When looking into the ways  ethics relates to my Inquiry (Appendix G) I  realised how important the confidentiality of children needed  to be even though I need to be able to incorporate my findings within my work, see Appendix H

I will also be incorporating two SEN children within my inquiry, and I will need to consider ethics for them. (See Appendix I)

Tools I will use during my Inquiry

To be confident in the tools I have chosen, I found the merits and limits of each and  based my decision on the specific tools I will gain the best information/feedback from, see Appendix J.

I then looked into the structure of my Interview and Questionnaires and carried out a pilot Interview (Appendix K) and pilot Questionnaire (AppendixL)  to fully understand what worked and what didn’t. I have yet to conduct my pilot observation but I have been fortunate enough to teach and observe students dancing for a long time.

Conclusion

Module two has been an eye opener and has enhanced my research  allowing me to gain further information. I will continue to gain more knowledge from a variety of literature which will give me more information of how to enhance my practice as a dance teacher by combining pedagogy and creativity to prepare for module three.

6c Award Title

When trying to make a decision on my Award Title I became very confused and stuck as I didn't know what I wanted my Professional Practice to be in as I needed to do more research as to what qualifications I needed for the career paths I would like to pursue in the future.

When deciding I had a lot to take into consideration;
- What qualifications I had already done at Bird College and what Degree I would like to compliment my hard work.
- My future plans for a theatre and dance school and the workshops I offer at the moment.
- What degree title would be the best if I wanted to do a PGCE or Schools Direct.

PGCE and Schools Direct
After a lot of confusion about my Award Title I approached a Head Teacher of a primary school who then rang up Warwickshire Council and checked with a variety of contacts within various positions of other schools or who work higher up in education.

I currently am yet to hear back from this Head Teacher and am interested in what has been said however I know that with any degree I am able to accomplish schools direct or a PGCE and offer my services regarding dance and musical theatre within a primary/secondary school.

Dance Associations
I know that to become a dance teacher I need to complete further qualifications within the different associations I hope to teach the syllabus from. I currently am in the process of sorting out each teaching qualification I hope to do in different associations.
RAD - Classical Ballet
ISTD - Tap
ISTD - Modern theatre




www.istd.org/

Here is a ISTD Qualifications May and near the bottom is the degree I am doing at MDX.

This degree is something that you would do after completing your DDE ISTD and if you went on to do your MA in Professional Practice you would become a 'Fellowship'.
















Narrowing the Award Title Down

BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance)
BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Musical Theatre)
BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance Teaching)


Here I have put down the three possibilities that I would like to base my degree title on as these three titles are close to me and what I have worked on for a long time, yet I cannot decide between them as they all have a reason and purpose as to why I would like them as a title.

(Dance) - I would like my award title to be 'dance' as I have worked consistently since the age of 6 years old completing many exams and investing a lot of time and effort into dance as a whole. I then feel that for three years at Bird I worked extremely hard within each dance class trying to better my knowledge, technique and performance within each style gaining a better understanding of each discipline. I feel that it would be a great title as I have invested three years into my qualification at Bird and to add this on for it to become a degree would be a good decision especially as my Inquiry is based within dance.

(Musical Theatre) - I would like my award title to be 'musical theatre' as I have put a lot of time into musical theatre since the age of 3 and invested in a lot of peoples time and effort to get me to where I am today. I also would like to use it as a title as this is the career I have dreamt of pursuing since a very young age and have already gained two smaller qualifications in 'Musical Theatre'.  I have just recently set up my own theatre school and look to continue with a theatre school which works on the three main disciplines of Musical Theatre and so to have a degree specialising in 'Musical Theatre' would be great to show to parents of any students that join my school. I primarily believe that the hard work, time, dedication and effort I have put into musical theatre, like dance, my award title should be 'musical theatre' as it is a way of changing my qualification, from Bird, (Level 6 Diploma) to a degree.

