MORE form discussion session - 23.03.21

The Middlesex Online Research Ethics form has been lingering in my brain for a while now. On Tuesday, we were fortunate enough to have an additional session where Helen walked us through the MORE form, and I found it extremely helpful. So many useful points were made, but the following were most significant to me...

• It is okay to use short sentences and bullet point answers. Before this I was attempting to answer my questions in an essay format so that I could copy and paste it into my inquiry proposal.

• It is okay to not provide a lengthy answer every question - if the question asks if you anticipate any negative impacts, if suitable, the answer may be 'I don't anticipate any'. 

• If interviews are being used, they need to be in a public place and a debrief must be incorporated.

• Participants should have the right to give no comment and/or have the interview terminated at any point. They also have the right to decide if they no longer wish to be part of the study even after their interview. However, this decision must be made within six weeks so an arrangement can be done to find another participant. 

Before, I wasn't confident or satisfied by the answers I was providing, however, I now feel that it is not so daunting. I am excited to open up my MORE form again with a different perspective.

Just a little reflection

Can anyone else relate?

Since schools went back after lockdown, I have found it challenging to balance work and study. I am now utilising any spare time I have to work on my Literature Review, MORE form and Inquiry Proposal. It is safe to say blogging has been the last thing on my agenda, so I thought it was about time to do a little catch-up blog...

Writing my literature review really helped me pin-point an inquiry title. I began by reading literature around the topic of teacher/student relationships in dance education. Many themes popped up such as self-esteem, authoritarianism, power balance (or imbalance), care, dialogue and the role of the student. However, these themes did not initially help with my aim to find an inquiry title. I had to map these themes and discover what I really wanted to find out from my research. This led me to realise that I actually wanted to know which aspects of the teacher/student relationship best support the student's learning experience. I am excited to see what my research unveils next module.

I have been working through the MORE form and proposal together and admittedly have found it really difficult. I began Module Two by reading all about what is meant by a qualitative non-positivist approach to research and felt fairly confident that I knew what I was going to do. However, whilst writing about methodology and data collection methods in both my Literature Review and Proposal, I realised I was unsure which approach would be most valuable to my research. There was a lot more to consider; what would make the participants feel more comfortable in sharing, how I could best support them and what am I really wanting to get from my data collection, as well as considering the 12 weeks time frame. I have been looking further into ethnography and narrative research to discover which approach would best suit my inquiry. Although I have a rough idea, I am hoping to discuss this further in my mid-term supervision this week.

Although I am facing these challenges now, I can't help but think that at least I will have something to write about in my Reflective Essay... 

I hope you are all well :) 

Educating the creative heart

Thank you to everyone who read my last post and shared their stories! It has really encouraged my thoughts to progress...

I had a very interesting supervision with Sam yesterday. It was lovely to express my ideas and have some new ideas fed back. Although I have not yet decided on my inquiry title, I have chosen to go with the theme of 'student/teacher relationship in dance'. I find this theme fascinating and feel that this idea would be most beneficial for my future practice.

As an SEN teaching assistant, I recognise that by building positive relationships with students is extremely important to their learning and development. But when I reflect this on education in dance, it's like entering a completely different world. I now question whether dancers would have a better chance of success if they had better relationships with their teachers.

I also came across an inspiring (yet comical) TED Talk entitled 'Every kid needs a champion'. Rita Pierson (a professional educator) discusses how every student deserves a teacher who understands the power of connection and insists that their students become the best the can possibly be. 

Here is the link if anyone is interested. 

What I am noticing during my research so far is there is some great literature that discusses the importance of a teacher/student relationships, but not so much in dance education, especially in the most recent years. 

To be an artist is extremely challenging, and it can be particularly difficult for students with big ambitions who are uncertain about the future. It can be even harder if they don't feel supported by their educators. (Buckroyd, 2000)

So, what do I think makes a good dance teacher?

I already know that to be a good teacher you need to be organised, trustworthy, creative, patient and knowledgable. But is an emotional connection as important to students studying dance?

I once had a dance teacher who I will never forget. I shall name them X for the purpose of this blog...

X always had time to talk to students about issues out of class whether it was personal or about dance. X gave feedback in a positive way and their use of dialogue was professional, fair and reassuring. X wasn't intimidating, but strict enough to get the best out of students. X was passionate about dance, and this was obvious in all lessons. All students wanted to respect X because X always showed respect to students. In my eyes, X had all the qualities of good teacher physically and emotionally.

I am concerned that I am using my own assumptions to help me find an inquiry topic, therefore I would be very interested to know what you think makes a good teacher, whether that be in dance, musical theatre, acting or music? 

References

Ballet Papier.  2021. [image] Available at: <https://www.balletpapier.com/about-us-and-what-we-do> [Accessed 4 March 2021].

Buckroyd, J., 2000. The student dancer.  Cecil Court London: Dance Books

TED, 2021. [video] Available at: <https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?language=en#t-430329> [Accessed 4 March 2021].