Alys May-James BA Professional Practice Blog

As my research is focused around touch and dance, contact improvisation has been of great interest to me. Below is a video I have watched and analysed as part of my research.  Contact Improvisation is a form of dancing that requires touch. The whole art form is created around people moving together and being connected physically. This physical connection allows for a constant flow of information between the bodies involved.  This means that not only are we being physically touched, but also mentally. It gives permission for us to move in the moment, without judgement of what is right and wrong. The focus is on the information we are giving and receiving,  which allows for freedom of body, mind and spirit.  I would love to hear what you think about this video.  Bibliography   Video available at:  We Rise and Fall Together | Contact Improv | Nathan Dryden | TEDxSaltLakeCity - YouTube  (Accessed 27/03/2021)

It has been 2 weeks since lockdown lifted for schools and so I have been back at work with the children. It has been tiring being back, but lovely to see everyone in person and not through a screen. It has been a busy but rewarding time. Since being back I have noticed a change in the children. Many of them seem to be craving a close connection to the staff, including staying in at breaks and lunch to talk to us, drawing us lots of pictures or writing us notes, but also some of them wanting to hug us. This is really interesting to me as it fits into my research on the use of touch. As teachers, we have to be very careful and strict with the use of touch as sadly there have been cases of misconduct reported in the media, which have made people very wary of touch. We also have to be very strict due to Covid-19 and the health and safety of everyone. There is a lot of negative associations with touch, but very rarely do we acknowledge the importance of it. Touching is ‘an essential e...

This past week we had a module 1, 2 and 3 zoom call specifically focused on writing. It was interesting to hear what guest speaker, Peter Thomas, had to say about it. These are a few of the main points I took from the meeting. Many different ways of writing; e.g. factual, personal, referencing, definitions. It’s important to know which style of writing is expected of you when writing an essay. In your introduction you are explaining; what, why and how Literature reviews are about giving your essay context, defining key themes, and giving background on examples and work already done When analysing data, it is important to look for themes and patterns It is ok to be selective about what you include in your essay- don’t just include everything you find. Include things that link, are connected and relevant Be aware of your word count   In your conclusion you are stating; what and why Sometimes it is important to make the writing personal by including yourself and your experiences ...

When doing any piece of writing or work it is important to reference where the information you are writing about is coming from. This includes but not limited to, any kinds of essays or reports, books, articles, podcasts, pieces of art, videos and blog posts. Sometimes I have read something and been inspired to write something from it, and so I need to make sure that I state the original source of where I got my inspiration. If you are talking about someone’s idea, but aren’t using quotes, it is still important to reference them. A great site to use is: https://www.citethemrightonline.com/ It explains clearly how to reference the many different styles of sources. It shows you how to cite sources in your piece of writing and in the bibliography.   This is an example of using a quote from a book; Montagu (1986) explains that touch is referred to as ‘the mother of the senses.’ (pg. 3) Bibliography Montagu A. (1986), Touching- The human Significance of the skin, third edi...

Lately, I have been looking at the way to present our research report and critical reflection. I found this video that has helped me understand how to create a contents page. It breaks it down step by step which I found very useful! I hope it helps others too.  Bi bliography Creating a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word - YouTube  (Accessed 02/03/2021)

Last week the module 3 students had a zoom discussion group. Some of the students took it in turns to present where they are in their research. This was really interesting to listen to as everyone is researching different topics surrounding their professional practice. Something we discussed as a whole was our use of terminology and how important it is to express ourselves using the correct terms. I have broken down some of the key terms below. Methodology- the approach we are taking for our research. e.g. non positivist, positivist, qualitative, quantitative Method- the ways in which we collect our information. e.g. interviews, surveys, secondary research, literature, questionnaires, focus groups, experiments Ethical Considerations- thinking about any issues that may arise due to your research taking place.  Ethical Protocols- the procedures put in place to ensure minimal or no harm is done due to the research taking place.    B ibliography Top 10 Research Quotes...