Module 1 Skype 2
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 was why I presented it in the way I have. What were my reasons for doing it this way? How does the way I’ve done my diagram represent me and my practice? Question the means of what your doing, not just the information your using.
Ethics
The general consensus about ethics is that it’s so broad. Where do we even being!? How are we supposed to include everything? From chatting to each other we discovered that once we have pin pointed our own practice, we can then see what areas of ethics are relevant to us. It is important to show a good understanding of different ideas but they need to be relevant to you.
Another idea I am working on with ethics is constantly questioning myself. Why am I doing something a particular way? Why have I assumed this? If I am complacent then I am potentially not pushing myself to be the best I can be. Is this then fair on my students? Am I being unethical towards them for not questioning my own skills and pushing myself to improve and learn?
Literature
Why am I reading? Why do I have to read for this course? What is the purpose of reading? These were some of the ideas we explored on Monday evening. Some people spoke about how reading makes them better. By reading we are broadening our minds to ideas we may not have come across otherwise. Although we have to read certain books for this course, we realised that the information we gained was transferable to other areas of our life.
Literature also makes us question ourselves. Often, we do things in a certain way because we have been told to, or because that’s how we were trained. But we don’t go any deeper than that. We accept what we have been told and don’t ask why. Literature gives us some answers and explains these different theories. From reading at the very core of an idea we can then assess ourselves and see if we do want to continue the way we were trained to, or if actually another way seems better for us. This means we aren’t blindly following instructions and we are creating a path that is right for us.

Hi Alys,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog post.
I have just written down bullet points setting out why I chose to work my diagram the way I have. I have found I actually also enjoyed the freedom given to us, despite finding it incredibly daunting at the outset!
It's also a really interesting point regarding the reading in the course being transferable. I found reading 'Twyla Tharp - The Creative Habit' included so many simple everyday things I could be doing to help my practise daily. I would never have decided to pick up that kind of book and read it without this course.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Olivia
Hi Olivia,
DeleteI found the diagram so daunting to start with but actually I did enjoy the freedom.
I never really thought about transferable skills before because you kind of just get on with whatever you have to do without realising the skills we have gained from completely different things. Its really interesting to think about.
Thank you for reading!
Alys
Hi Alys, I enjoyed the skype conversation too! Feel free to read my thoughts on my blog: https://jmmayor.blogspot.com/2020/03/summary-of-skype-session-march-23rd.html I love the quote you used by Cooperrider. Very impactful!
ReplyDeleteHi Jacqueline,
DeleteThank you for reading. I will be sure to have a look. I felt the quote was very appropriate after the conversation on the skype.
Alys