Module 1: Task 3B - Theories Relating to Networking

Within Reader 3, I can see theories relating to Professional Networking and how we go about connecting with others in our Practice. Theories that relate to my Practice include:

Communities of Practice 

Affiliation 

Social Constructionism

Connectivism

Multiple Intelligences

Communities of Practice

‘Communities of practice’ is an idea represented by Lave and Wenger exploring the development of social circles created by mutual interests. “Such a view sees mind, culture, history, and the social interrelated processes that constitute each other.” (Lave, J., 1991, p. 63 -64).

Previously in my Acting practice, the term “mutual engagement,” described as “a shared reality in which to act and construct an identity” (Wenger, 1998, p.173) appeared accurate, because actors developed their very own language from belonging to networks like Spotlight and Equity. Due to all being part of the same network, possessing the same goals, the acting industry itself produced its own language. Actors would often discuss the online casting world and their links to opportunities. To be a Spotlight and Equity member meant you were part of a community. Director, Tony James, once told to me, “you aren’t an actor unless you’re on Spotlight.” (18^th July, 2011) Before auditions were face to face, but now it’s also about your online profile as a 21^st Century actor, just as much as your authentic one.  

Now I am in a school, a new community of Practice, I bond with teaching assistants over common challenges we experience.  It is stated that, “student teachers need to find learning environments that challenge them to contribute as whole persons, to imagine themselves as valued professionals whose work truly matters and to align their vocation with their values.” (Porter, 2003, p.51) We discuss our learning within school and how communities of practice may not always be respected by pupils because of their social values, helping us bond through our mutual understanding of teaching complexities. We educate pupils about respecting communities, but because they are still learning core values, including respect, certain children sometimes refuse to listen to the teacher community, not cooperating with their own school community.

Affiliation

Within school, teachers connect using email, as this is an efficient way to connect with each other when unable to privately discuss. Affiliation is said to “form close relationships”’ providing us “with a network of support that will help us when we are in need.” (Crisp and Turner, 2007, p.266). This means we can support each other when school challenges occur, whether personally or online. After participating in a Drama workshop, one girl told me she had learnt to interact more, enjoying affiliation with others through dramatic activities, which was my objective.

Social Constructionism

My learning often lies within Social Constructionism, a theory exploring how we construct ideas about the world through others. “If our knowledge of the world is not derived from the nature of the world as it really is, where does it come from? The social constructionist answer is that people construct it between them.” (Burr, 2015, 3^rd ed. p4).

In an online article, I was interested in how Kolb’s Experimental Learning Theory was challenged, arguing that the “social” element should be considered when looking at learning processes. “social relationships of a person become prime importance.” (Holman, D., Pavlica, K. & Thorpe, R., 1997, p.141).In other words, there is a way to learn personally, but there is also another to learn socially. When studying Kolb’s four stages, I noticed there was no ‘social’ stage, only the personal journey. I have developed learning through Social Constructionism when undertaking rehearsals, but am also finding this now when teaching. Teaching Drama to thirty school children without a spacious setting was challenging, feeling like I went from knowing everything, to nothing in a matter of seconds. However, only by actively interacting in a socially active context was I able to assess my methods. I have since transferred drama school skills like ensemble work, using this to my advantage through my developed Drama teaching. For instance, when asked to encourage student ‘team spirit’, I focused on group interaction. 

 Connectivism

Previously in my Acting Practice, I was a Spotlight and Equity member, also linked to Facebook groups displaying Arts related information. By being a member, I accessed job, agent and casting information. Connectivity “occurs within nebulous environments” by “shifting core elements.” (G Seimens, 2004) Connectivity allows a ‘virtual door’ for professional opportunities, enabling chances to present my CV, making it the basis for opportunities within dramatic circles.

When publishing blogs, people in my ‘circle’ can instantly engage. By viewing their blogs, I learn what professionals think and discover. I encourage a drama school colleague undertaking the Route of Learning module, to read my blogs, discussing the Industry via Skype on what we think now, compared to what we thought before. 

