Changing Ways

It is really quite astonishing to see how much my research project has already influenced my professional practice. I have seemingly picked up these tried and tested ways to use teaching and choreography skills and applied them to my work.

I've noticed how I am now demonstrating what I want rather than constantly breaking it down. This helps the students and children to see what the choreography is supposed to look like. Also I am using filming to help improve my work, in terms of creating and remembering a dance as occasionally I have a lot to remember. Writing it down takes time, filming seems far more efficient. The senior girls have been filmed so they may watch themselves and see where they are not together in time. I have also appeared more confident with creating movements with the dancers if necessary, rather than beforehand. For example, I was teaching in another school today, the class got further than I had expected with a piece of jazz choreography for a show. So I used my initiative and continued the dance and noticed what looked good. Before, I was not very confident with this skill as I felt under pressure, but today we achieved quite a lot and the school Principal turned up and really loved the dance so far, so much that she would like to use it in a public show coming up! Good news!

Main Project Findings

Through my exploration of approaches in teaching/learning dance choreography I found:

1. The "order a dance is taught" showed contradictory survey results on professional dancers. During the experiment, students struggled to remember each section.

2. Imagery and improvisation showed diverse responses from professionals, yet literature supported the idea of imagery to be beneficial. The more experienced students enjoyed the improvisation but felt practise was needed.

3. Counts were mostly rated "extremely important". Some students struggled without counts, whereas others didn't notice.

The main benefit was to incorporate improvisation into my teaching to develop the students into more rounded, intelligent dancers.

September 26th Permission Slips

So the letters have been handed out to my students. They have a deadline of 19th October to return the form giving three weeks to think about the decision to take part in the project or not. Several were confused about the importance of needing three weeks to state they would like to be apart of it as to them the project didn't seem a big deal. I advised them it would be best to take time to consider the elements involved, such as filming.

Hopefully, I will have enough students with permission to take part. This will be an enjoyable part of my project, doing what I love.

The Project Module Begins

Starting off........

A quotation from my Project Proposal explaining my project to refresh my intentions during this module;

My research project will be looking into the study of teaching choreography efficiently. I will be specifically working with a group of young amateur dance students, with the ultimate aim of creating a dance that looks presentable and professional as possible......I shall focus my research on a dance class whom I currently teach at The YEM Theatre School based in Hampshire. I have been a teacher with the school for six years and presently teach drama, street jazz, tap and ballet. In this research I will primarily be working with my senior street-jazz dancers. At the time of my research taking place; the school will have just finished their biennial show and be starting a new term of work.

So with the show over, the project will be the perfect element to get the students back into training. The project will give them something new to focus on with the outlook of improving their dance abilities.

The Project Module
Learning Outcomes
This module will involve "planning and developing" "implementing and delivering" and finally "monitoring and evaluating".

A work-based project usually involves the same factors, including:

• role/impact of the worker-researcher = This project involves teaching a class and choreographying in order to gain data.
  
• organisational context = set up of the class involved and class plans plus other methods of data collection i.e. a survey of professional dancers


• aspects of change = the class format may alter accordingly and elements connected with the set experiment


• self-managed with advisor/principal support = organised but overseen by the university and manager of the school
  
• specific knowledge base = teaching skills and choreographic skills


• collaboration = with staff and students


• ethics = permission for filming, disposal of video content after analysis is complete


• methods = quasi-experiment and survey of professional dancers


• end product = to have found the best method of teaching choreography, improving teaching methods, raised an awareness of learning


• personal learning = individual levels of class members and how they learn, my own teaching/choreography abilities


• university requirements = education related and beneficial to areas of teaching, learning, education and choreography

22nd September Back To Work

So back to work.......over Summer I was able to do some further research and reading towards my various subjects. I am unable to start the main bulk of my project until after the school has their show, which is mid October. I am itching to get the experiment part finished.

I had a set back concerning permission from the students and parents involved with the experiment, which was that the school's Principal advised not to give out letters explaining the project until the new term (in my project proposal I had scheduled giving them out at the end of last term to give a full Summer to think it over). Of course I have followed this instruction as my study is being supervised by the Principal of the school and my advisor. So letters have been written up and will be handed out this Sunday in class giving potential participants three weeks to consider the project and what it entails.

I have given a draft copy of the letter to the school's principal to be overseen and any alterations she suggests to be changed will be ready for Sunday.

Surveys have been started but I want to make sure they are accurate without flaws before they are sent out to individuals. I am looking forward to the results.

I am disappointed that I couldn't attend the first campus session, nor Peter's extra one due to work commitments and now Peter is away I hope if I have any problems I can ask an advisor or peer. I am hoping to get into the swing of all this work easily, but this term is already a busy one so far and looks to stay that way.

Learning Diary Four Wednesday 21st April

An extremely useful campus session yesterday. Being able to discuss freely with your peers and tutors really helped me understand the areas I was stuck on. I would like to thank Sophie Gilbert for explaining some of the proposal points to me and I would like to also thank Peter for clarifying those points as well as clearly explaining my idea in another light.

I keep seeing on the advisor blogs and campus session slide shows about "not being too vague" with your idea. No one wants you to save the world with your research as you are likely to take a lifetime trying to. I always seem to think "yes that's so obvious, I'm not with my project; I'm being reasonable" but really I wasn't. I now know how I can specify my research even further thanks to Peter.

I am looking at "the best methods of teaching my choreography to female street-jazz students aged 14 to 20", which has been narrowed down from "best methods of teaching choreography". What I hadn't considered and even since sending in my proposal draft, was what determines these "best methods"?

How do you measure this?

What specifically do I want to look at?

So since this light bulb realisation I have decided on "accuracy". The accuracy of my dancers performing a choreography will be measured and experimented with. I will determine an average first and see if this is improved by changing my teaching methods. Looking back at my previous notes, accuracy was one area I wanted to look into.

I am quite excited about starting this experiment.

The methods will be developed from the survey I carry out on professional dancers, and from their experience try to create some new and varied ways of teaching a choreography to the group.

Lots will need to be done in terms of ethics for filming these classes during the experiment, but I'm looking forward to preparing it over the Summer.

Learning Diary One Wednesday 17th February

A whole new module begins. Choosing my project should be the fun part, but after talking to a friend at another university, she explained how she loved her topic at the start too, now love has been replaced with loathing.....

So after the campus session on 16th February not long after my Birthday, I was pretty clued up on where to begin. This session was extremely helpful. My Bell book arrived and I was able to start reading up on all the different theories and research methods. I was told that "Doing your Research Project" was an easy read and once I started to get my head around the idea it was.

I think I will begin my planning on reflecting upon the work already published on my blog and see what I enjoy in my professional practice. I will also note what I have access to currently in terms of work and who/what companies I can work with at this moment in time.

I already have many projects, which are about to embark in my career right now, but I am uncertain where I may be by the time this project needs to take place. Hopefully, my situation will remain steady and similar to now. Much work and research needs to be done, so I'd better start now!