Task 3a: Current Networks

A ‘professional network’ can be thought of as a group of individuals within a community that is work-related. These people may have either very close working associations or remain more distant but all member of the network will have the same work interests/needs and a common interest in their field.

As a working professional myself, I am able to see that the networks I am a part of can vary greatly. It is apparent that regular engagement within the variety of networks I am a part of is conducive to the success and development of my career as a performer. By looking at examples of other practitioners and their use of networking, I can reflect on the current networks I am a part of and how I engage with them in order to emulate their success.

Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter and Facebook are both current ways in which I am able to engage with one particular professional network. It is important for me to be able to have regular contact with other graduates from Leicester where I trained. This network is, on the whole, a virtual one, as many of us are out in the industry working in a multitude of different locations and it would therefore be impractical to be able to see each other frequently. On a social level, it is great to be able to catch up with one another, find out what we’ve all been up to and reminisce over times we shared whilst on our course. However, being a part of this network also benefits me as the members of my community are able to share with each other information about upcoming auditions/vacancies or experiences of working with a particular company/director for example. Of course, there are a few people who I have been able to keep in physical contact with when our working diaries allow for it. This is when this virtual network becomes an actual network, having the ability to meet up with some of my performer friends who I have remained in close contact with as a result of this network.

Other professional networks that I find myself a part of are the teachers I meet through my employment in various schools and the T.I.E companies who I have worked on contracts for in the past. The main benefit for me as a result of these networks is that it helps to find new opportunities for employment. The network of teachers that I know and could call on if needs be, allows me time off from teaching to attend important auditions etc or the opportunity earn some extra money and put in a few extra weekly hours if I cover classes for my friends for similar reasons. Having toured with two T.I.E companies many times, I have established a working network with the directors/creative managers so that I can enquire about any future and upcoming work they may wish to consider me for.

Finally I am part of an online academic community of fellow Middlesex University students and course leaders/advisers. We are able to keep in contact with each other through the use of blogging, as distance means it would be impractical for everyone on the BAPP course to try to arrange a meet due to work commitments yet again. This type of network has a formal identity and has been created though some formal interaction, as opposed to previously mentioned networks containing a widely distributed set of practitioners that I have remained in contact with. I benefit from being a part of this network as it provides me with the opportunity to further develop my career in a way that I had not previously thought possible, at the same time as pursuing my performing career. The blogging network keeps me in regular contact with my advisers and other students so that I am able to complete work to the best of my ability.

The internet has allowed me additional virtual tools in order to aid my engagement in my networking. Aside from actively promoting myself in the way that I behave, address clients/employers, distribution of my CV/headshots, sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot as previously mentioned now play a huge part in the careers of many professionals. The use of emails and contact with the use of a mobile phone and personal number can also be attributed to the ease with which people can network nowadays and promote themselves and their career. Admired practitioners and individuals whose careers seem to be going from strength to strength also use the Web 2.0 tools to advertise upcoming productions they are in or to contact their followers or future employers with information about jobs they have completed.

There are further methods that I could employ when professionally networking in the future to encompass more of the technologies available to me. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking tool, mainly used for professional networking that I am currently not using. I could also think about creating a separate professional Facebook and/or Twitter account for myself as an actress/performer. Personally I am of the opinion that a mix of personal and professional on one page is not a good idea, especially when the field of work I am so eager to enter is that of teaching. The stage schools I currently work for have information about me as a teacher on their websites, complete with headshot and short bio. To run with this idea, I could use a Facebook page to promote my services as a dance and drama teacher. This is a free form or advertising which could very quickly and easily be shared amongst a whole community of social network users and potential clients. At the end of the day, my ideal network would look similar to something I am already a part of; a community of varied individuals who could benefit my career in different ways, that can easily be accessed through the use of modern tools and technologies anywhere and on the go instantly, to fit around the life of a busy working professional.

Task 2d: Inquiry

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about?

