Learning Blog Entry 3

In order to completely understand what is being asked of me I have gone through the handbook and written each activity on a separate post-it, with the page number on it for quick referencing, and stuck them all on a large piece of paper. This has enabled me to produce an action plan because I can now clearly see everything that needs to be completed.

I did activity 3 – I found answering set questions was very helpful. This is because you cannot brush over a point just because it might not suit the current idea. It brought up some interesting points. I also made brainstorms with ideas and found this really got my brain thinking critically about what research topics may work.

I am currently working in Dubai as a teacher mainly however when we actually have to do the proposed project I will be working as a performer in Greece, a country in which I currently have no teaching connections. This change in careers mid-project has made the whole ‘topic’ decision a lot tougher, because I have had to really question my resources and role as a worker-researcher.

Here is a list of the research ideas I have come up with - I have found it very hard to really get myself thinking as a researcher and to come up with ideas that I will be able to do whilst in Greece, but that still hold an element of education (because education is why I wanted to do the degree.)
Here in Dubai I do not really have anyone I can discuss ideas with (This is another reason I have found the topic choosing so difficult.)
I have brainstormed and asked myself the appropriate 'research' questions about all of them.

1. What are the Physical/Health repercussions of a dance education? - I originally thought to focus this on 5-8year olds but being in Greece I thought it would be best to focus on adults because I could then study the dancers and non-dancers on the resort. I thought this may be too researched already though? Should I stick to the child idea as it is more researched?

2. How can teaching and performing benefit one another? - the title for this is not so clear yet, because if I choose it I don' know whether to focus it more from a teaching or performing benefactor point of view? I would be the centre of this as I am a teacher and performer and thought I could look at people who do both compared to just perform/teach.

3. Do those who study drama and dance become more skilled dancers than those just studying dance? - I am interested in this topic and feel it will benefit my work most of all, however I think it may be hard to do whilst in Greece (but if I get ground work in place now it may be ok?!) and I don't think there is much research on this topic already.

These ideas have all mainly come out of the question 'benefits for children doing performing arts.' I realised this topic was too vague and extremely researched already.

A question I keep asking myself is: If I do these topics, will all of them allow me the right to put education (or something of that nature) in my degree title? I want education in my degree title because I am doing this degree to enhance my teaching career.

Activity 2

Activity 2

An influence that is not mentioned in table 3 when acting as a worker-researcher is the fact you will personally know the people who can help you complete the research. This is an advantage because you can keep on top of gathering data. This is due to the fact that you will constantly have contact with the people who may be completing a task or a questionnaire to help you. Therefore you can easily check on progress, gather information and refine as the task is completed – this allows action research to take place more easily.

Activity 1

Case Study: Detailed example study to answer a research question. Any research method can be used, one is chosen in accordance of appropriateness for the task.

Critique: Critical assessment. Analysis about a certain article/action/finding.

learning blog entry 2

When drifting in and out of sleep I always come up with ideas. I have thus realised that there is no point forcing thinking time as it only leaves me with worries that I am not going to come up with any creative inspirations.

While daydreaming a research idea came to me: How teaching the arts improves your own performance skills.
This idea is closely related to me as I am a performer and teacher.

What can I do?
• Think about how I myself have improved through teaching
• Observe other teacher/performers – questionnaire
• Observe performance and employability levels of just performers compared to those who teach aswell.
• Find writings on this subject – are there any?

What could I achieve from this?
• ???????????
• I can’t think of any valuable thing I could take away from this project apart from the interesting knowledge.
• Possibly get vocational schools to include a teaching module in their course to improve performers and also allow them to improve teaching skills, because so many performers teach as well as perform and after.

I have realised I work more productively when I am in the company of others. This is because I do not feel forced to concentrate, therefore concentration comes more naturally. And I also like being able to discuss ideas with other people. I discovered this by working alone and working in a room with other people (even if they ate doing unrelated things to me.) I find light and infrequent conversation between each other allows me to focus on the task in hand for longer. My need for conversation to keep me focussed might come from primary school in which I had a teacher who was insistent upon light chatter circulating constantly.

I keep switching between reading a research book and then fiction book for pure enjoyment. This way I do not get over-loaded with information and have time to divulge the research I have just learnt. The fiction book allows me to keep my brain active, compared to switching to watch television during which I am always falling asleep! I find I remember the research information better this way. This learning thought as inspired another research topic idea: Do pupils that do singing. drama and dance consecutively (eg. In a musical theatre class or round robin) become more skilled than pupils who do all 3 disciplines at different times in the week?

