Summary of My Professional Inquiry

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

For my inquiry I looked at using the Internet, You tube, video feedback of students own work, power point, DVD clips and Cinema. I strived to discover the effectiveness of using technology and media in the dance and education sectors.

Reading literature brought new ideas to my attention about how technology can be used effectively in dance training. I managed to find some good evidence to support my arguments for my inquiry. For example I observed a dancers working day at the Royal academy of dance that they had posted on YouTube. (See RAD link). This gave me the idea to post my own students work onto the schools website (under the secure learning section). Students can then observe and evaluate their own performance, catch up on work missed and self-reflect to make further improvement to their own work.

I completed two surveys, a student survey and an on-line survey for other professionals to take. On-line survey - Results from this survey showed 95.7 % of people (twenty two out of twenty three people) believe that media can distribute dance to a wider audience. Such media could include cinema, the worldwide web and dance films. The same number (twenty two people) agreed that showing students a DVD clip of professional dance work would be beneficial to their learning. A large percentage of nineteen out of twenty three people (82.6 %) also think that video feedback can benefit the training of students in a dance class.  

As predicted technology tools can help support teaching and learning in dance, when used appropriately. Showing a DVD clip was a good use of time management as my students could observe and analyse professional dance works promptly. Through use of video feedback they had greater opportunities to improve their dance work. Every student could recognise their own strengths and weaknesses from the video footage of their own performances. From this, they were then able to set individual targets for each individual pupil to achieve in the lesson.

From my inquiry findings I have decided to devise a scheme of work for my sixth form groups called “Creating a pop video”. I have chosen to use a Power point for my Artefact as I can add links to ‘You tube’ clips, add photos of my dance students and upload video footage of their dance performance, to clearly show my target audience examples of how technology can support dance learning. This style of Artefact will be suitable for my target audience and to benefit my students and other teachers at my institution. Also it can be distributed to a wider audience through the Internet, being loaded onto my SIG groups and social networking sites to share among a broader audience of professionals.

I took on this inquiry, as it will encourage me to continue to use the technology tools, which I find most successful within my own practice, securing greater student progress and increasing student’s grades within my workplace. I will be using evidence for the positive outcomes of using technology in class to request new resources to be purchased for my dance studio at work.

Artefact Workshop Intervention

Artefact Interview

The end of the road!

Sadly, it is the end of the road having worked hard to complete module 3. It has been an intense 18 months. I have enjoyed it and I have felt moments of stress! I have learnt and I have grown! Thank you to everyone for the continuous support, especially Paula Nottingham - you are a wonderful tutor - always giving your time when needed, it really has been appreciated!

Oral Presentation

Finally, Module 3 completed after many days, weeks, months of hard work. Feeling pleased, relieved and sadly slightly deflated. Looking forward to the forth coming oral presentations and hearing about the findings of others professional practise. Hope to see you there!

Gemma

Critical Reflection

Critical Reflection

Having completed the BAPP course I have acquired new knowledge and understanding about myself. I have realised that I am keen on self-reflecting on my own practises in order to strive to further improve my teaching and my students learning. I know more about using technology in the classroom/studio, which technologies work better to assist particular learning objectives and also that some students learn better using different strategies, visual, kinaesthetic, audio etc. Therefore it is more important to know your students, to understand their individual learning needs and to plan for differentiation. I would like to look further into Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences to evaluate other teaching methods. I found my blogs to be a helpful way to voice ideas (however sometimes disappointed with the lack of response I received on some topics).

http://gemmawrightpress.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2013-03-29T11:34:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=3&by-date=false

Wright, G (2013)

Reading literature brought new ideas to my attention. I managed to find some good evidence to support my arguments for my inquiry. For example I observed a dancers working day at the Royal academy of dance which they had posted on YouTube, giving me the idea to post students work onto the schools website (under the secure learning section). Students can observe and evaluate their own performance, catch up on work missed and self-reflect to make further improvement to their own work.

http://www.youtube.com/course?list=EC0A01774B446FB18E

From exploring different ideas I have gained a greater understanding to implement my skills to the beneficiary of the pupils that I teach. My inquiry has also changed my view of teaching dance in schools. An important part of teaching dance in a school is to differentiate tasks to suit individuals learning needs. The lessons are often formed of mixed ability students from versatile backgrounds. Technology has enabled me to make dance more appealing to those students who struggle with the subject by engaging students through visual aids, increase student progress in terms using video feedback prior to assessment, helping to maintain their interest using the internet for research material and offers an alternative option of cameraman, director, choreographer roles.

Unfortunately, while away on maternity leave my current employer decided to remove dance from the timetable due to lack of funding. The head teacher has not realised the true value of the creative arts for the development of its students. I am being made redundant and feel saddened after all of my efforts that my organisation will not benefit from my inquiry findings as much as I had hoped for. However the inquiry has helped me to develop my own teaching practise to become a stronger teacher. I will continue to use appropriate technology tools in future to aid support student progress.