Multiple Intelligences

When looking at the Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (2008), I have realized that I have been an actress and teacher because I crave interpersonal intelligence with others, involving a common factor; people. I considered Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles in the previous module, but Gardner made me question deeper the other ways people learn, i.e. linguistically, musically or visually. “The uniform school sounds fair- after all, everyone is treated the same way. But some years ago it occurred to me that this supposed rationale was completely unfair. The uniform school picks out and is addressed to a certain kind of mind.” (Gardner, H.E. 2008). This suggests that the Creative Arts itself requires an approach that recognises ‘intelligence’ is shown in differing ways. I’m often asking myself, “How do I reach this child?” meaning this is helpful for teachers and something I want to explore. 

Bibliography and References

Burr, V., 2015, Social Constructionism, 3^rd edition, Routledge, pg. 4.

Crisp. J & Turner. R, (2007), Essential social psychology. London: Sage

Gardner, H.E., 2006 edition, Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice, Basic Books, New York, p.5.

Holman, D., Pavlica, K. & Thorpe, R. 1997, "Rethinking Kolb's Theory of Experiential Learning in Management Education: The Contribution of Social Constructionism and Activity Theory", Management Learning, vol. 28, no. 2, p. 141.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/201381903_Rethinking_Kolb%27s_Theory_of_Experiential_Learning_in_Management_Education_The_Contribution_of_Social_Constructionism_and_Activity_Theory

James. T, 18^th July 2011, Rose Bruford Summer School.

Lave. J, 1991, Situating learning in communities of practice. Perspectives on socially shared cognition, 2^nd edition, p.63-64.

Porter. M., Forging L.I.N.C.S. among Educators: The Role of International Service-Learning in Fostering a Community of Practice

http://www.academia.edu/5942884/Forging_L.I.N.C.S._among_Educators_The_Role_of_International_Service-Learning_in_Fostering_a_Community_of_Practice

Siemens, G, December 12, 2004, Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age,

http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Wenger, (1998,) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity, Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press, p.173.

Relevant Blog Links

Theorists

http://emmalouisefitchett.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/i-now-see-true-relevance-between.html#comment-form

Audio-Visual Reflection

http://emmalouisefitchett.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/module-1-task-1c-audio-visual.html

Module 1: Task 3A - Current Networks (and Professional Networking Skype session with Paula)

What are the current and different ways that you have, or do, engage your professional network?

After discussing what a 'Professional Network' means via a group Skype conversation, Paula recommended that we all 'map out' our communities of practice. We discussed what we pictured a map of our communities would look like and people in the group came up with some very interesting suggestions. Eleanor presented the idea of a spiderweb, mentioning that there are various strands to the web but that the web is essentially 'one thing.' 

We also asked the question, who is the spider and who is the fly? In other words, are we the spider who creates the web (ie. our own community,) or are we the fly who is entangled in the web (ie. people mapping out our community for us.) I think maybe we might be both?

This was a really insightful discussion and made me think, 'how much of our community is through our own doing and how much of our community is because of other people? This really got me thinking, because I soon realized that there are many, many communities within my circle, whether that be professional or not. 

This was an exercise that made me think about the bigger picture and from going from really having to think about my communities in life, the exercise suddenly became one that flowed easier and showed me how one thing could link instantly to another. 

In the Acting Industry I realized there were several branches; including Drama School contacts, Agents and Directors which have all been caused as a result of auditions and workshops. This was often caused by the networks I belonged to, particularly those which were online. Websites such as Spotlight, Casting Call Pro, Casting Networks and Equity were all ways of keeping a door open to the industry and allowed so many opportunities for me to access.I would often find that I would bump into the same people time and time again as a result of simply being in the same social circle realizing that the industry truly was a very small world. 

Now I am stationed as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant within a school, I have been expanding my professional circle within an educational setting and only ever have contact via email or simply face-to-face. This community is so much more close knit in terms of physical contact and the mutual engagement between people is incredibly strong, because each person eventually understands and knows everyone within that school unit. You have to support each other every day and is almost like a continuous rehearsal. We are the 'cast' and the children are our 'audience.'

What are the established and different ways that others use their networks, especially if they are more established or experienced practitioners that you admire? 

