Alys May-James BA Professional Practice Blog

This is the last weekend before our assignments are due in. I have been going through my work, editing, checking and reflecting on everything that has happened this past year. When I started this course in January, I had no idea how it was going to be, let alone everything else 2020 has had to offer! There have been good bits, bad bits and the usual life ‘in-between’ bits. Something I have learnt from this course is the art of reflection. It isn’t about living in the past, but about embracing your past to enhance your future. Especially when times are tough, take a look back and see how far you’ve come. See everything you have learnt, the things that have changed. But don’t dwell in past errors and mistakes- no one is perfect. Instead of criticising ourselves for our mistakes, why don’t we celebrate the learning that has come from them? I have been looking back at how I felt at this time in module 1- the last week before everything is due in. I am having similar feelings now, as I ...

This week I attended 2 skype calls with other students. The first one was an all module discussion group, and the second had a module 2 focus. It was good to be able to connect with other students and listen to their thoughts on their work and the different ideas they have had. This week I have had to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 case at work, and so these skype calls came at a really good time for me. It reminded me of the importance of community and having contact with people- even if it is through a screen. This links to the concept of Affiliation which looks at how people benefit from forming close connections with others. Crisp and Turner (2007) explain affiliation as ‘a network of support that will help us when we are in need,’ (p. 266). I feel that the connections we make are so important at the moment, especially with what is happening in the world. These skype calls are an important place to make space for each other and to listen to what others have to say. The skype...

I know there are lots of different ways to make a Gantt Chart, but I found this video really helpful. It takes you through a step by step version of what to do.  Let me know if you found this helpful!  Bibliography  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z76i2SOaYy4&t=705s

This week I joined a discussion skype about interviews with other module 2 and 3 students. It was a good opportunity to see the perspectives of interviews from the different modules. Something that I found interesting from this session is that it isn’t about getting an answer. We can plan our inquiry into the ground but the reality is, we don’t know what we are going to find and what data we will collect. We do not have control over everything. This means that some of the thoughts we had planned may not work for the data we received… and that is ok. Things change, we don’t always have control and that is ok. What this does, is give us an opportunity to look at ourselves and question why we thought certain things, why did we make those assumptions or have that bias? It gives us a way to learn more about ourselves and to push our own boundaries. Qualitative data is very different from quantitative data regarding what information is collected. With qualitative data the researcher is ...

Recently I watched The Social Dilemma. It is a documentary and drama about social media and the impact it has on us as a society. It explores how some of the people who were involved in developing and creating various social media platforms, have decided to leave their jobs, the industry or speak out about the ethical issues they felt arose whilst working for these companies. ‘Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse’  Sophocles The people that were interviewed spoke of how they didn’t realise or think about the consequences that social media would have. When they started out, it was very focused on the good and positive that these platforms created- i.e. being able to contact relatives who lived miles away. It seems that less thought was given to the negative impacts and implications. So, without looking at the ethical considerations, they were not fully prepared for the future. I found the actual content of the documentary quite worrying. Algorithms have been...

Recently I have been looking into the importance of the arts and being creative. Having been a dance teacher and performer for many years, I believe the arts are extremely important.  These are some of my opinions why: improves confidence improves mobility gives students the freedom to express themselves gives students a sense of belonging or community creates more friendship groups teaches discipline improves communication skills I came across this blog from TedEd. https://blog.ed.ted.com/2018/04/02/why-dance-is-just-as-important-as-math-in-school/ Sir Ken Robinson talks about how creativity is within us all, and we should all have a right to access it and use it. However, many education systems put far more ‘importance’ on subjects such as maths and literacy. What I find interesting is how he talks about how being creative doesn’t have to stay within the arts. You can be creative in any subject. This is so important for children, because curiosity is a key way ...

This week I attended a skype session with guest speaker, Peter Thomas. The main focus of the meeting was to explore academic writing. 'writing is utter solitude, the decent into the cold abyss of oneself.' Franz Kafka  Firstly, he got us to experience ‘free writing’. This is where you write continuously about a specific topic for a set amount of time. This method has a number of components to remember; ·          Write in sentences ·          Don’t stop writing in the time period as this helps generate a flow of thought ·          If you don’t know what to write, you can write ‘I don’t know what to write,’ until something comes into your head that is relevant to the topic. ·          Correct language isn’t important ·          Don’t read what you have written until the end. ...