My current daily work practice involves touring with a theatre company and performing a show about educational PSHE issues that teenagers in schools face. Whilst T.I.E work is familiar to me, I have not previously worked for the company that I am currently employed at. My duties now as well as an actor include that of a workshop leader following the performance, in which the students engage in an hour long drama workshop to reiterate important messages and allows them to reflect and evaluate what they have just seen. With the hope to one day continue my career and go on to teach drama in a secondary school, the prospect of this workshop excited me greatly. I distinctly remember ringing my mum when we were a day or two into the tour and relaying everything that had happened so far. My mum said to me that she knew that teaching was meant for me one day and that it was the right thing for me to do because of the passion with which I had been describing the workshop and the student’s involvement in it. I am very enthusiastic about undertaking more work like this in the future as it will allow me more experience with working with children and provides me with fresh ideas and inventive ways to tackle delicate subjects.

Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic? 

The company I currently work for has been created by two men, great friends and now business partners who are ex-actors and educational facilitators who have not long been out of their business. Their passion was clear for all to see during the open auditions held late last year in which they were searching for a new set of touring actors for the upcoming season. I left that audition thinking that it was a company that I would very much like to work for and I wasn't wrong. My enthusiasm for the workshop section of the performance has come, in part, from one of the above mentioned men who is very experienced in the creation and implementation of interactive workshop sessions for secondary school students. I believe there is much I can learn from him and take away from my time with this company for use when I myself am a teacher, I also admire my fellow actors that I work with daily for their constant energy and enthusiasm. The job is so much more enjoyable when working with like-minded and eager individuals such as myself. My two colleagues may not want to go into teaching after this or have as much experience in it as I do, but they throw themselves into the workshops giving 100% which feeds my enthusiasm to be able to deliver important messages in a fun and vibrant way.

What gets you angry or makes you sad?

The attitude young people can have towards the performance orientated subjects, dance/drama etc can and has angered me on occasions. I hate that it is sometimes seen as a ‘dossy’ lesson option choice, with no real energy or effort required by the students to succeed. This can certainly be seen when thinking back to my GCSE drama group in secondary school whereby the vast majority of the group had no passion for the subject, no real enthusiasm and no desire to further pursue their skills. This made it incredibly hard for myself and others in the class to be able to fully embrace all of the tasks we were given to work on, especially when having to work closely with said individuals. One way of dealing with this would have been to become incredibly frustrated and upset with the lack of effort and energy members of my team were giving me. This breakdown and outburst of emotion did happen from time to time and was probably important in releasing some tension. However, another way of dealing with this was to focus, head down, and power on through the negativity. It was important for me to be able to take a step back and realise that at the end of the day, I was going to be assessed on my talents and capabilities and not those of others. However much more difficult I would find it working with the people that I had to, I would learn from it and be able to take this knowledge with me when I pursued my career in performance.

Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?

I have great admiration for my dram teacher during my three years of professional study. A very talented man, he seemed to have ways in which he could reach out to people within the year group who did not share his passion for drama or perhaps lacked confidence and found ways to make it much more enjoyable for them. As it was a musical theatre course, we naturally had people who excelled in one or a number of fields and who may have preferred one discipline over the rest. This was certainly true in my case when fairly early on, I began to realise I was standing out in my drama class and excelling in that side of my course more so than others. I particularly struggled with my singing lessons as lacked a lot of confidence. Upon reflection, the singing teacher’s attitude to students such as myself was one I do not wish to and hope that I never do emulate. Towards the end of my course, she no longer seemed interested in students who were not filled with confidence and as a result, her lessons were aimed at those who were. When I go on to teach in a secondary school someday, her method of approach has spurred me to find ways to include every individual in my class, to find ways to engage their imaginations, whet their excitement and include a range of teaching in order to incorporate their potential difference in learning styles.

What do you love about what you do?

In short, the excitement and variety of my career as a performer and being able to share that passion and excite others with my teaching. I believe certain people are destined to work in a particular environment and others are simply not. Personally, I couldn't ever imagine myself working behind a desk in an office 9-5. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this career choice at all, it just isn't for me. I may have to accept that I may have to undergo a short period of employment in a field that I do not wish to be in to pay the bills, but I know that such is the unpredictability of the life as a performer, it will not be forever. An opportunity may arise that sees you whisked away from behind yours desk and onto a four month theatre tour educating year 8’s about the dangers of substance misuse! In terms of teaching, it is not all about the really talented students. I love to see the improvement in a student that has never danced to any real standard before. I get a huge feeling of achievement and pride at watching them progress. Similarly, if one student is struggling on a particular phrase of choreography, the moment you see it ‘click’ for them and fall in place, perhaps through changing the angle at which it is being approached is an emphatic feeling!

Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love? 

A very close personal friend and also a teaching college is an example of someone who shares my passion for teaching. We originally danced together at our part-time dance school growing up before she left to pursue a professional career at M.A.D.D. However, although being a brilliantly talented dancer, she did not complete her course and left to become a full time self-employed dance teacher. Years later, she finds herself working 60 hours a week for a number of different schools and organisations and is still just as passionate as the day I met her. Her patience is something I particularly admire, she very rarely allows herself to become angry or to raise her voice even when having to deal with very difficult classroom situations. Her choreography is always fresh, inventive and inspiring. One particular job that I have worked with her on was for our local council authority, where we found ourselves being sent to secondary schools to try and engage the girls aged 11-16 in full time education in street dance lessons as a part of their curriculum. The ways she led her sessions and retained their attention, even the most unwilling of students, will be something I take carry with me and hope to apply to similar situations in the future.

What do you feel you don’t understand?

What I struggled to understand when I first entered this profession, and occasionally manage to get my head around, is how so many talented performers struggle to get work. It is something that was discussed frequently at college, how cut throat this business can be and yet once I had left, I still found it surprising. Yes there are fewer and fewer jobs that in previous years, due on some parts to the large budget cuts the entertainment industry have faced, coupled with the financial crisis that the UK has seen during the last decade. Suddenly, it wasn’t a priority to spend money on going to see a piece of dance or theatre or even to the cinema for a bit of culture. The priority became putting food on the table and petrol in the car for work. Unfortunately as a result of that, jobs have been more scare and harder to obtain in this industry. Schools are churning out fresh batches of fit, young wide-eyed and eager graduates each year who now join the race for employment alongside those who have been in the industry for years. Looking at individuals who I believed to be highly talented and seeing them out of work shocked me. I then came to the realisation that it was more important than ever to be adaptable in this business and for a person to have many strings to their bow. In that sense, I feel I am fortunate enough to enjoy teaching and that I am good at it, so that I am continually provided with the opportunity to continue to do what I love whilst the work outside of teaching may be scarce.

Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

One of my closest friends during my three years of training was very quick to realise how difficult it could be to find employment often enough fairy soon after she graduated and has already begun broadening her range of skill sets. She too, in fact, is a student at Middlesex University and like me, is working on the BAPP course toward a degree. I admire her for her maturity and ability to have seen this far earlier than I did. I believe she too would like to go on to teach in secondary school someday, but there is nothing stopping her, or wither of us for that matter, continuing to go out and audition for performance roles upon completion of this course. She and I will both be able to come back to teaching at a time of life that is suitable to us personally. Not only that, but she is also working towards completing her qualifications in personal training which will enable her to keep fit and in shape for auditions, but also provides her with another source of income. It is not about not understanding why so many talented performers don’t get the roles or contracts they audition for, but realising it is what it is, this is the industry we have chosen to enter into and ways in which we can increase our skillset and therefore employability.

How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society? For example, what level of physical contact would you deem appropriate (and not) from another professional that you would find unacceptable more generally? Why?

As both a current and an aspiring teacher, it is of the utmost importance that I should be able to decide on the appropriate ethical response in a given situation. To do this, I have to take a step back away from the situation often and consider it from an outsider’s perspective. A teacher will spend many hours, week and potentially years teaching her same students and naturally will develop bonds with them. So with this in mind, I have to consider the implications of my actions from a future employer as opposed to a teacher who has a strong relationship with her class. Should the delicate information that has just been disclosed to me by a child be passed on to a higher body of authority? Is the young child that wants comforting aware that I am their teacher and not their mother? These are all issues that I have faced and could face regularly when teaching. Disciplinary responses differ to those generally expected in society as it is children who I work with most often and it is important to protect them as well as myself as a teacher. Growing up in my dance school, it was generally an expectation that the teacher would and could use physical contact in a dance lesson when trying to demonstrate an idea, e.g. the correcting of a plié, sing force to gently show the student that their knees should not be pushing forwards, but instead, outward. Nowadays however, it is important that teachers should not physically correct a student, especially the ages with I work, but recognise the power and the importance of the spoken word in order to be able to correct and alter technique. 