I noticed when at Drama School, that my teachers and directors would very often talk about discussing things with their contacts through a phone call. They would also use terms such as, 'I had a coffee and a chat with so and so the other day and discussed upcoming rehearsals for so and so production.' This to me reflected the different age of professional networking and how things have developed. Years ago, drama schools seemed to emphasis professional discussions and even developed their craft further by going straight into Repertory Theatre to build those industry contacts when they became professionals. Nowadays, Actors seem to be spending hours on their laptops searching the Spotlight directory for new castings and following professionals on Twitter to see if there are any Acting workshops that may be of use to them. The world of technology has changed and evolved and given 'networking' a whole new meaning.

Are there methods, approaches and technologies that you use socially that might apply and help you develop your professional networking?

I often use Facebook socially and have found it as a network very useful in terms of becoming members of casting groups. A drama school group that was created whilst I was studying has allowed me to constantly see notifications of other members providing information about current auditions or castings, informing people that a director is currently looking for someone of a certain description. Following industry professionals on Twitter also means that you can keep up to date with happenings, but also 'retweet' opportunities that may be of interest to someone. To be able to directly message someone or address someone can also give you a much broader chance of contact with someone, so these types of networks are always useful to have. 

When you reflect upon current networks, can you think about the motives of others to be in the network and what values and purpose they have in mind?

Particularly on Twitter, you can see how other people try to network with other professionals in a way that highlights positivity. I often see my actor friends 'retweeting' or 'sharing' information about a show that they are appearing in so that they can spread the word and hopefully increase ticket sales and audiences. Their objective is always to be seen and presented in the best light and use networks such as Twitter and Facebook to capture the attention of people. Nowadays anyone can share something online fast and efficiently and these particular networks are useful in doing so. 

What would your ideal network look like and why?

My ideal network would be simple, yet professional. I often use Facebook as a means of putting my thoughts across because everything is easily accessible. I want to be able to share things, comment on things and share various forms of media with other professionals in a simple way. 

What realistic things could you do to work towards developing your ideal network?

What tools and methods do you need to use? What do you know about your current and intended networks and importantly what do you not want to know?

I could do weekly updates and in particular keep posting up pictures each week of my professional work and findings on Instagram. I can comment each week on people's blogs so that I learn from others about their professional findings and particularly in school I can regularly attend  weekly teacher meetings regarding behaviour so that I increase my knowledge. It can also help by simply talking to people and questioning them about their knowledge. For example, today I discussed with a teacher who is trained in Dance about potentially putting together some shows combining Drama and Dance. Communication is key and sometimes face to face can be just as beneficial.

First Campus Session at Hendon Campus, Middlesex University 10th April 2017

When I first arrived at Middlesex University's Hendon campus, I was super excited! It was the first time I had visited the campus since beginning the BAPP course and was instantly blown away by the building, both inside and outside. The striking red, the clock tower, the open space for students to unwind and study were all so incredibly appealing and I couldn't wait to get discussing the main theme of the day; Acting and Writing!

I met Paula and the other students at reception, commenting on how different people appeared compared to their online pictures, which also made me reflect on the online network that is at the heart of the course. Seeing someone with your own eyes can  be a completely different image to a picture you have in your head from engaging online!


We first began our session by reflecting on different forms of writing in order to get us prepared to think about our Critical Reflection and how to assess our learning as a result of theorist studies and practical experiences. This was useful, because we looked at the styles of writing and discussed how we preferred to read set information. We were all instantly attracted to the report style, because it was structured nicely in paragraphs and had the balance between writing and pictures to support the writing. 

Middlesex University, Hendon Campus facing Reception

We then looked at Stella Cottrell's Critical Thinking Skills and looked at how a preposition or a statement could be structured in a way with other prepositions to form an argument with an introduction and conclusion that can make up that of an essay structure that has a point to make, using prepostions as a lead up to draw to a conclusion.

We then went to the campus library to have a talk about library resources, which was incredibly helpful. We looked at the various ways to access resources, whether they be online or in the campus library. We were taken through the online Unihub to show us how to access these and found out many useful things such as how to select quotation marks in order to access the way to Harvard reference a particular line from a text and to find how to narrow down a search to simply 'full text online' and read information from the web there and then. 

To recap and understand the different forms of resource finding, we were taken through the task of matching the resource to it's definition and purpose for using that particular resource. Here is a picture of the exercise below. This was in itself a way of recognising the various professional networks we can use in order to benefit out learning.

