Codes of Practice in an Educational Setting - Task 5b

After blogging my initial thoughts regarding the ethical considerations and codes of practice in the workplace, I sought out official legislation and documentation in order for me to identify areas that I may have overlooked. Digital copies of policies ranging from the ‘Acceptable Use of ICT and Mobile Phone Policy’, right through to the ‘SEN Policy’ were easily located on the schools website and intranet, with physical copies printed out and available for perusal in the staffroom.  I identified the policies that were applicable to my role and the inquiry, and have gathered the following information to add to my existing knowledge:

Taken from the ‘Data Protection Policy’ – …”obtain and process data fairly by informing all subjects of the reason for data collection. Data should be accurate, relevant, and held only for a period of time.” This was something I had not previously given a great deal of thought to. I had thought that I would not tell the students that I am observing aspects of their behaviour, for fear that this would become altered and false. Instead, I had hoped that the students would merely continue to presume my presence in the classroom was in order to offer support if needed. However, I will now discuss the matter with the professional support I seek, in order to be able to carry out my investigation.

Taken from the ‘Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy’ - …”aware of the systems within their school which support safeguarding. Listening to, and seeking out, the views, wishes and feelings of children and young people. Knowing who the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads and governor for child protection are.” I am confident that I am well equipped with this knowledge already. It is one of the most important parts of my current role and I was able to identify this during task 5a, prior to reading any official documents. Something I may not have considered however, is taking care of myself, e.g. not finding myself in a position whereby I have left myself alone with a student etc.

Taken from the ‘Learning and Teaching Policy’ – “…the classroom is critical in creating an environment in which students are expected to achieve…a good learning atmosphere will aid the teaching and promote learning in the classroom.” This was a point I had noted during the blogging of my initial thoughts. After reading this particular policy through in greater detail, it was also mentioned that teachers of The Arts should have up to date Risk Assessments. Again, this is another area I wish to clarify with my professional support before commencing work on my inquiry, so that the environment and activities are completely safe.

And finally, taken from the ‘Health and Safety Policy’ – I have the responsibility to create and uphold a safe environment, to prevent accidents, and to minimise and control risks…”carry out regular health and safety risk assessments for the activities responsible for, exercise effective supervision.” By giving out clear and concise instructions at the beginning of every lesson, this will help. Overall, I feel that I had independently identified the majority of ethical considerations, and that taking a look at official documentation has merely helped cement these into the inquiry I am to carry out.

Task 5a: Ethics Ethics Ethics

Working in a secondary school environment...

...it is not uncommon to hear phrases such as ‘codes of practice’ on a daily basis. As my line of inquiry centres around an educational setting, I must consider all ethical issues that could apply, in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the students in my care. Without referring directly to any documents/ existing literature, my initial thoughts as I approach this topic are as follows:

Good professional practice is ensuring a calm and productive environment in which students can learn. There should be clear aims/objectives to the work set and disruptive behaviour should be dealt with quickly. With this in mind, any observations that I must undergo as a means of carrying out my inquiry should be done so in an environment that will be expected by the school, the students and staff. Anything different to this and behaviour could be altered as a result.

No physical or physiological harm should come to anybody involved in my line of inquiry. If appropriate measures are put in place/adhered to by the school and staff members, then the physical harm should not be an issue, as I am merely observing existing lessons that function week after week, inquiry or not. In terms of the physiological aspects, remain alert and aware for signs that the students may be displaying to suggest they feel uncomfortable at any given moment.

I should not and will not include the names of any individuals, nor the name of the school in my inquiry. Any information/data I do gather must remain in my possession only. I should not include any images/media that depict individual faces. This is a child protection issue which was relevant in Module 1 when asked to set up an Instagram account that was work related, and as such is applicable here.

Finally, it is within my duty of care to report any incidents of concern during the investigation period. This could range from a particular behaviour being displayed, or something that the student may have disclosed to me. In carrying out my inquiry, the experience for other people should be a good one, and not a negative one. I must tread carefully; just because I’m interested in it does not necessarily give it merit. Likewise it should not only depict my perspective, but also how it is seen by others. 

Education secretary Nicky Morgan: ‘Arts subjects limit career choices’

By: 

David Hutchison 

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2014/11/education-secretary-nicky-morgan-arts-subjects-limit-career-choices/

Scrapping GCSE drama from the curriculum would be madness

The idea that taking drama off the syllabus will somehow strengthen its worth in schools is barmy, says Thomas Hescott...

http://www.theguardian.com/culture-professionals-network/2014/nov/03/gcse-drama-curriculum

Task 4c...HINDSIGHT!!!

In order to establish the strength and relevance the questions I have begun to develop and explore hold within my workplace, it was important for me to be able to share them with other colleagues. From this, I may gage from their initial responses whether to carry them through to inquiry level.

As I have mentioned before in my previous blog, regarding individuals within my SIG’s sharing similar ideas, I thought it appropriate to ask colleagues who I work with daily to share their opinions. This was because I came up with much of the content for inquiry based on what I experience daily at work. The two members of staff that I approached for help were teachers of dance/drama within a secondary school setting. Looking at their responses, my initial thoughts were that they held some similarities to each other, but also to what I had been thinking when writing out the questions originally. Great! I thought this must mean I have a strong set of ideas on which to base my inquiry, they hold merit, the answers highlight similarities… 

It was only when I had a Skype session with Adesola that I have since realised that there may be cause to adjust/rewrite/omit certain questions before my inquiry. Why do their responses highlight similarities? Is this because we all work within the same environment, teach the same students, adhere to the same school policies? Maybe so, but it was also pointed out to me by Adesola that a couple of my questions could be considered ‘leading.’