Task 2b: Reflective Writing Task

Although this may seem out of sync with the rest of my blogs, after reading through what was required of us for this task, I thought it best to come back to it after a period of time to allow for the actual journal writing. 

This exercise has been designed for me to be able to recognise, try out and apply some varied ways and styles of journal writing based on frameworks put forward by Nola, Reid and Moon etc. In terms of my journal entries, I have tried to only focus on my work as a professional, be that performing or teaching. On days when I have not been at work, I have logged my thoughts throughout the day that have tended to have settled on the subject in hand, as opposed to writing an entire journal entry of day-to-day activities completely unrelated to my line of work. In trying out these methods, I have come to understand which help me reflect on my experiences the most.

The first method I tried and put to use was ‘Description.’ In this entry, I had to record what had happened to me during the day in question and what the main events were, concentrating on when/where etc. This is most likely the technique I would have naturally adopted had I not read further into the varying options for types of journal logging. It made the task simple and time effective for me, recording the who’s what’s and why’s for example and therefore I will probably continue to log my experiences this way. However, a lot of this course focuses on the importance and relevance of reflection and simply recording down the facts of the day didn't make me look inward and contemplate how events affected me or what I had learned. Which brings me onto method number two, ‘Initial Reflection.’ During this diary entry, I tried hardest to think about the events of my day in the context of how they made me feel and what I was thinking at the time/my mood. This particular entry therefore is likely to be much more effective in helping me reflect as it enabled me to think about how the events of the day were affecting me personally and how the emotions/thoughts could be applied to a different situation.

The ‘List’ idea of journal writing was one that I found a tedious and somewhat monotonous entry. To me, merely listing things I had seen, felt and done was on one hand time effective, but I know that when I come to refer back to my journal entries as points of reference during this course, I will struggle to remember specifics based on mere bullet points. Not only that but I believe I would also find it difficult to remember my thoughts at the time, making it an ineffective method for me personally and one that I will not be using in the future. ‘Evaluation’ is a technique paramount to being able to journal write effectively in my opinion. Without thinking about what had gone particularly well/worked and considering what it was I had learnt, then my journal entries will be as empty as the list technique that I did not get on with. As an individual, I will continue to improve as a performer and grow as a teacher if I can refer back to my journal and remember what I had learnt from the experience or things that should be avoided in the future, a key to good reflective practice.

The idea of creating ‘Graphs, Charts and Diagrams’ in order to write down my thoughts and key events was another system that I felt I did not get on well with. Despite knowing it is in my best interests to keep a reflective journal throughout this course and continuing to do so afterwards, it is a habit that you slowly have to wean yourself into and one that requires dedication. At the minute, I am impressed enough with myself as it is at being able to log my journal, complete my University tasks, perform 10 shows a week and teach over the weekends! Having to record my day in the form of a chart is going to be more time-consuming and in order to see the effects of a method such as this one, I would need to do this daily in order to be able to compare one with the other. To me, this seems a mathematical solution to a problem that is best solved in a literary fashion. I t is easy enough to record the attendance of my students across the terms in the form of a bar chart, but to record my thoughts on a particular lesson in this way in terms of fun/stress levels? Impractical!

A different process of writing in my journal was to think about the ‘What Ifs?’ This saw me having to think about what could have happened following a particular event that had happened during any given day. This was useful during one particular entry whereby an issue arose surrounding a child’s welfare during one of my classes. Although it was not particularly desirable having to think about the worst case scenario and what might have happened to the individual, it was a worthwhile technique in making me realise that I had handled the situation correctly to prevent any further problems. It is likely therefore that I will adopt this technique at the very end of a journal entry in order to get me thinking and reflecting on what could have happened in certain situations.

 This final system that I adopted during my trial journal writing was to write form ‘Another View.’ This could have involved writing about the day from the perspective of another person and imaging the ways in which they would have seen events. How would they have described the day? What may their thoughts have been? By doing this, I believe that after reflection, a journal entry from this viewpoint will most definitely help me to improve and grow as a teacher. If a disagreement occurs between myself and another student or even between students, it will aid me to look at the events from the perspective of someone else, to walk in their shoes. I am of the belief that it is of the utmost importance that teachers possess this ability, to think about a lesson from the students perspective in order that they be fully engaged and remain so throughout the lesson.