While doing the work on module 3 I have continued to take a professional approach to using networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and my LinkedIn account (which has now become my CV in my search for a new career opportunity).

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=213481081&trk=hb_tab_pro_top

The course also encouraged me to engage in discussions in My SIG groups, which were interesting and useful. People commented and shared ideas regularly.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/499154283474027/530543520335103/?notif_t=group_activity

I have learnt about the importance of ethical issues surrounding my teaching practise. I worked with my sixth form students for my Inquiry so did not need parental permission just a signed disclaimer from each participant. I do however work with children on a daily basis so must keep up to date with Ethics and this will now be a consideration when planning and delivering my lessons.

I have chosen to use a Power point for my Artefact as I can add links to ‘You tube’ clips, add photos of my dance students and upload video footage of their dance performance, to clearly show my target audience examples of how technology can support dance learning. This style of Artefact will be suitable for my target audience and to benefit my new institution. Also it can be distributed to a wider audience through the Internet being loaded onto my SIG groups and social networking sites to share among a broader audience of professionals.

An example of how media promotes dance work.

Another example of how media can share dance work to a wider audience.

Here is my link to 'Flickr" to view recent photos/video see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79321269@N06/

Technology in dance / PE Interview (Lee Webb)

Lessons learnt

Critical Reflection

Having completed the BAPP course I have acquired new knowledge and understanding about myself. I have realised that I am keen on self-reflecting on my own practises in order to strive to further improve my teaching and my students learning. I know more about using technology in the classroom/studio, which technologies work better to assist particular learning objectives and also that some students learn better using different strategies, visual, kinaesthetic, audio etc. Therefore it is more important to know your students, to understand their individual learning needs and to plan for differentiation. I would like to look further into Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences to evaluate other teaching methods. I found my blogs to be a helpful way to voice ideas (however sometimes disappointed with the lack of response I received on some topics).

http://gemmawrightpress.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2013-03-29T11:34:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=3&by-date=false

Wright, G (2013)

Reading literature brought new ideas to my attention. I managed to find some good evidence to support my arguments for my inquiry. For example I observed a dancers working day at the Royal academy of dance which they had posted on YouTube, giving me the idea to post students work onto the schools website (under the secure learning section). Students can observe and evaluate their own performance, catch up on work missed and self-reflect to make further improvement to their own work.

http://www.youtube.com/course?list=EC0A01774B446FB18E

From exploring different ideas I have gained a greater understanding to implement my skills to the beneficiary of the pupils that I teach. My inquiry has also changed my view of teaching dance in schools. An important part of teaching dance in a school is to differentiate tasks to suit individuals learning needs. The lessons are often formed of mixed ability students from versatile backgrounds. Technology has enabled me to make dance more appealing to those students who struggle with the subject by engaging students through visual aids, increase student progress in terms using video feedback prior to assessment, helping to maintain their interest using the internet for research material and offers an alternative option of cameraman, director, choreographer roles.

Unfortunately, while away on maternity leave my current employer decided to remove dance from the timetable due to lack of funding. The head teacher has not realised the true value of the creative arts for the development of its students. I am being made redundant and feel saddened after all of my efforts that my organisation will not benefit from my inquiry findings as much as I had hoped for. However the inquiry has helped me to develop my own teaching practise to become a stronger teacher. I will continue to use appropriate ICT tools in future to aid support student progress.

While doing the work on module 3 I have continued to take a professional approach to using networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and my LinkedIn account (which has now become my CV in my search for a new career opportunity).

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=213481081&trk=hb_tab_pro_top

The course also encouraged me to engage in discussions in My SIG groups, which were interesting and useful. People commented and shared ideas regularly.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/499154283474027/530543520335103/?notif_t=group_activity

I have learnt about the importance of ethical issues surrounding my teaching practise. I worked with my sixth form students for my Inquiry so did not need parental permission, just a signed disclaimer from each participant. I do however work with children on a daily basis so must keep up to date with Ethics and this will now be considered when planning and delivering lessons.

I have chosen to use a power point for my Artefact, as I can add links to you tube clips, add photos of my dance students and upload video footage of their dance assessment/performance to clearly show my target audience examples of how technology can support dance learning. This style of Artefact will be suitable for my target audience to benefit my new institution. Also it can be distributed to a wider audience through the Internet, loaded onto my SIG groups and social networking sites to share among a broader audience of professionals.

Analysis - too many appendix?

So I have decided that my analysis needs further analysis. However, I have used a lot of the data gathering tools, such as interview, literature, observation, survey and workshop. My most difficult task is now to ensure that my word count does not exceed 2,500 words. Also I have a lot of appendix pieces for this section so not entirely sure if this then becomes confusing for the reader? I have filed my appendix into folders. Should there be a limit to how many you use? Has anyone else experienced a similar problem and can advise? Thank you. I hope everyone is busy working on completing their inquiry and I look forward to seeing some Artefacts in June. Good Luck!