Resources, examples and definitions 

After this library session, we went back to the meeting room to continue discussing writing and how we would go about our critical reflections. We reflected on what we might want to discuss about our learning and what areas we might want to look at in terms of professional networking. This entire discussion was incredibly helpful, because ideas and experiences of learning were being sparked as a result of what other people were saying! 

We talked about the Acting industry and how networking had impacted our profession and the positives and negatives of this networking among professionals. I thought of many stories where there had been postives and negatives from professional networking and communications which allowed us to think about the ethical values of professional communication. What is right and what is wrong? Are people in the industry really who they say they are? What have we found from having online professional profiles? Is there more good than bad?

The session overall really gave me food for thought. I enjoyed discussing what I had found in my teaching and what I'm discovering since linking my dramatic skills to a new community; a school setting. It was so helpful to simply communicate my thoughts and feelings on my findings and gave many people the opportunity to voice their own opinions on the reasons why I may be finding engaging a class so challenging when not in a drama class setting outside of school.

I am interested to see now how I find the critical reflection and look deeper into the transferring of drama skills through the study of theorists and resources and writing about them in my Critical Reflection.

Module 1 - Task 2D - Inquiry

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

I get incredibly enthusiastic when watching other teachers in the classroom and used to find watching drama school colleagues very exciting, because I was witnessing  their journies of discovery. I now am doing exactly the same with different classrooms and various year year groups and relish the challenge of finding ways in order to engage them in learning through my creative skills. I admire many of my drama teachers throughout the years of my school learning for enstilling that passion for the Arts in me.

What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?

It makes me sad that in the acting industry there can be people who will happily exploit people as a result of their undying love for the arts. I myself have been racially abused whilst working as an acting professional and I therefore become annoyed when people do not respect other artistic members within their communities. I find it unfair that people

What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

I love the constant challenges I am faced with when I have acted and when I am teaching. To control a class or an audience is a powerful skill and one which is benefited incredibly by my knowledge of the arts and how it can help people. I love the excitement when a child speaks or interacts for the first time through drama therapy, whether that be working as a group on tasks or playing with sounds and movements and seeing them truly come alive.

What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire? Who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making now understanding it's interesting or beautiful or has asked the same questions as you?

I don't always feel that I can grasp everyone in my school through the arts, because it just simply isn't their thing. It is often hard that when you feel so passionate about something, you have people who can take drama or leave drama. This just doesn't correlate with me! I feel comfortable when I am interacting with people of a very similar creative mindset. I've established that the reason I find young people harder to reach within a primary school than a theatre school, is because people at a theatre school truly want to be there. They are interested in the Arts.

How do you decide the apporopriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more gernally in society? For example, what level of physical contact would you deem appropriate or not from another professional that you would find unacceptable more generally? Why?

 

Within the school setting, I recently had to give a powerpoint presentation on keeping your hands to yourself and what the appropriate response to physical contact would be within a school setting. I normally thrive from forms of contact with others, because the Acting industry can involve an open body, mind and soul. However, when training at drama school and having lessons in Audition Technique, it soon became clear that there is quite simply a time and a place for forms of physical contact and that you must remember to remain professional and level-headed at all times. This training has given me the knowledge of how to behave appropriately. This is now something I have taken into school with me.

 

My Own personal questions to consider in the future

How is my research into theorists aiding my Professional Practice?

 

Can I relate certain theorists to my Professional Practice?

 

Which theorists present thoughts about teaching drama to children and how drama can benefit young people?

 

Module 1: Task 2C - Reflective Theory

I now see the true relevance between the Recognition of Learning module and how it is helping me progress through module one and the entire BAPP Arts course. When looking at Reader 2, I can see that the same names are appearing! These include Gibbs, Kolb and Honey and Mumford, all practitioners who focus on the process of learning and development.

To remind myself of how these various processes have come into play, I have looked back over what I had written before and now I want to expand on these ideas, looking at similar practitioners to expand my thoughts about learning even more.

Blog Recap

The Recognition of Learning Module: Activity Number One

 Tuesday 20th September

Gibbs' reflection cycle (1998) 

Gibbs' reflection and analysis model is incredibly useful when it comes to structuring a reflection and enables you to not only reflect on what has happened and what you have learned throughout the process, but it also allows you to assess how you may potentially improve for next time if you were to complete the entire process again. I want to look at Gibbs' (1998) Reflective Cycle and use this method in order to create my own reflection of my professional practice as a teacher and director and have a closer look at my process throughout Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

How have things developed since then?

