Alys May-James BA Professional Practice Blog

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 ...

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...

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 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...