On Friday we had a skype session with a module 2 focus. We spoke about how the conversation and discussion is an art form. It is not about reaching a final destination but about mapping and linking together different ideas. Nimble Thinking Module 2 is focused on creating an inquiry proposal. We were reminded that we are researching how to research. This means it isn’t just about ‘what’ we are going to research (topic) but ‘how’ we are going to research it (methodology). We spoke about mapping both of these ideas separately but how they work in harmony with each other. Adesola mentioned the idea of ‘Nimble thinking’ where you have more than one idea going on at once. This got me thinking about when I’ve taken a ballet class. To get the correct posture and technique there are many different things to think about; turnout, core engaged, arm positioning, shoulders down, back not arched, head position, pulling up your legs, not rolling your ankles, pointed toes…the list goes on. But all...

This week I attended a skype discussion group for modules 1, 2 and 3. It was great getting to talk to everyone and discuss where everyone is at with the course and general learning and development. There were 2 main points that I picked up on from our discussion. Questions Reflection Questions I am becoming more aware of how important it is to question yourself, not only for this course but in life. By questioning things, it means you don’t just accept what is. Questioning isn’t always about finding an answer, but about gaining more information. Things are constantly changing and we do not have the capacity to know everything. There is too much information in the world for it to be accessed by everyone. This is why when we question, we never get a full answer because it’s impossible- hence why we gain knowledge to develop on, not an end point. As George Siemens talks about in 'Knowing Knowledge' (2006), we should look at ‘knowledge as a river, not reservoir.’ Page 53. H...

The past week I have been going through the handbooks and looking up about the MORE forms that I have to do for this module. At the moment it all seems very overwhelming and confusing! But I remember feeling this way at the start of module 1 and I kept pushing through the unknown and telling myself it’s about the journey, not the destination. It’s ok to not know, but keep pushing forward and have belief that I can do it. ‘It is not ‘not knowing’ that is the problem. It is the lack of doing.’  George Siemens, Page 124 The past few months I have been thinking about the direction I want my inquiry to take. I have had a few ideas- some that link together and some that are more stand alone. After having my supervisor meeting, I have started mapping down the ideas and seeing what comes to me and interests me. One of the phrases in the handbook I really like is ‘little wonders.’ As I have been mapping out my ideas, I have been connecting them with the handbook to see what feels right ...

2020 has definitely been a rollercoaster so far- from starting this course in January, to being in lockdown and not being able to dance, to being a key worker in a pandemic…it has been a very weird time. If anything, it has enforced the need to be flexible and enhanced the use of transferable skills. On Friday I joined the welcome back skype. It was lovely seeing and hearing people from each module. We spoke about a few key areas which I found really useful to remind myself of as I start back for module 2. Blogs- When I started module 1, I found it very helpful to read peoples blogs who had already completed the module. I’m going to take some time to go back as I start module 2 and read blogs from other people. It can be reassuring and inspiring reading what others have to say, as well as helping build a network of professionals. I find it quite daunting posting blogs. To help I have a specific focus for each one which helps me plan, write and then post them. Handbooks- I printed...

I feel with the current situation, now is a good time to go into transferable skills. Things have changed drastically for pretty much everyone in the last few weeks. We have all had to adapt and change just to get by. Our day to day life has been turned upside down. It is amazing how we have all ‘settled’ into this new way of life so quickly. We have taken skills from our previous life/jobs and are now using them in completely new ways. It is incredible how adaptable we are. The past few weeks I have been reflecting on skills that people gain and how we are constantly learning. We don’t give ourselves enough credit for the amount of information we take on everyday and how we process it. Some information may come and go and we never need it again. Other information comes and we need it for a prolonged period of time. But certain information comes and at the time it doesn’t seem relevant so our brains discard it, but months/years/decades later that information becomes useful. Somehow, ...