Having tried out the wide variety of journal writing styles over a period time, I have come to realise the importance of such a variety and trying to encompass a number of them. I believe that not everyone reading this will agree with me having undergone it themselves, but that is due to the wide diversity in learning styles that there may be. I need to look at and realise what works for me personally in terms of being able to use my journal to its full advantage in reflective practice, as do my fellow course mates. I was surprised at the depth of thought that came about in certain entries as a result of using styles I had not previously come across. Overall, the descriptive method worked well for the most parts, logging the main events in detail such as the who/what/where/why and when – but it is the evaluation process I went through using processes such as the ‘What Ifs’ and ‘Another View’ that I shall certainly be adopting in order to get the maximum use out of my journal in future months and the fully grasp the concept of Reflective Practice.  

Task 2c: Reflective Theories

Reflection is a process that many of us will go through both consciously and unconsciously each and every day, whereby we gain experience should we need to draw on it for a similar event in the future. 

This practice in ‘learning from experience’ helps us as humans to turn mere information into knowledge we can use and access. Reflection is a particularly significant activity where Work Based Learning (WBL) is concerned as WBL assumes that the experience of doing something will give you an amount of knowledge. It has been suggested that in order to turn these experiences into learning, we require ‘tools’, Boud et al (1995) that I will move on to look at closely and in more detail. Reflection as part of my BAPP course will allow me to lean from my experiences, compare those to mine and other people’s knowledge in order to further my understanding and to continue to learn.

Finding the knowledge that we are missing is the first step of understanding what you don’t know. McFee (1992) and his example concerning the concept of a bachelor seemed extremely confusing to me upon first reading it. However, I have since come to rephrase it for myself in order to make it more understandable; that living life and having world experiences and reflecting on those moments is when a person starts to come across new ideas and reformed ways of learning.

I have had a personal working relationship with reflective practice for years now without ever being acutely aware of what it was and how it helps me on a daily basis. Reflective practice is key to a number of professions, particularly those involved in a process of change. For me, this covers all areas of my professional life, from teaching to performing. Teachers are involved in a process of change in the educating of students as artists are in a process of creation.  After studying the core existing themes and ideas surrounding reflective practice across all professions, I have come to realise that I have been using a variety of theories without even being aware of them! Howard Gardner (1983) introduced the idea that different people have different and preferred ways of learning in order to gain the most understanding. Gardner talks of ‘multiple’ intelligences and through his research, was able to challenge the common conception of what a ‘traditional learner’ may look like. A visual learner describes an individual who identifies with learning through sight primarily, for example watching a demonstrations, seeing diagrams, reading extracts etc. An auditory learner would benefit from listening to a set of instructions or having something talked through with them and a kinaesthetic learner prefers a more ‘hand on’ approach, attempting things for themselves practically. As a classroom assistant for year 4, we have, in the past, asked the children to try and identify for themselves their preferred method of learning and therefore, Gardner’s theory of ‘VAK’ learners is a term I have been aware of for some time. In a context that relates to myself as a working professional, it is also beneficial for me to decipher what type of learner I may fall under. When I am in the process of learning a script, I find myself using a combination of techniques. The visual elements to my learning can be seen in the way that I highlight and annotate my script in order to aid my learning of it.  Another method that I often adopt is to record myself reciting the lines and then listen to it back, incorporating auditory aspects and finally I believe it is of great help when trying to get ‘off script’ when physical runs of the show are performed complete with staging etc thus finally incorporating the kinaesthetic.This can also be related to the students that I have to teach. I adopt a similar approach in my drama lessons; and have found that the younger students tend to respond better to a combination of auditory and kinaesthetic due to their reading skills not being as advanced. They learn their words through listening to me or by repeating them over and over. In dance, I find it slightly harder to recognise all three of the different learning elements. Students may pick up choreography more readily by watching me execute the steps (visual) or by continuing to practice the movement with their own bodies (kinaesthetic.) The only auditory help I find I am able to offer those learners is to count aloud for them or to say the steps a few seconds in advance. An individual may have one preferred method of learning, but it is important to understand that an incorporation of all learning styles is likely to be beneficial. It is this way of thinking that I try to adopt into the lessons that I teach, to demonstrate and deliver lessons and workshops that are aimed at every person in the class, not merely those with a similar learning style to me.