(Dance Teaching) - I would like my award title to be 'dance teaching' as I would like to continue to pursue this career in my future as I have currently set up my own theatre school which requires me teaching dance but I hope to expand this as I draw to a close with my career as a professional performer and want to teach dance and Musical Theatre as a career, this is why I think I would benefit with a degree in dance teaching. This award title also compliments my inquiry title very well.

Deciding on a Title

I finally came up with my Award Title which includes both dance and musical theatre as I realised that these two titles meant a lot to me and that I have worked hard for five years and continue to do so and I would enjoy having a degree in dance and musical theatre.

BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance and Musical Theatre)

My Rationale

After training for three years and graduating from Doreen Bird College, gaining a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre, and prior to this gaining further qualifications within many dance styles and Musical Theatre I have decided on my Award Title being ‘Professional Dance and Musical Thetare’. Over the years I have acquired the knowledge and understanding within dance disciplines as well as Musical Theatre which has made me the professional I am today.

Since a young age I wanted to follow my dream to become a professional performer which I have worked towards tackling many obstacles along the way. At the moment I am very fortunate to continue auditioning whilst being lucky to work professionally, however I am yet to reach my dream of performing in the West End. Another passion of mine is to own my own dance/theatre school where I could pass on the knowledge that I have developed and watch my students flourish within the three main disciplines of Musical Theatre whilst being educated in a variety of dance styles. At the moment I have just recently opened my own theatre school where I offer workshops in Musical Theatre which offers fantastic opportunity’s.

Once I reach the end of my professional career I would like to expand my Theater school and open a dance school which will work alongside.  I am extremely passionate about teaching which is demonstrated through my line of inquiry.

The reason I chose this specific title was the reason that I have trained extremely hard within both areas where I have learnt a large amount of knowledge from a variety of people. It will also compliment my future plans when I expand my Theatre and Dance school where I will teach both areas of performing arts to a high standard.

Ethics when working with children/young people with SEN

Here I have found further information about Ethics and what to put in place and take into consideration when working with children and others : Ethics working with children and young people

SEN Ethics and Every Child Matters that need to be put in place

1). What I have had or am going to put in place in the future for my own Professional Practice
Soon I will be holding a Musical Theatre Workshop and taking a large group of children to put on two shows at a theatre. When taking this into consideration I had to think of the student who has cerebral palsy and speak to there parents to assure them that when I look around the theatre we will look at the space to get on and off the stage.
I took someone with a lot of experience of working with adults with many difficulties/disabilities and who is a lead internal verifier who gave myself and my employees manual handling course before working with this specific student. We both will now have to make our own risk assessments for the theatre for this specific student so everyone knows what to do with this student and the student knows what will happen in case of emergency's etc.

2). Below are the changes that are happening to the SEN Code of Practice;

Changes from the SEN Code of Practice (2001)

The main changes from the SEN Code of Practice (2001) reflect the changes introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014. These are:

• The Code of Practice (2014) covers the 0-25 age range and includes guidance relating to disabled children and young people as well as those with SEN

• There is a clearer focus on the participation of children and young people and parents in decision-making at individual and strategic levels

• There is a stronger focus on high aspirations and on improving outcomes for children and young people

• It includes guidance on the joint planning and commissioning of services to ensure close co-operation between education, health and social care

• It includes guidance on publishing a Local Offer of support for children and young people with SEN or disabilities

• There is new guidance for education and training settings on taking a graduated approach to identifying and supporting pupils and students with SEN (to replace School Action and School Action Plus)

• For children and young people with more complex needs a co-ordinated assessment process and the new 0-25 Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan) replace statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs)

• There is a greater focus on support that enables those with SEN to succeed in their education and make a successful transition to adulthood

• Information is provided on relevant duties under the Equality Act 2010

• Information is provided on relevant provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005

• There is new guidance on supporting children and young people with SEN who are in youth custody. (Department of Education, 2015)

Here you can see how there has been more progress and focus on certain areas over the past few years to ensure that those who are affected by SEN, disabilities, learning difficulties are treated fair and have options of avenues and paths they can take for their future.