I would say that since this blog, I have developed as a teacher in so many ways and now I focus so much more on the Conclusion and the Action Plan, because I have suddenly found that with teaching, nothing ALWAYS goes to plan!! Because of this, I don't just spend the time planning ahead, but I also spend time reviewing, particular at the end of the day when I come home and ask myself questions such as, 'did that really go as well as I had hoped?' and 'what else do I need to do or make different?' This is quite surprising for me, because I have always been 'in the moment' and focusing on what is going well. Now I find myself not just doing simply that, but also subconciously asking myself, 'how can I be better? What do I need to change?'

Blog Recap

The Recognition of Learning Module: Activity Number Two

Monday 26th September 2016

Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles

There are four types of Learning styles that we can look at in Honey and Mumford's Learning Style descriptions. These are:

Activists

Reflectors

Theorists

Pragmatists




Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd


There's a lot of activist skills I have developed since training at drama school. For example, my Improvisation classes enabled me to get out of my head and live 'in the moment' which is something that has really helped me in my profession since.

Example

When tutoring, there have been many times when I have been given numerous tasks to complete before running workshops and my Creative Wrting classes and as a result I have to learn how to successfully take in information a great deal quicker and run with the current thought and situation. I have found this particularly helpful in terms of working with children, one of the main reasons being that they have a very short attention span so throwing them into a set task straight away has been incredibly useful.

Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd

I did alot of this when I had to direct the children and take notes of what needed to be improved. My note taking and constant looking at script annotation meant that I was able to evaluate choreography and blocking and to keep making decisions. This included any changes that had to be made and by writing everything down, Kayleigh and I could go away and truly reflect on what needed to be improved throughout Joseph.

Example

The most obvious example would be when I used the time to make notes in the last few weeks of rehearsals in order to note down anything that was particularly in need of some improving. I would then take the opportunity to share my notes with the cast and highlight any issues that I felt should be addressed. This was a more thoughtful way of doing things and remembered from my own experience how much noting improvements helped me as a performer, because it allowed me to think about what I was doing and therefore grow.

Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd

I would say that the theorist way of thinking is the way of thinking I relate to the most out of all four learning styles. This is because as a person I love structure and an set objective to work towards which I also incorporate into my acting lessons. I always have an objective and always make sure I write and annotate my scripts, when I worked as an actress and when I've worked as a director on the group's youth productions. I like to use logical and structured thought processes throughout and also like to have in my head exactly what the overall picture and finished model will potentially look like.

Example

A good example of when I put this into practice would be when I developed blocking for the Joseph Production and wrote and annotated my script. I made sure every single line had something interesting happening and the annotations show my need for structure and perfectionism!

Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd

I definitely like to be able to see the relevance of my work in context, espeically when my ideas are put into practice by the children in the rehearsal room. In a rehearsal room it is improtant to explore and put an idea into practice and there were many times where we did that.

Example

Proven techiniques were apparent in Joseph when I used a proven concept already from my pantomime of Beauty and the Beast at drama school. I decided that instead of creating a massive 'story book', we would instead create a massive bible in which the characters were able to pop out and make a grand entrance. The audience as a result would be taken through the biblical story of Joseph that the audience would enjoy and would, as a result, enable the show to open with a bang.

What have I discovered about myself through my learning styles? Which one do I most comply with?

I have learnt that in general I can be a mixture of all of these learning styles at some point in the learning process, however I would say that I am mostly a theorist. But what I have discovered, however, when reflecting on these learning styles is that my actor training has forced me to look at things in various different ways, forcing me to become more of an activist at certain points due to the nature of the situation. Generally, I would say I'm more of a thinker, putting me into more of the reflecting, theoretical category due to my love of structure, my logical note taking and my aim to see the overall image and how to reach that desired image. I've really enjoyed this activity, because it's made me realise that not only do people learn in different ways, but they can also have elements of each of the four types of learning. Depending on the situation, there may be times where we have to be Activists, but there may also be times where we have to be more of a Reflector and this has consequently made me think about the children I teach and that they can work and learn in various different ways, making variety of teaching methods incredibly important. 