What can I do?
• Observe skills of children in separate classes compared to Musical theatre/Round robin
• Ask other teachers about their observations
• Read research material on this area – is there any?
• Think about my own experiences and friends


What could I achieve from this?
• Ideas of how best to run classes for myself and other schools
• How I should actively train myself

Learning Blog

What is the new module?
It is about planning a research project, learning how to research and ethical issues surrounding it.

What is research?
In my mind it is a process undertaken to provide knowledge of a subject and answer to a question.

What do I have to do?• Learn research related words
• Learn how to plan
• Chose degree title and give justification
• Learn about ethical practices
• Chose research project – workshop a number of ideas
• Learn about research subject chosen

Start thinking about.....
1. Two topics for your project
2. research to support that topic
3. Two things about the topics that you already know
4. Two things about the topics that you dont know
5. Question the things you know and dont know about the topics

Start doing ..........
1. Read guidance notes
2. Read book by Bell ( especially chapter 1 and 2 )
3. Read Paula's, Peter's and Rosemary's blog

What did I learn and achieve from the last module?
• Harvard referencing
• How to write academically
• How to write descriptively
• How to write to market something
• When different writing styles are appropriate and the difference between them
• How to reflect and analyse work in order to improve upon it
• My areas of interest and what inspires me, and what I am not interested in and understand why
• How to blog and use a blog as a professional tool
• I gained an improved CV and biography
• I used the writing styles in order to produce marketing items for my theatre school, plan/gain knowledge about what I aim to achieve with children and why parents should send their child to my school.

I read first 2 chapters of ‘Doing your research project’ by bell. Main things I learnt are:
• Different research approaches
• Find a personal knowledge priority of a topic interest in order to help form research question

Research Brainstorm
I tried to read handbook on computer and couldn’t focus on it. When I printed it out and could physically touch it my concentration was much higher and I was able to understand. Being able to do something physically, as simple as hold and highlight paper as I read heightens my ability to learn. My own enhancement of learning by doing has started me thinking why this is? – Research idea!

I am a dancer, it is a doing physical activity – I could focus my project on learning benefits of dance.

I teach children dance – I could focus my project on a certain age group.

I spoke to my tutor (Paula) on skype about the module as I was unable to attend the campus. After our conversation the module aim was much clearer. Paula made me realise I need to be the centre of my research project in order for it to be achievable in the time available.

I have so many ideas in my head, all based around the same topic – benefits of child development through performing arts. This is what I focussed my academic writing on. Doing that piece made me want to investigate more! Due to the fact I will be working as a performer in Greece when we have to do the proposed project and I am currently working as a teacher in Dubai I am worried I will not be able to do the proposed project. However I currently have no other formed ideas in my mind!

I definitely want to focus on something educational as I chose to do this degree to enhance my teaching career that I wish to pursue full-time when I stop performing. I don’t need this degree for my performing career as a dancer as it will only improve my theory and practice knowledge not performance ability. I want to have the word education in my degree title. Therefore I have to focus my project on something education based.

How can I access children doing dance when for research purposes when I am not teaching?
Talk to teachers I know and ask for co-operation
Ask some parents to help, and inform me of their child’s development
Visit dance schools in area I am living

What books may help inspire research idea performing arts education based?
Early years curriculum outline handbook – learnt about areas of development.
• Personal, social and emotional.
• Communication, language and literacy.
• Mathematical.
• Physical.
• Creative.
• Knowledge, understanding of the world.
Could focus research on a specific development area?
How can dance help them achieve these things?

The Art of Dance in Education – learnt about teaching models
• Professional
• Educational
Interested in how these increase child development
Which has more results?

new module!

Starting to think about the new module! Been 'highlighting happy' throughout the handbook, trying ot figure out exactly what to do! Already learnt quite a few new words, not sure what to do with them though!

Been bouncing ideas around my head about what my project could be about. I am finding having so much scope and no boundaries very daunting - what to choose, where to start! What ideas are other people having, maybe they could inspire me?! Currently thinking about researching 'the benefits of dance in physical development in 5-8 year olds' - does this sound like a valuable project and the right sort of title?