On Wednesday 1 st April we had our second skype for all modules. We covered a range of topics in the meeting, including- finding your own voice, interviewing and integration. Below I have bullet pointed some of the main points we covered in each topic. Finding our own voice  How can we write in a way that isn’t too casual but without losing yourself? How writing on social media is different to writing an essay- How do we write blogs in comparison to essays? Keeping core intensions clear Having different documents open to write down different ideas. Write all your ideas down and then go about moving it around and breaking bits up. The process is messy; things don’t always go in a straight line. Interviewing Why do we interview? What is the point? What are we trying to achieve/gain? How interviewing in person is different from over the phone/ skype Silences are ok- what do the silences tell you Its not all about what people say, how do they say it, what do...

Earlier on in the week I joined my second module one focused skype. It was nice to have some stability and familiarity with the uncertainty of the world right now. We discussed 3 main topics- Diagrams, Ethics and Literature. Diagrams We spoke about how some of us were struggling to come to terms with the idea of what a diagram actually was. It’s not clear cut, like an essay that we could have had plenty of practice doing from time at school. At first, I was really confused about it, but actually its ambiguity is what I’ve really enjoyed. I have been able to create what I want that reflects me. It’s personal to me and my own practice. It’s very rare to have opportunities like that.  We also spoke about how it’s visual. We already have our essay where we use words and theories to explain and explore our practice. The diagram is a visual representation that goes along side our essay. The two should work together. Something that one person mentioned that I hadn’t thought about...

What a few weeks it’s been. Corona Virus is everywhere. It has started taking over our lives so quickly. Many people are concerned and rightly so. Our livelihoods are at stake. With the announcement today, of schools closing on Friday, I won’t be teaching dance for a while. My other jobs have also been cancelled which I won’t be paid for. I know of many other people in the same position as me, if not worse. It’s very easy to get caught up on the negatives and the worries, but I’m doing this post to try and lift some spirits and help in times of need. Sometimes things get overwhelming and this is an overwhelming situation for society. I have put this together for anyone and everyone to use. It has tips and ideas which you can all expand on to suit your own situation and needs. These are things I use myself from the lessons of many wise and wonderful people in my life. Set out a plan for your day Get a note book or sketch book and write down or draw 5 things you want to achieve in ...

‘Art has the power to upset, to disturb, to make us question our assumptions, to change us.’  (Berys Gaut, 2007) Working in the arts there are a lot of ethical considerations that need to be taken into account. We are creating things for an audience, whether it be a dance, a song, a play, a painting… With this comes responsibility. By creating this ‘art’ we are having an impact on people around us. But is this a good thing? Upset Art can and undoubtedly will upset some people. People can be triggered by many different things that can lead to sadness. An example for me, is Damien Hirst and his use of animals as ‘art’. Personally, I don’t believe work like, ‘Mother and Child (Divided)’ are ethical. He has used real animals, in this instance a cow and a calf, and used them for his art. Sometimes he keeps them whole and sometimes he bisects them. He then puts them in glass cabinets with formaldehyde (Biography, 2014). Consequently, many innocent animals lost their lives...

What is my Professional Practice? The past few weeks I have been looking into how to describe what my practice actually is. I have been finding it hard to describe because there are so many factors to it. I have done this word cloud below to help me pin point my specific practice. By just using one or two words, rather than a sentence, it has helped me see what is important and given me some clarity. As you can see in my word cloud, not all the words necessarily connect to dance or the performing arts. This is because as I was creating it, I found that there were words I really wanted to include as they are part of my identity and they felt important to me. It made me realise that my practice is unique to me because I am unique, and all these factors that may not seem relevant, are relevant because they have shaped me to be who I am today. Therefore, it affects how I approach my professional practice. The knowledge I have gained from all my experiences in differen...

Web 2.0 is a very important feature of this course. The fact we can even do this distance learning course is down to Web 2.0. Before reading the handbooks I had never herd of it before. I had no idea what it was or that it was even a thing. To me the internet was just the internet and I didn’t think much further into it. Having researched it, I am amazed I hadn’t come across the term before seeing as I use it so often. So what is Web 2.0? ‘The second stage of development of the Internet, characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and the growth of social media.’ Oxford Dictionaries What does this mean? Tim O’Reilly has spoken a lot about Web 2.0. Online we are now able to communicate with each other. Someone can put a piece of information on the internet and people can interact with the information. The creator and the people reading and interacting to it are in conversation. They can discuss, debate and exp...