How have things developed since then?

Not much has changed in terms of what kind of learner I am, because I think this is all part of our natural make up. However, this is extremely important and relevant now that I am teaching full-time! By having knowledge of the four different type of learners, I am able to assess how best a child will flourish and cooperate with me when they are learning. Just by having an open mind and by delving into the different types of learners I can attempt to make things better for the children that I teach, surely?

Are there any similar theories I've recently discovered that link? 

Howard Gardner

I recently read another student's blog on practitioner Howard Gardner and I instantly became fascinated by this diagram that she shared. This is expanding on the four types of learners and delving deeper into these types of learners. This diagram investigates the theory that we aren't just put into four categories, but that we are also placed under sub-categories as well. There are some things about this diagram that instantly struck me and showed me in picture form things that I had felt for a long time that probably also explains why we choose the professions that we do. For instance, I have always been interested in people and how they operate and because of this I am often very quick to judge someone when first meeting them. I find myself asking subconciously 'what do they want?' I once spoke to my drama school friend, Zara, about how people view things differently. She is a very trusting person because she is naturally so open and often looks for the good in people. However, despite also being a relatively open person myself, (we creatives have to be open after all,) I tend to instantly look for the faults in people! Therefore I would say I am very interpersonal and learn things through interacting with people and assessing their behaviours...hence why I am a trained actress and teacher!

Developing Kolb's Four Point Cycle

Honey and Mumford also take Kolb's ideas, creating four points to match his four stages (below.)

learn.solent.ac.uk

Honey and Mumford developed the four 'stages' into simple bullet points (Honey and Mumford, 1992.) These include:

• Having an experience
• Reviewing the experience
• Concluding from the experience
• Planning the next steps

From the pervious task (Task 2B below) I have discovered that I relate well to bullet points and find it useful how they broke the diagram of Kolb into simple steps that are easy to follow when reflecting.

Jennifer A Moon

In Applying Theory to Policy and practice: Issues for critical reflection, Page 89, Steven R Smith, he uses the quote from Jennifer A Moon which states that reflective practice is "a set of abilities and skills, to indicate the taking of a critical stance, an orientation to problem solving or state of mind." 1999, page 63, RoutledgeFalmer.

I could say that this book is research project in itself and research is generally about discovery and not knowing the ansers before on starts."

Page 1, Jennifer A Moon, A Handbook of Reflective and Experimental Learning: Theory and Practice, 2004 edition, RoutledgerFalmer

Page 12, A Handbook of Reflective and Experimental Learning: Theory and Practice, 2004 edition, RoutledgerFalmer

  Reading this made me understand so much about the difference between teaching and learning and that they are two separate things. Today I had children do a mathematical crossword in which they solved the sum then wrote the number as a word in the crossword. Some struggled with this so I showed them how to do it. They then had a go themselves as I took them through it step by step letting them do it themselves. One child said, ‘oh, I get it.’ This shows that explaining is not everything, sometimes you have to do. I had the same with column addition today and got the children to physically cover up each column of tens, hundreds and units so they could take each number at a time and follow the same process every time. This really helped. Independent learning is therefore key.

Schön's model (Explanation provided by Solent Online Learning)

http://learn.solent.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=2732&chapterid=1113

Schön (1991) presented the concept of 'reflection in action' and 'reflection on action':

Reflection in action	Reflection on action
Experiencing Thinking on your feet Thinking about what to do next Acting straight away	Thinking about something that has happened Thinking what you would do differently next time Taking your time

Schön's theory is that there are two types of reflection, one during and one after an activity or event.

Example of using Schön's model

Reflection in action

• You are in a lecture and keep being distracted by thinking about what to have for lunch!
• You want to get the most from the lecture so need to find a way to help you focus.
• You decide to start making some notes of the key points.

Reflection on action

• You notice that sometimes after a lecture you can’t remember what was covered.
• You find out about the lecture topic in advance and write down some questions you want answered.
• You make notes during the lecture to help you focus.
• You arrange to go for a coffee after the lecture and talk with your peers about what was presented, to help you understand and form your own opinions.
• You file your lecture notes and any handouts.

You can put these models into practice through your reflective writing.