The benefits of Performing Arts on Child Development - draft 3

The Benefits of Performing Arts in Child Development

"Performing Arts Education is not about creating future artists. It's about enabling dream-making to happen in all students." (Horin 2008)
The above statement is in need of attention by all the cynics that are of the opinion the performing arts is just a way to fill time and is not worthy of academic respect. There is now substantial evidence to support that there are many educational and social benefits to doing performing arts. In the following article I hope to illustrate these benefits.

Many mothers take their young daughters to ballet. This is proven by the amount of ballet classes across the world littered with little girls. After completing a personal survey it was discovered that the main reason for this is simply because their daughter wants to wear pink and has seen Angelina Ballerina, not for beneficial development. However the latter reason should not be over-looked and time after time it is.

The amount of fathers that have not allowed or encouraged their son to take classes in the performing arts because it is ‘not manly’ (Hugh Lavery 2009) is staggering. If the benefits of children partaking in performing arts was more widely spread hopefully this would help parents to be more actively encouraging and enrol their child in to extra-curricular activities.

Research recently conducted by the University of Maryland (2007) focused on the linkage between children's participation in activities such as acting or music lessons and the positive outcomes in schools and a child’s emotional development and behaviour.

The research shows participation in performing arts is linked to positive outcomes in school, emotional development, family life and behaviour. ‘What's interesting is that kids not involved in any kid's activities were more socially immature and had a lower self-esteem’ (Horin, 2008 cited in Brightstars 2009)
Research shows that performing arts activities play a central role in cognitive, motor, language and social emotional development.

Doing dance has a tremendous impact on the growth of every child. There is strong evidence to show that it strengthens problem solving and critical thinking skills. As Hall has observed (2008 pp 5) “Dancing can also reduce obesity, guard against osteoporosis, improve posture and muscle strength and increase fitness generally”.

Acting and drama lessons improve intelligence and communication levels. Working with scripts helps improve reading and general knowledge skills and doing tasks such as improvisation develop imagination and self expression. Supporting evidence appears on the government website Performing Arts Local (2008) ‘...acting encourages self-discipline, diligence, self-expression, calmness, and fulfilment.’

Exposure to singing and music allows children to easily access emotions as songs hold different feelings and can quickly change. The quick mood changes in songs help children to realise emotions are not something to be scared of and change naturally. In a report titled ‘The benefits of Music on Child Development’ (2002), it is stated that the learning of music assists with primary mental abilities (verbal, perceptual, numeric, spatial) and motor-skills. Different styles of music introduce children to cultures across the world and make them more accepting of different races to their own.

According to the Report published by Australian Bureau of Statistics 42% of children aged between five and fourteen years of age participate in organised extracurricular activities, such as dance classes, singing, drama and playing musical instruments (Brightstars 2009). These children are proven to be better developed socially and academically.

Overall it can be seen that the performing arts provides many positive effects on a child’s development. There are countless classes in every country around the world providing the opportunity for children to develop with performing arts. The easy accessibility to performing arts classes paired with the evidence supporting the benefits to partaking in them will hopefully inspire more parents to sign their children up for classes be them male or female.

References
• Horin, A, 2008, ‘Busy Children appear to do Better’, The Sydney Morning Herald [online], 29th September. Available from http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/busy-children-shown-to-do-better-20090407-9z0y.html [accessed on 16/11/2009]
• Spencer, A (alysx@hotmail.co.uk) (12/11/2009) Survey on Performing Arts Views, Personal email to H. Lavery (hughlavery@gmail.com)
• Horin, A, 2008, as above. Cited in http://www.brightstars.com.au/benefits-of-acting-classes-singing-classes-and-dance-classes.html [accessed on 16/11/2009]
• Hofferth, S., Kinney, D., & Dunn, J. (2007) The hurried child: Myth vs. reality. Life Balance: Biological, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives on Lifestyle and Health. University of Maryland
• Hall, T, 2008, A Report to Government on Dance Education and Youth Dance in England, The Dance Review [online], Page 5, Available from: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-00908-2007 [accessed 20/12/2009].
• Performing Arts Local, 2008. Why Enter the Performing Arts [online] http://www.performingartslocal.co.uk/why_enter_performing_arts.asp
• Borgese, P., Ciares, J., (2002), ‘The benefits of Music on Child Development’, http://www.paulborgese.com/report_benefitofmusic.html [accessed 24/12/2009]
• Brightstars, 2009. Cited in http://www.brightstars.com.au/benefits-of-acting-classes-singing-classes-and-dance-classes.html [accessed on 16/11/2009]