Module 2: Task 5a

Ethical Considerations:

Teaching Assistant within an SEN school:

• Know school's policies/procedures in regards to safeguarding and health and safety.
• Provide an current DBS (formerly CRB) annually.
• Provide accurate details of incidents as and when required (instanced involving restraining etc)
• Discuss children only when in appropriate situations such as meetings and reviews and only with the appropriate people (do not have a gossip about what child A did to child B during staff lunch break!)
• Do not take photographs of children on personal devices (cameras, phones, tablets etc). 

Within my role as a TA I am simply responsible for adhering to the ethical practices set out by the leadership team and reading/understanding then implementing updated policies as and when necessary.  

Dance Teacher:

Legal requirements (to the best of my knowledge) - 

• Holding a current DBS check (see above)
• Holding a current first aid certificate (when there are no other first aiders present)
• Safeguarding - writing (using government legislation) and implementing safeguarding policies.  Covers issues such as, but not limited to, child abuse and bullying.
• Understanding and adhering to legislation on data protection issues
• Implementing effective health & safety strategies on a daily basis (risk assessments etc)
• Carrying valid and adequate level public liability insurance
• Keeping up to date records of medical issues surrounding the children I teach and having the correct emergency medicine i.e. Epipen (kept securely locked away as per health and safety policy) and emergency contact details of parents/guardians.
• Having a working phone in case of emergency.
• Being aware of licensing/copyright laws for music in shows
• Being aware of child performer legislation and chaperoning laws for shows.
• Ensure I have permission slips BEFORE any trips/videography/photography signed by a parent/guardian.  This also includes using photographs/video material in marketing.
• Taking responsibility for my own business management (paying correct tax etc) as a self employed teacher. 

Other ethical practices I implement on top of the afore mentioned legal requirements:

• Never be alone with a child in a room (if only one child arrives for class, I always invite the parent in to watch)
• Avoid teaching in a door with no windows and if I do have to occasionally, I always open the door so parents can see in. 
• I always aim to know the religious background of a child so I am aware of their beliefs.
• Keep my syllabus knowledge up to date and uphold good standards of teaching practice.
• Be a good role model and mentor.  
• Advising children of all the options and not just the one I find to be the most suitable (career advice etc).
• Listening to the children's need and expectations and aiming to fulfil these where possible.
• Breed inspiration and a love of the arts, just as my teachers did for me.

Within my role as a dance teacher I am responsible for all of the ethical practices, which makes dance teaching a lot more than just teaching dance! 

Image Source:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/287948969899855913/

Module 2: Task 4a (Part B) - List of Questions

What is your inquiry question(s)?  What do you think you want to find out about a particular topic?

I have been wracking my brain since I learnt (way back whilst I was completing the RoL module) that during module 3, I will have to propose and then investigate a line of inquiry.  However the constant during this time has been knowing that there are two possible directions in which I want to take my career upon completion of this course, both of which result in me teaching.

Option 1 - Secondary Performing Arts Teacher

Option 2 - SEN Teacher

In order for me to follow either of these routes (and be able to work within the state school system, as opposed to the independent sector), I must not only have a degree qualification, but also then complete a teacher training course (PGCE/SCITT) in order to gain QTS (Qualified Teacher Status).  There are limited places available on these courses (the only two establishments offering PGCE dance for example are Brighton University and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD)) and as such I must not only gain a degree level qualification, but it is also crucial that the award title is RELEVANT to performing arts.

I also want my line of inquiry to be current.  I follow the TES (Times Educational Supplement) google page and a question that re-occurs frequently, especially when governments change and new budgets are proposed, is whether to scrap Performing Arts subjects within the curriculum.  As a performing arts teacher, I feel that such a notion is absurd, however I am now questioning whether this is my head thinking of my heart leading me to draw such conclusions.

Drawing on this government issue and keeping in mind the path in which I wish follow upon completion of the BAPP my inquiry question is:

"Is there a core educational need for Performing Arts based subjects within the National Curriculum framework?"

From this title there are hundreds of avenues  to explore:

Questions:

Does performing arts impact/enrich a child's overall education?  If so, how?

Performing arts and behaviour management…

Performing arts and SEN…

Is performing arts irrelevant as it is not viewed as a fundamental academic skill (such as literacy/numeracy)?

What impact does performing arts have on future society and does this change when performing arts is not in the curriculum?

Performing Arts beginners vs. gifted and talented children.  Is the impact the same?  How does it differ?

Which, if any, transferable life skills/knowledge does performing arts educate young learners in?

Do children need to have a passion for performing arts in order to learn from it?

Does performing arts have a place within the curriculum?  

Using my professional network and places of work, I already have a varied research group in mind, ranging from fellow teachers/leaders, examiners, children's parents, head teachers, leaders of different key stages, peers, children, and friends who are not working within the performing arts.  I feel such a range of people will give me ethical and unbiased research and the ability to explore deeper avenues within my inquiry title before linking them together within my final essay.

Module 2: Task 4 (Part A)

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

Peter Senge's theories of learning helped me to consider how to begin thinking about this module and where to begin as before reading these ideas, I was completely stumped.  The line of inquiry that I am interested in (at this stage) is along the lines of 'How performing arts can enrich the curriculum' and looking back at module one, I feel I have good connections and prior knowledge in which to root research for this inquiry title.  

Considering how to explore this research using models of thinking as illustrated by Senge, I intend take his idea of 'team learning' (see quote 1. below), using my professional network as a source of information for research.  I am also aware that there are several others on the BAPP course interested in exploring other lines of inquiry related to teaching.  