Student Self Evaluation of Dance Workshop

Dance Workshop

DVD Clip of Professional Dance Works

Stomp the Yard Final Battle Clip on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLduQWn4Ea4

LESSON PLANNING FORM

Teacher:    GEW	Subject: Dance Workshop	Class/Band:  13Y
Date: TBC	No. of Boys:  6	No. of Girls:  7
No. SEN:          0	No. of G & T: 2	Range of Attainment: A-C

Class background: AEN, G&T, range of prior attainment, class rotation etc. Students are timetabled for Dance five times over a two weekly timetable with HS while GEW is on maternity leave. There is a mix of ability within the class with some students showing a strong ability within the group. Students have learnt about health and safety in dance, warm up and stretching and basic dance technique. This term they are exploring the Jazz Dance Unit (theme of street dance). Studying Dance Appreciation through using professional dance works such as Step up/Street dance 3, Dance Battle scenes. This is week 3 the 6 week scheme of work lesson Scheme of Work and each student’s progress will be assessed. To ensure inclusive learning a number of teaching tools will be used, including technology (DVD clips for visual observation, Discussion, peer assessment and video feedback for self reflection/evaluation). Practical tasks are also differentiated through outcome with mixed ability groupings (with gifted and talented dance students for additional support).

Lesson background: context, topic, and progression.  Learning styles, Key Skills, home study linked to this lesson or previous / later lesson. Over the term students have developed a basic understanding of what a dance battle is, and will observe some professional dance works (DVD clips as stimuli for movement ideas/style). Students have been consolidating street dance steps, learnt some new dance steps and gained knowledge of key words, demonstrating how to use these at least three different choreographic devises. All students will work in groups to create a routine. Most students will perform their group routine in a dance battle competition against another group. Some students will show high technical dance ability in their own performance. The dance battle will be filmed for reflection purposes (video feedback) and students will self evaluate their own performances. Learning aim/learning question How can I improve my group routine in order to achieve a higher grade in an assessment? Key Words: Group work / Solo Skills Self Reflection (identify own strengths and weaknesses) Target setting (Set areas for improvement)

Phase – a lesson could go through these phases more than once during an hour. Each phase has a series of prompts to aid planning.			Learning Activities with time line & resources Remember to plan for: PACE CHALLENGE ASSESSMENT
Phase 1 – LESSON START Link lesson to previous learning Provide overview Describe outcomes Introduce key learning aim/s Stimulate curiosity			Starter Activity 5-10 mins: Students to stand in a space in the studio in neutral position ready learn a short street dance warm up sequence GEW to demonstrate. Differentiation: G+T students (Jess and Taylor-Ann) at front of class to lead. GEW to choose individual students (Kane and James) to demonstrate/add a solo skill movement at the end of the routine.
Phase 2 – PROCESS / LEARNING Students make sense of the information through: Activities to develop understanding Opportunities to process information in preferred style – (visual / kinaesthetic)			Main Activity Using Technology (DVD clip) 5 Mins: Students to sit in front of the television ready to observe a DVD clip of a Street dance battle (Stomp the Yard). Students to observe dance clip. Students will be asked to select the most appropriate movement skills for class discussion. (if time permits complete word cards?)
Phase 3 - PROCESS / LEARNING Students demonstrate understanding of learning aim Activities to develop understanding Opportunities to process information in preferred style – VAK. Assessment for learning			Main Activity 10 Mins: Students into mixed ability groups for a Group choreography task. Students are to continue rehearsing the street dance routine but are to add on some additional movements, inspired by the DVD clip observed or from their own knowledge/experience/skills developed.  Creating their dance routine (through structured improvisation). Differentiation: GEW will move between the groups to offer help and support. G+T students as dance captains. Main Activity  Using Technology 5-10 Mins: Students are to sit down, GEW to choose two groups to Perform their routines s a dance battle. Students are to observe and give peer feedback and complete a Peer-Evaluation worksheet. Hannah (TA) to film the performances ICT for reflection purposes. Main Activity Using Technology 10 Mins: GEW to get students to observe their own dance performance as a visual aid and a form of reflection (to help students to identify their own strengths and weaknesses and to set new targets for further improvement) Video Feedback. Students are to complete a Self-Evaluation form, recognising their own strengths and weaknesses and to set own targets to improve. Main Activity 5-10 Mins: Students are to rehearse the dance routine in order to develop a more polished performance, applying their targets, to strive to achieve a higher level in their final assessment/performance.
Phase 4 - REVIEW Students reflect on learning Recap and review. Set individual targets for next term.			Plenary 5 mins: Q+AWhat are your strengths and weaknesses and how can you further improve your grade? Homework in planners: Complete dance Evaluation. Complete ICT survey on-line “survey monkey”.
PROMPTS:
Class List	/	Seating Plan			Literacy	/	Numeracy	/
ICT	/	Health & Safety		/	WRL		Citizenship
Home Study		Differentiation		/	Support	/	Extension	/