Thinking, Talking, Change

This evening's Discussion group was facilitated as an Artist in Conversation with Dance Artist and Choreographer Becky Namgauds.

A few thoughts for further thinking in relation to your MA study from hearing Becky talk about her work;

• The nature and value of collaboration - look at what emerges when you are open to looking at the potential in the relationships between things, not just sticking with what you know.

•  Relationships between art and life - hierarchy, patriarchy, inequality, power, control - look at how these constructs manifest in your practice, profession, society - these structures are at play throughout societies, what are the ways in which you can question, challenge and resist absorbing the structures that impose upon you. 

•  Being vulnerable  - learning to talk about your practice, your artist and pedagogic processes (Module Threes especially big hint) Start thinking about how you communicate what you are doing in your research in and of your practice to others in the arts profession. Use your blogs to pracitce, use these discussion groups to find your voice, ask questions, share things that are a part of your practice and journey!
  

Spring Break now...

Next Sunday Discussion group is an addition to the schedule so please do note the date: 

SUNDAY APRIL 18, with Dr Sam Murray, Performer/Composer, Activist and Policy Researcher,

Look at the work of others...

 A reminder to look at and consider the work of others around you, those who have gone before you. What questions have already been asked, what areas have been explored in art-based practices, how might you join the conversation?

A reminder that you, your practice, your research ideas, your research do not exist in isolation. 

Look, listen, question your own narrative as you build new frameworks for learning.

 

 

 

 https://www.ted.com/talks/thelma_golden_how_art_gives_shape_to_cultural_change?referrer=playlist-why_art_is_important_to_democracy

 

what are your thoughts?

Mid-Term Supervisions

A note to draw your attention to the schedule as we approach the mid-term point and spring break.

Mid-Term Supervisions March 22-26

These are a chance to meet with your supervisor to discuss your work to date. 

For module one's sending in drafts of an AOL essay this week, this is a great point to have a conversation/feedback exchange about this.

For module two's you could use this to go through your MORE applications and discuss your literature review for your inquiry proposal.

Module three's it would be great to have conversations around how your data collection has been going and talk about your plans for analysis.

You should book in your mid-term supervision this week in preparation for the week of March 22. If I am your supervisor please book via doodlepoll - my availability for this week is posted there. 

If Adesola is your supervisor please respect that she is on sick leave and not responding to university emails. Please email Angela- a.woodhouse@mdx.ac.uk to arrange a supervision with her for the week of March 22. 

 

We have our next Sunday Open Discussion Session on zoom  

Sunday March 28, 8pm (UK)

with guest artist-in-conversation Becky Namgauds

Spring Break - March 29 - April 11

Please note there are no supervisions available during this break and emails sent should not expect a response until April 12.

Drafts:

As you work on and send drafts of work please take the time to save your work with your name and module number - saving work as 'AOL1' or 'Lit Review' on your own computer might make sense but be mindful that as we receive multiple drafts titled that it is not helpful to know whose work it is!  Please also use the feedback exchange form to ask specific questions of the work you are sending for feedback, remembering this is to open a discussion of your work not to ask if it is on the right track.

Ethics

 Last night we had a session with a module two focus we touched on areas within the framework of this module 

Literature review  - what have others said before you, how can you learn from buidling a map of what is around you, your subject area, how do you understand research design better by reading from the work of others experiences?...Sam has blogged on this recently also, do take a look and comment. https://sammurraymapp.blogspot.com/

Theoretical Frameworks - what is shaping and holding the space of your inquiry? Remember you are not expected to become philosophers here but you are expected to form opinions, values, a sense of your Self in the world and let this stance underpin your approach to research. Again, look at the work of others around you, what are they saying, how does it resonate with you? This is not about 'picking' a methodology for your research but more figuring out how you approach things in a way that is meaningful and informed.

Ethics - We touched briefly on ethics being multi-layered and the need through this phase of the MA particularly to look at the Ethical Considerations of your proposed inquiry AND the Ethical Procedures. There are clerly relationships between the two aspects of ethics here and it is important to think about the ethical considerations, the possible implications and impact of your inquiry on others (this should be discussed in your proposal) and to adhere to a process of ethical procedures - these are the actions you take to minimise harmful or negative impact of your research on others - this is addressed through your MORE application (online - Unihub).  Use the process of addressing the MORE application as a way of helping you to think about your ethical considerations. Look at the questions you are being asked in the MORE form, these are the questions you need to be asking yourself of your intended plans for the inquiry. What are your aims? What work have you considered already in this field? (literature), How will you approach the research? (methodology), How will you carry out the research? (methods), Who will need to participate in your research and WHY? Question the boxes you tick particularly around methods and participants -what is going to support you in understanding more about your area of inquiry, NOT who can you ask the questions of your research to and get answers. 

 

There is a recording of a session specifically on the MORE application process on unihub on your programme pages in the folder titled MORE - do watch it for reference.

Think of research as a journey of adventure (into your practice), rather than a hypothesis to prove.

Share your thoughts in the comments and continue to think through your blogs together...