Does gender have any influence on negativity towards drama?

Does age have any influence on negativity towards drama?

The way that I have worded this implies that I think gender/age affects negativity and as a result, I expect reference to that in answers given. Gender affecting negativity could be a subject of a scientific experiment carried out in schools, perhaps by the government etc., and certainly is not what I wanted to be focussing on in my inquiry.  I have since come to the realisation that my inquiry doesn't need to be so outcome orientated. Instead, it is OK for my inquiry to just focus on gaining more knowledge on an area. By changing the above question to; “How do you feel drama is accepted by students in a school setting?” I am leaving the questions far more open-ended and less bias. I had been under the impression that the results of the inquiry were intended to help improve both my professional practice and others whom I work with. But who am I, aged 23, recent graduate, limited number of years teaching experience, to dictate to far older/wiser/more experienced professionals?! Instead, I should think about the people in my communities being people I have yet to meet in my professional career.

Once again, hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Task 4b: Developing Special Interest Groups

Certainly in my case, I am finding Module 2 more challenging in terms of finding enough time to complete work and keeping my head above water! In that respect, I am in no doubt that I could get together a special interest group based on juggling a career with part-time University tuition!

Within my current workplace, it is not uncommon to work in groups or teams as well as independently. Staff members regularly come together during meetings and briefings to discuss matters ranging from successful lesson plans, to the managing of challenging behaviour.  Whilst I am able to draw parallels from working in groups within the workplace, to the groups I am a part of in my professional networking, staff members congregate regularly to ‘get things done.’ That is all fine and well in a work situation but my inquiry is less about solving problems, rather looking more in-depth into an area I take an interest in.

By forming and actively engaging in groups formed on the BAPP course with people who share similar interests to me, or even similar places of work, I am hoping to expand my knowledge alongside more ‘operational’ structures within my practice. As mentioned above, I am finding I have very limited time during the day in which to engage with other individuals interactively, so it was important for me to be able to find a way of making this process easier to manage. For me, the communication needed to be clear, efficient, and easy to access. 

Following a group Skype session with Paula, a Facebook page for members of the BAPP course on Module 2 has been created. Although generally speaking, one might say we all have similar interests to one another, by actively discussing our thoughts on the whole process of inquiry planning, I have realised the extent to which others share similar ideas – in particular, Della and Steph. I have ensured that members of this group are part of my community outside of the Facebook group, by following the progression and development of their thoughts on their blogs too. I am fully aware of the importance of maintaining contact and communication with my networks, even more so now in Module 2, and that by having a range of means by which to engage with them should make it easier to manage alongside my work.

Task 4a: Developing An Initial Line of Inquiry: Questions

Since the completion of Module 1 earlier in the year, a lot has changed in terms of my professional life. After spending the most fantastic four weeks travelling around Europe over the summer, I have since returned home and started a new job as a teaching assistant/cover teacher in a secondary school. The hope is that the invaluable experience this is providing me with will enable me to begin a teaching course upon the conclusion of my BAPP degree.  As a result, the inquiry and the initial questions that will be generated in order to ‘get the ball rolling’ will assist in the investigation, exploration and evaluation of my new working environment.

The topics that I am hoping to investigate are based not only on my current professional practice within education, but also my experiences on the ‘receiving’ end of the tuition. Ultimately, I hope to explore my final line of inquiry and find that it not only benefits my work and improves my practice, but also the work of colleagues and fellow course members who work in a teaching role.

1.       What factors affect student’s negativity towards dance/drama?

2.       What factors can aid motivation and/or confidence when performing?

i)                    Does gender have any influence on the above two questions?

ii)                   Does age?

3.       Do the skills that are developed in dance/drama aid students in other aspects of their education?

4.       What are your sources of inspiration when teaching?

5.       Do the performing arts subjects still hold relevance in today’s curriculum?

6.       To what extent are the disciplines in the performing arts relevant outside of the classroom?

7.       What are successful strategies for reducing the negative effects of peer influence/pressure within the classroom?

My professional inquiry is a way to learn about what I am doing as a teacher whilst gaining the necessary experience and putting any ideas into practice within the work place. Reflecting on lesson objectives/strategies that may not have been successful and learning from the experience this gives me will improve my professional practice. A self- employed performer who is also a teacher has knowledge about the specific areas of acting or dance but must it is also important that they should understand the concepts and practice of education. As a result, my approach to inquiry may be ‘inter-disciplinary’ in nature, as not only does can the previous description apply to my current situation, but I believe that in taking a trans-disciplinarian approach will aid my knowledge of how to apply the performance skills in a wide variety of settings.

Occasionally, lines of professional inquiry can relate to what is required of an individual in the next stage in their career, as much as it is about solving problems about existing issues. By comparing my practice and sharing my questions with a range of existing professionals in the field, colleagues or not, I hope to bring new dimensions to my inquiry and to be able to look at things from a variety of perspectives. In the same way that academic literature is often peer-reviewed by other experts in order to ensure that the research is relevant, I hope fellow members of the BAPP course will aid me in my investigation, and I in turn hope to be of assistance during theirs. Exploring this topic will help greatly in my teaching in improving my practice and if successful, strategies and successful ideas can be shared with co-workers in order to create a really positive and successful working environment.