As you are all now in the depths of your respective module's work and busy figuring out how to communicate your thoughts and ideas in writing I wanted to blog a note about permission giving.
Whether you are opening windows to past experiences through reflections in Module One, mapping out the landscape of your potential research project in Module Two, or giving light to the emerging themes of your research through Module Three, it is vital that you give yourself the permission you feel you need to share your voice publicly.
Discussions with each other through your blogs, linked-in and Skype calls are great for bouncing ideas, listening to and processing alternative perspectives, as are the conversations you have through one-to-one tutorials with your advisor, but ONLY YOU CAN DETERMINE WHEN YOUR WORK IS SAYING WHAT YOU NEED IT TO SAY.
We have talked during Skype group calls about the student/teacher relationship that we aim to facilitate through the MAPP DTP, and that not being a traditional - teacher holds all knowledge and student waits to receive that knowledge. Whilst we are happy to offer another voice, a more critical, questioning voice perhaps to your ideas, our intention is really to hold space for your ideas to form, emerging from you as they are intrinsically about YOUR professional practice. You do not need anyone outside of you to tell you when something is 'right'. Please do try and use tutorials and the sending of drafts of work via email as an opportunity to ask questions, hear an alternative voice rather than expect permission to go ahead to come from your advisor.
We do not mean this as 'you're on your own', far from it, in developing the on-line MAPP community we want you to feel supported and part of a community of learners/practitioners on this journey, and as your advisors we are very much walking it alongside you...but not for you.
Give yourself the permission, the space, the muddling needed to know when you're communicating what it is you intend to.