3). Within the .GOV website I have looked into the Legislations and Guidance for SEN.

- Safeguarding
- The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2 and 3 (this is setting out the responsibilities of local authorities towards looked after children and care leavers)
- Equality Act 2010
- Responsible adjustments for disabled pupils (2012).
- Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (2014)
- The Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice: Protecting the vulnerable (2005)
4). As well as the legal documents all legal authorities must make sure that the children/young people and parents are fully involved with any decisions about their own individual support and about the local provision given. (Department of Education, 2015).

Early years providers, schools and colleges should also take steps to ensure that young people and parents are actively supported in contributing to needs assessments, developing and reviewing Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. Specifically, local authorities must

• ensure the child’s parents or the young person are fully included in the EHC needs assessment process from the start, are fully aware of their opportunities to offer views and information, and are consulted about the content of the plan (Chapter 9)  

• consult children with SEN or disabilities, and their parents and young people with SEN or disabilities when reviewing local SEN and social care provision (Chapter 4)

• consult them in developing and reviewing their Local Offer (Chapter 4)

• make arrangements for providing children with SEN or disabilities, and their parents, and young people with SEN or disabilities with advice and information about matters relating to SEN and disability (Chapter 2) (Department of Education, 2015)

Here it gives us an idea that I will need to converse with each parent and individual student that has difficulties so that they are aware of the support I can offer and the way in which I will involve their child/them to be included within each dance class. Depending on the different types of disabilities I may need to do a risk assessment for each individual who has a difficulty/disability.  

5). As well as having all ethics all children as well as children/young people with SEN/Disability's need a high quality of teaching and provision, even though the following statements of requirement are for early years/schools/colleges etc. it still applies to myself.

Early years providers, schools and colleges should know precisely where children and young people with SEN are in their learning and development. They should:
• ensure decisions are informed by the insights of parents and those of children and young people themselves
• have high ambitions and set stretching targets for them
• track their progress towards these goals
• keep under review the additional or different provision that is made for them
• promote positive outcomes in the wider areas of personal and social development, and
• ensure that the approaches used are based on the best possible evidence and are having the required impact on progress (Department of Education, 2015)

The way in which I will accomplish these certain points will be to keep parents/carers/guardians of the students with SEN/disability's/learning difficulties, in the loop of knowing what their progression is and where their weaknesses and strengths are as well as conversing with the student. After a conversation I would like to set goals that they (the student) would like to accomplish and tie this within my planning of lessons to help towards this target for each individual which could also help other students. 

For further information I will refer back to Department of education website as I know that all information on here is up to date and covers many areas and aspects when working with children/young people with Special Educational Needs.

Every Child needs Nurturing so it can

Flourish to be the best it can be!

http://headguruteacher.com/2014/08/30/every-child-still-matters-communities-still-need-cohesion/

Pilot Questionaire - Trial and Information

To be ready for my questionnaires to be handed out to my students after each workshop I need to know what I will be carrying out before I can begin each one. However the structure of the questionnaire and the way in which it will appear and how each student will answer the questions needs to be thought through before adding any questions and answers.
I went and spoke to a Head Teacher of a Primary School about my ideas and was able to show a structure of my questionnaire and asked many questions about his thoughts and ideas about whether younger children will understand the structure and is it clear about the way they will have to answer questions. The reason I have asked a Primary school head teacher is because I know that older students will be able to answer and elaborate on the questions they have been asked.

