Friday 22 September 2017

Feedback and Proceeding Forward


Hi, I hope everybody is well and has had a good summer.

I would like to share my feedback and thoughts after completing Module Two last term. Firstly, my inquiry is based on my teaching of student teachers participating on a 1-year pedagogy course here in Norway.

My feedback was extremely helpful and has led me to reflect further. I seem to forget at times that this course is about my practice and I need to keep that in the forefront continuing into Module Three. I have experienced that I get involved in the “academics” of the course (e.g. composing a literature list, how to write a proposal plan), that I forget the whole reason why I am enrolled on the course! I am still a bit reluctant to discover why I have the perspectives I have, but I know that to proceed, I need to question myself. I have never previously reflected on why I have the views I do. Are they really my views or was a seed planted and I’ve never had the need to think about them or reconsider them?

Receiving feedback about my literature review had me contemplating about what have I learnt in the past 30 something years I’ve been teaching.  Without a doubt, my practice has been traditional (in relationship to the culture I live and work in), and I have been, to a certain degree blind to developments within the dance world. I have been recommended to extend my reading as I tend to separate body and mind in learning. The theory of Dualism was something new to me and I have been advised to look into literature (i.e. Dewey) that bridges the dualist tradition. I too, need to expand my knowledge about teaching and learning that are not so obvious to me. Claxton and Atkinsons’ book The Intuitive Practitioner: On the Value of Not Always Knowing What One Is Doing has been recommended.

It was pointed out that I need to employ in a stronger engagement with the Skype discussions and blogs and this is a valid point. I find these modes of learning quite challenging. I do understand the value of these learning methods, and I am determined to be an active participant in the coming months. Overcoming certain obstacles in the Skype talks, (that may give the impression I am more of a listener than a contributor), is an element that I wish to improve.


Samantha

5 comments:

  1. Samantha,

    Listening is the first step to being a student, friend, or teacher. I sometimes feel as if we get sidetracked in Skype discussions and then my focus shifts from where I need it to be. I was criticized in an undergraduate class for not contributing enough to discussions in class. Then the instructor really me let me have it because he felt my work showed I had something to say. Yet talking for the sake of making noise is not necessarily productive. Speaking to say something makes me think of pets performing tricks on command.

    I try to bounce my reflections of Skype discussions into the sounding board I refer to as the blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Thanks Davis for your reply. I'm going to try for this module to allocate more time to relect over the Skype discussions before posting on my blog. Time to improve my reflection skills and diguest all the interesting conversations that occur!

      Delete
  2. Hi Samantha,
    Thank you for sharing your feedback, your feedback is very useful to me as well because I guess you are not the only one still trying to expand your views. 'Not always knowing what one is doing' seems to be an interesting phrase for us in Module 3. I think it is important to go through this last module by not anticipating the outcome and by challenging our views. To be in an uncomfortable situation of not knowing what one is doing and to be in the 'now'... I am convinced that sometimes it can be very beneficial to not expect anything in particular, or in advance. Sometimes an article, a dance or a music piece can tell you something very valuable in a way you didn't expect it to do. So extending your reading (and listening and watching...) is important, and I need to remind myself to do so as well. Being attentive and taking time for reflection and questioning will be crucial and it will help you to see you and your practice from a new perspective.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes,you are so right! As I replied to Davis above I am going to find the time to reflect more and try not to be intimidated by what I don't know but embrace the new knowledge and discoveries this module may provide. Sam

      Delete