It is with those thoughts that I move on to discuss the concept of ‘muscle memory,’ a term that can be seen in the teaching of my dance classes. It is through the action of executing choreography, of exploring the capabilities of the body in space and to a rhythm that my students form knowledge through the experience of the ‘doing’ of it all. “Without a sense of the body, of sensation and feeling, we lose connection to what is around and within us, to the immediate and present moments of our lives” (Tufnell and Crickmay, 2004). Tufnell, Thare and Moon have stated that reflection does not necessarily have to take the form of a written process, but that being able to articulate and communicate it is crucial. Therefore, in order to be able to recall my ideas instantly and be able to plan and link my lessons together, I write down my choreography in a journal style. The journal of my lessons over the weeks is not the process itself, but the outcome of reflective practice that I have engaged in as a professional.

The above methods can be related to John Dewey’s theories of different levels of experience. Dewey believed that the quality of education an individual would receive from an experience is directly linked to the engagement and consciousness that the individual has with the experience, “a continued reorganisation, reconstruction and transformation of experiences” Dewey (1916.) In order for my students to receive the best level of education I can offer them, they need to be fully engaged with the experience, hence the importance of adapting a lesson plan to incorporate a variety of learning styles. In this way therefore, according to the theories of Dewey, the students will be taking away more knowledge from my lessons than if they had been less inclined to be engaged/get involved. From a professional performer’s point of view, I will gain more knowledge from an experience if I fully immerse myself and engage with the role/experience fully. When put like this, perhaps I have been aware in the past of Dewey’s theories without realising it? Kolb discussed the importance of identifying an experience and how the use of ‘tools’ enable and help an individual to reflect on it. His ongoing learning cycle depicts the different points at which a person may start to learn something new or notice missing knowledge. For some, this may be when they are directly involved with the experience, for others this could be when other individuals around them are doing it (reflective observation.) Perhaps, this is when an individual works through it in their heads (abstract conceptualisation) or by beginning to try ideas out (active experimentation.) The point an individual begins to learn is which point they enter into the learning cycle according to Kolb’s diagram, this becomes their learning style. Parallels can be drawn here I think to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (VAK) in that a kinaesthetic learner will begin to learn through active experimentation. In terms of creating this blog, it was a new experience for me, one that I had very little original knowledge of to begin with. I therefore found myself drawing on the experience of others who has already begun blogging as well as tentatively trying my hand at a bit of ‘active experimentation.’

Donald Schon (1987) laid out his theory of reflection in/on action which is a theory that I find myself adapting in all aspects of my professional work. He believed that different types of people tended to learn from their experiences at different times, for example an artist reflects on what is going on whilst it is happening. It is this ‘hands on’ that sees them being able to adapt during an event whereas an academic would tend to reflect on an event after it has passed, going away and coming back to it following further thought. It is extremely important for me personally to nurture both of the above mentioned as one describes my professional artist, yet the other is the area that I am hoping to enter upon completion of this course. His theory can be put into perspective by thinking of situation whereby this applies to me. During a dance session, especially those I am covering last minute, I often have to come up with choreography on the spot, produce a routine as if from nowhere. If I see that the students are struggling with a particular section, or a step isn’t having the desired effect I was after, it is important to be to be able to respond quickly, by reflecting in action and during the moment. It would be no use leaving the lesson to return the following week with a revised plan-of-action as I may not be teaching that particular class again or we could have to move on to look at something new. The Reflection on action is something I feel will come into play when I am in a teaching position in a school, with a curriculum to follow and a set of lessons to plan and improve upon week on week. Kottcamp states that in-action reflection such as that of an artist is harder to achieve but more effective in the improvement of practice, resulting in ‘live’ experiments to adjust or improve an action. The individual in question must attend to the lesson, for example, at the same time as trying to observe it externally, whereas ‘on’ action reflection allows for full attention to be given to analysis and planning. Perhaps this is due to Kottcamp’s academic nature, but I personally do not struggle with reflection ‘in’ action as it is something a performer has to learn to do from the very beginnings of their career, or perhaps my skills in this area have improved as a result of what I do.

Upon further research into methods of reflective practice, it is apparent that many theorists have described processes that I go through during my professional work, whether I have been aware of it previously, or not. Professional practice has to be supported by the judgements we make as professionals in terms of our knowledge of values. By observing our own practice, and that of others (reflective observation) we can continue to improve our ethical practice alongside our professional. 