1. Peter Senge on 'team learning' model:

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)

For my own research purposes the team learning model in action will hopefully open up new perspectives on my line of inquiry and help me further develop my initial thinking and exploration.

Other ideas from Senge that I intent to use in understanding my line of inquiry are the different types of leaders; Leader as designer, leader as steward and leader as teacher.  As already acknowledged, a lot of my learning will hopefully come from lecturers/teachers, professionals, and peers which correlates with the 'leader as teacher' model.  Relevant literature will also play a vital role as well as stories/shared experiences - 'leader as steward'.  I have also always found that the best way to learn is through teaching, so I will in part become my own 'leader as designer' as I will be designing/developing my own ideas and sharing (teaching) these within my professional network.   

Along with the reader information, I also 'google' searched 'Peter Senge' quotes as I often find trying to pluck the relevant ideas/theories from a huge chunk of text quite over whelming.   This led me to find this quote:

Image source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/405112928951114235/

I feel that throughout my upcoming inquiry research this will be a quote to live by, especially when I cannot seem to 'find' the 'right' answers.  

Double Loop Learning:

Image Source: http://www.afs.org/blog/icl/?p=2653

I found the 'double loop learning' concept (Argyris and Schon) interesting to read and it gave me some further ideas on how to develop my inquiry research.  I had initially thought of asking specific questions to individuals and recording their responses to these same questions.  Taking the double loop learning theory, if I find I am not achieving useful information through questioning, perhaps it would not necessarily be that I need to change the questions, but rather that I need to look to a different audience.  For example, if I were considering the use of performing arts in the SEN curriculum and my questions directed towards teachers, professionals and peers were leading me in circles, perhaps I would be able to arrange a performing arts workshop session with SEN leaners that either myself or another professional artiste leads and also take in some professionals to observe the class.  From this I could record first hand the results of performing arts within an SEN setting and compare this with the recorded first hand observations from the professionals of the same class. 

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

Looking at my current work situation (working in varying capacities for six different companies), I feel the answer depends on the day of the week!  

My role as an ISTD teacher is inter disciplinary as I work as a tap and modern dance teacher/choreographer/exam co-ordinator/director/parent liaison/head of department.  This skill set is amplified when I consider my own dance school, as not only am I responsible for the above, but also and not limited to, hall hire/marketing/accountancy/insurance/uniform orders/day to day running of the school.   

When working as a one to one teaching assistant within an SEN school, my role is more transdisciplinary as I rely heavily on my skills as a teacher whilst also taking responsibility for behaviour management and the individuals safety.  If there is an incident with behaviour, not only do I have to know the processes to deal with the individual 'in the moment', fill out relevant incident forms and inform those who are required to know, but also I then have to use this situation as a way of learning through reflection, how to try and avoid the same situation reoccurring in the future.  

What do you know?  How do you know it?

In some contexts I have a far greater knowledge than others and I think this is true of probably of the entire human population.  For example I know a great deal about performing and teaching including the theories, techniques and practices involved.  However, ask me anything about football and I am at a loss.  My boyfriend on the other hand is the complete opposite!

Reading through some other peers blogs, I do like the way in which Sinead approaches this question as a tool for where she learns from as opposed to considering what she already knows…

http://sineadtalks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/task-4a-reader-questions-continued.html

…and I feel this list will help me with ideas of places to turn for research when planning my inquiry.  

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

Knowing that I want to go into either mainstream secondary performing arts teaching or SEN teaching, means that I will need to have attained a higher level of maths (a GCSE grade C or above) than I currently have.  Although this is a specific qualification, it is my skill and knowledge in mathematics that needs to improve in order to attain this grade when I sit the examination in June this year.  

Other skills that I will need to develop are the techniques to create written lesson plans as opposed to just notes and mental lesson plans.  

Although I would say I have good time management skills, my work load will increase ten fold when I go into my new career and and such I will have to develop two skills that I have not perfected as yet - delegation, and work/life balance.  

Along with the work/life balance ideal, I feel I need to find a solution to this sooner rather than later as I do have trouble 'switching off' and often find it difficult to sleep knowing that there is work I could be doing.  I have some friends who swim often so I am hoping to join them for early morning/late night sessions in the coming weeks to see if this aids this problem, as I am aware that this could develop negatively causing fatigue amongst other problems, which I simply do not have time for! 

Image Source: http://www.work-life-flexibility.de

Submission time!!!

I am writing this blog after just moments after submitting my first marked piece of BAPP work, which was nerve wracking to say the least.  Whilst submitting I was definitely drawing on my personal support network as I actually had to ask my boyfriend to press the submit tab on the screen because I was simply too nervous! 

This also made me reflect on how much I now question and relate back to the theories and ideas proposed in the module during my every day life (for example the support networks as mentioned above) and actively seek out ways to use them.  For example, whilst writing my critical reflection, I realised that I reflect best and therefore learn the most when I am actively engaged with critique from peers and advisors (professional support network).  Knowing this, I suggested to a fellow student on my course (Sinead) that we email each other drafts as we prepare our critical reflection essays, which luckily, she also felt would be highly beneficial to us both.  Although we had different approaches to our essays, by reading and offering ideas for improvement on each others work, we often had moments of realisation about how to improve our own essays and were able to improve our content.

So, getting back to the point of this blog, having now submitted my work, I feel a sense of relief but also feel slightly nervous and I would really like to know my grade right now (I'm not a very patient person - note to self, maybe this could be a New Year's Resolution??)!

Anyway, for now I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope to start module two work in the next week or two, to hopefully get a head start on things this time!

Until next time…That's all folks!