I often use a Reflection in Action when I am teaching and was always undertaking this theory whilst at drama school. Performing means simply 'being in the moment' which means subconciously assessing how an audience may be perceiving your performance. I now do the same with teaching when I try a particular method and it doesn't work - I note it down and quickly attempt something else. This is where my improvisation skills come into play and are really made of good use.

Module 1: Task 2B - Journal Writing Experience

I decided to try various ways of writing or rewriting my journal, in order to find brand new ways of reflecting on my learning and development. I therefore decided to take four different ways and experiment with each in order to see how I could track my process and find other ways of articulating my thoughts on the creative and teaching process. Trying different methods of reflection is something I hadn't considered until I had undertaken the Recognition of Learning module (as seen from my previous blogs) and since then I have become alot more open to trying different forms of reflection.

 

List

 

 

This is the way of reflecting that I preferred out of every form of reflection I tried and I think this is because I like to see things in a very structured format in my head. I like to take things step by step and by making a bullet pointed list, I could as a result expand on those clear and concise points and picture every step in my head. I normally like to write in bullet point form, mainly because you can really get down exactly what you truly want to say. To note things down, rather than dwell on them too much. I really like to be specific.

 

 

 Evaluation

 

  This way of writing is the standard way of reflection and one of my favourite ways to write, because it's free flowing and gets every single thought down on paper. I not only get to list everything that's happened, but I also get to really reflecting on every aspect. To me this is the next stage up from lists and bullet points, expanding your thoughts and making sense of them much more. This is more about adding the detail. I find that this particular way of writing tends to really flow and is much more conversational. To me, you can hear my voice when reading it, as it is a stream of the subconcious.

 

 Diagram

 

 

 

This was a useful method in terms of noting down the structure of the day, however I really didn't feel that this method was of much help to me. In my opinion this is the perfect way to map out structure BEFORE, but I'm not sure it always works for reflecting AFTER. I didn't feel that I could elaborate on my thoughts despite mapping out exactly what happened. For me, I need more substance and detail so that I truly understand exactly what I felt and when. I think that if I undertook this exercise again, I would be more inclined to draw arrows off of those initial events to show the thought expansion and make my reflection more detailed overall.

 

 

 Another View

 

 

 

This way of reflecting was the way that made me think that most, because through someone else's eyes I was able to assess how they truly felt about the experience. I decided to use this method for reflecting on the Drama Workshop, because I really wanted to see into the mind of someone who would find performing and integrating into a group quite difficult and therefore fugure out what worked so that I could keep tailoring my teaching to people of all abilities. I noticed that this particular girl was finding things quite overwhelming, but I wanted to try to see things from her perspective, because I saw that there was a big success for her from the lesson I taught. When i first met her, it was in a classroom and she was unable to control her emotions and her body. However, after taking part in my workshop, she was calm, smiling, happy and interacting with people in a peaceful way. It was like a therapy for her. Being a teacher means seeing things from a child's perspective and trying to understand them and their needs and by doing this exercise i was truly able to empathise. I orignally found this way of relfecting a little bizarre, but i've now realised that it's the perfect way for a trained actor to reflect...because my expertise is trying to understand how other people feel and think! Therefore, this was incredibly useful and is a method that truly surprised me.

Module 1 - Task 2A: Reflective Journal

I have really enjoyed the process of writing down my thoughts and feelings on my professional work and this task couldn't have come at a better time. This is because at the same time as starting module one, I am also starting a new permanent position as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant within a Primary School and have been writing a journal on my experiences since starting at the school. This will be so, so helpful to keep a record of, as I plan to become a teacher and can use this to truly look back on my development and see how I use my skills in professional Acting to progress and grow.

In my journal, I am not only writing down the ways in which my skills are helping me each day, but I am also acknowledging the Art of Teaching itself. Since starting at the school I have found things incredibly challenging, because there are many children at this school with various complicated backgrounds. There are children who behave aggressively or have little interest in education and I can't help but feel that it is my duty and inner gut instinct to turn this school round for the positive and believe wholeheartedly that I can use my skills as a performer in order to do this. This is why it is so important to keep track of every improvement I make and every challenge I face and most importantly...

LEARN from it.

“The teacher must be an actor, an artist, passionately in love with his work.”
― Anton Chekhov