"...you can call her Queen B..."

So I was lucky enough to get tickets to see Beyonce in her sell-out Mrs Carter show the other evening and we most definitely were not disappointed! In my opinion, there is no other performer still touring who has the ability to entertain an audience or own the stage as Beyonce does. She literally gives her fans 100% every time because she says that is what her fans give her in return - the dance numbers were incredible! Ever since I have learnt about Web 2.0 features I find myself thinking about their influence on the professional aspect of this course,and it led me to think of the two male dancers, known as 'Les Twins' who tour with Beyonce and have performed alongside other big industry names. This pair of brothers from France were discovered and made a name for themselves after a video they uploaded of their dancing went viral. Yet another example I have come across whilst blogging that highlights the importance of these tools, how people rely on them for self-promotion and the power of the 'consumer' in the sharing aspect that Web 2.0 allows for.

Here is a link of 'Les Twins' performing with Beyonce at Glastonbury festival. Hope you enjoy it!

Beyonce performs with Les Twins

Task 1c: Audio-Visual

So here it is, the task I've been dreading!

...and actually, it's not been nearly as uncomfortable or as difficult as I had first imagined. Below is the link to my short clip on my experiences since starting out on the BAPP course and my initial thoughts on the programme. It is the first time I have ever posted anything on YouTube personally, despite being a regular visitor to the site to watch various videos. I was pleased how easy it was to log in with our Google mail account that I created at the same time as this blog. I can therefore say I have officially developed a new skill! I believe it will also be interesting to look back on as I'm further into my course and studies. I may not want to however, as I didn't particularly enjoy watching it back! I have enjoyed watching other user's videos and understand from those that this is a task that most people have found daunting in general. I filmed myself using the front camera on my iPhone, and found difficulty in directly uploading the video from my phone, so I transferred it to my computer before uploading this way.

So here is the link!

Pip Spalton BAPP Video

Task 2a: Reflective Practice

As students starting out on the BAPP course, we have been informed that we need to begin and to continue to create our own individual journals, so that we may explore our thoughts on a day to day basis and be able to reflect on these learning experiences and their importance/relevance in the future.

Although, in essence we have been encouraged to keep this journal in a format appropriate to our own learning needs, e.g. in the form of text, images, recordings etc, I have decided to keep mine in the form of a written journal, as I enjoy expressing and recording my thoughts in this way and I am very much a visual learner as opposed to auditory/kinaesthetic. These entries will be used later in the course in the form of excerpts.

Reflection is the ability to look for ways to understand the things that I am doing in my professional working environment and to learn from them. My journal will inevitably remind me how to engage with all of the different ideas presented during this first module on the course and a resource to be looked back on when completing modules yet to come. It will provide evidence of my learning experiences at the end of the course, both as a BAPP student but also as a developing working professional and will depict my thoughts/feelings at a specific time and how they have since changed and developed.

I approached this task with one predominant thought; that this is designed to help me and make my life easier (hooray!) Future work will be improved and made easier with the use of a journal as it will be far easier to look back and instantly remember a particular event and my thoughts at the time. During my three year study towards my Trinity National Diploma prior to this course, one of the main elements of the written side of the study were our lesson logs, information that had to be recorded and filed away until the latter half of the year when our work had to be handed in. I specifically remember thinking at the time 'what's the point?' 'is all this effort even worth it?' My questions were answered however, when it came down to working up until the final deadline. Known previously for my 'last minute' nature during school, I was extremely glad that I had managed to keep on top of all my logs as it made my final hand in much easier to prepare for. Therefore, I am hoping to use my previous experience as a mantra for this current one in terms of my diary-keeping skills.

For Christmas this year I was given the gift of a 'memory jar' from one of my cousins. In here, I am supposed to write down all the amazing memories and moments that happen to me during the course of this year, and leave them untouched, only to be reopened on January 1st 2015. This blog entry has made me realise that the jar is still sitting empty on my bedroom shelf at home, and that it is such a shame! So many lovely and unexpected things, no matter how small, have already happened in these first three months and I'd like to be able to look back next year and relive all of them. So, with that in mind, I am determined to try and get into a regular pattern of journal writing which will help me towards the completion of work for this BAPP course, but also to make use of a very thoughtful Christmas present!