Here are the Outcomes for the Pilot Questionaire

1). To begin with I have put at the top of the page that there are answers given as multiple choice and next to each box is a word that would describe the way they feel about each question which will relate to the workshop they have just done. It will state that they can only tick one box and if the want to elaborate as to why they chose that answer a box will be under each question as well which can give older students an option to expand. The Head Teacher said that this is a great idea, however he asked me what age groups will I provide the workshops for as some may not be able to read so pictures next to each box could be a good idea as well. This made me really think and visually it could be easier for children to relate to but I could keep the words next to the boxes as well as the pictures.

2). The wording of each question needs to be easy to understand and the language needs to be kept as simple as possible for complete understanding of each child.

3). I also want this questionnaire to not last too long as it will be given to the students 10 mins before they go home after a 50 min workshop class. This means that there needs to be no more than 5 questions on each questionnaire. The head teacher and myself spoke about this and decided I needed to involve 2 sections when planning my class and ask 2 questions each about each section and then ask an overall question about how they found the workshop and what they learnt. This would really help  me gain clear information on each section and will show my students what and how they had learnt through the workshop.

This has really helped my understanding of questionnaires and how they can be answered by a variety of ages in a quick and efficient way.

Informal Interview Trial - Pilot Interview

On Friday 1st May I conducted an informal Interview with someone who I am close to that works within a school and works with a variety of children/family's and has an insight into dance teaching as she has supported me and works close with me in my theatre school.
This gave me an insight as to what worked well and how I could help myself when I carry out my Interviews with professionals within their own practice. It also allowed me to see if the structure of my interview worked and gave me an idea of how I could gain further information from the way that my questions are asked/worded.

The Outcomes from the Pilot Interview

1). When beginning my Interview by reading out the paragraph of information I had put on the first page of my Interview sheet (See Appendix A) I knew that from her reaction that she knew what I wanted to accomplish and she said that;
'It gave me more of an understanding as to what my answers where going to be for each question rather than wasting my time by moving completely away from the answers you required. I also liked that you let me know that it didn't matter if I wanted to add to a question if you thought it related to the interview to give you further information.'
I will keep the beginning bit of the interview as I am sure it gives the professional another reminder, after their letter they have received off myself, what it is I am doing and why.

2). The semi-structured approach of my interview worked well as it allowed the opportunity for my questions to flow but if other issues and ideas arose we were able to talk about those as well. I personally think that telling my friend at the beginning of the interview made her more at ease to divert to other ideas that cropped up for some questions.

3). I originally had 10 questions with smaller questions attached just in case if the professionals did not expand on an idea I wanted to know more about, however automatically she expanded and linked questions I was going to talk about later on in the interview, this threw me for a few minutes leaving me in a bit of a pickle. To stop this from happening I will look into swapping some questions around to make it flow better as I forgot how certain questions could be linked but I will keep other smaller questions in place just in case they do not expand on the question, but they are not essential to use.

4). When carrying out my interview and knowing that the information given needs to be written down exactly as they have said it, I knew that from the beginning of the interview I was going to struggle with writing the explanations, answers and opinions as quickly as possible whilst keeping up with the flow of the interview. To make sure this doesn't happen when I carry out my interviews I will take a Dictaphone and use this so I can listen carefully  whilst taking all information in knowing that their words will be captured on the Dictaphone for me to refer back to away from the interview, without missing any vital information they had shared with me. I will now have to ask their permission to use a dictaphone for my own personal use before the interview and even better to email them all to make sure that they are fully aware this will happen.

5). I was not sure how long the Interview was going to last and with the option to adding information to questions. Overall the interview with my close friend lasted 35minutes and she added a lot of information to questions as well as me loosing the flow of the interview by writing information downs. I will allow 40 mins for each interview but if it goes over, if the participant is happy, then it will not matter to go on for a further 10 mins but if it happens to go under the time limit that does not matter either.

By doing a pilot interview it has allowed me to see what has worked and what hasn't and has given me an insight as to how it will work and what to expect. I look forward to gathering further information from all of the professionals that have got back to me and have agreed to the interview and look forward to broadening my knowledge from their experiences.