RPL claim and AOL draft

 Drafts are intended to initiate a feedback dialogue (verbally via a follow up supervision on skype, OR written via email) with your supervisor, they are not usefully used to ask if things are 'right' or sent with an expectation of receiving corrections, by way of a pre-marking opportunity.

Please do receive feedback as an extended discussion of your work and send a draft with the Feedback Discussion Form, noting the specific questions you have on this draft of work that you would like to initiate a discussion with.

Often feedback contains prompts for further reading, suggested texts/practitioners to look at, comments regarding the level of critical thinking/analysis in your writing over overly descriptive personal narrative approaches etc.. Feedback comments are not telling you to 'correct' something and re-submit, but more trying to help you to move your thinking and writing on as we see the process of your work developmentally.

With this in mind, when you have received feedback on a draft of work, please take time to read and consider comments made, come back to your supervisor asking to extend the conversation, arrange a skype is you have further thoughts and questions as a result of the feedback, but please not to send a 2nd draft asking if the work is now correct, or continuous re-drafts up until the submission date.

At MA level we put our trust in you as professional people and see our role as supervisors as guiding you, being a critical friend, promting, pushing your thoughts, challenging sometimes in order for you to develop further. We are not testing you getting things 'right' we are interested in your engagement and curiosity about your own work.



RPL claims:
As you work on your AOL essays and developing your RPL claims for submission on Monday April 19th, please just send ONE AOL to your supervisor as a draft, (draft deadline March 15) NOT ALL AOLS. From the feedback discussion on this regarding content, structure, context, balance of theory and practice etc you should be developing all subsequent AOLs independently. 

Please make sure you complete the RPL claim sheet as a cover to your claim when you submit it in April.

The claim sheet is a really helpful way for you to identify clearly to us and the Accreditation team at the university what you are making a claim for academic credit for, how you are seeing this claim in the context of your professional practice and within the context of a wider field of practice and scholarship. Please give some thought to your AOL titles, making sure that they are clearly identifying the Area of Learning that you are addressing in that essay, that they refer to the discipline of your practice (ie: 'The use of imagery', would be more effectively stated as 'The use of imagery in teaching classical ballet'). Please do ensure that your AOL titles are not longer than 60 characters in length, if they are this simply delays the process of them being accredited as they will come straight back to us for revision. The claim sheet does have examples to guide you in how and where relevant information should go, please do follow this and don't forget to include your professional practice statement at the top of the form where indicated in order to offer context to the whole RPL claim. If you are not claiming all 80 credits required through this process this term, that is fine as long as you have agreed this in conversation with your supervisor but you are expected to still note all the AOL titles on the RPL claim sheet, noting that the credit for these is not claimed at this stage. 

Please note that Prior Accredited Learning is considered at Level 7 (PGCE, ISTD Fellowship for example) and up to 30 credits of agreed prior accreditation may be claimed which is at level 6 (ISTD Licentiate for example where the Fellowship has not beed obtained, you cannot claim for both). Any Prior Accredited Learning that you may have at levels 2-5 may be considered as you reflect on your areas of learning but should not be noted as Prior Accredited Learningon your RPL claim form.

Please note in the RPL folder on Unihub there is further information and recordings of skype sessions where Adesola and I have been talking through the process.

Theories and Frameworks - Sunday Discussion Group

 Today we had a conversation on practive led by Angela. 

Through sharing examples of her making practice as a contiuum of processes of thinking and questioning Angela offered an insight into some of the theories she has been engaging with through making, of space, time, light, the ephereal image, bodily-spatial relationships through a framework of collaborative making. 

While the different works addressed the particular environments of their creation and situation the questions running through them were being explored through the artistic process.

 

Angela will share additional resources and links to her work on her blog: 

https://angelamapp.blogspot.com/

We encourage you in this programme to look at the frameworks that are holding, shaping your practice and offer the notion of theories as ways of looking at and unpacking some of those frameworks. How might you unpack the framework of the body for example by understanding better theories of the functionality of the fascia? Or how might particular theories of 'the body' through a lens of social-cultural, historical perspective help you to unpack dominant assumptions in your practice around what constitutes a 'the body'? Start to notice assumptions and look at different theories as ways of opening the door to seeing things from other perspectives...

This is hopefully a life-long task and the MA is inviting you to being to scratch the surface of some of these frameworks. 

Some interesting questions were raised today around democracy, inclusivity, participation - We invite you to consider these frameworks further now through your blogs, commenting on each others to continue conversations and allowing yourself to enter the process of questioning...not to solve, answer or correct something, but to enter a process of unpacking some of the theories that may open pathways to seeing frameworks differently. 

 

 

Sunday Open Discussion Group

 This Sunday March 7th, we have our Open Discussion group ay 1pm (UK time)

The zoom link for all Sunday discussion groups is on unihub on your Programme Page.

This session will take the idea of Theories and Frameworks as a focus and Angela will open the session sharing from the perspective of her own making practice as a dance artist. 

Do give some thought before the session to the ways in which you feel theories and frameworks manifest for you within your practice and through the module you are engaging with in order to contribute to the discussions.