Relevance and Value...

So I'm aware that it's very much heads down time for all of you now as you enter the last leg of your module, so keeping it brief with two words for you all, Relevance and Value.

Whilst heads are down and writing is happening keep in mind what is relevant (to you, to your area of study/research) and what is of value (to you, your profession, the university).  Try and look through the words you type on your computer at intervals and see your own reflection in the screen as a little reminder.



Helen





Dates for your diaries
Sunday May 4th - Group Skype Chat for all 11am
Tuesday May 13th - Submission of all coursework
Monday June 2nd - Finalist Presentations 11.30am-1.30pm The Upper Forum Studio, Hendon Campus, join us to support Hopal and Gillian as they share their research projects.

Mid-term check in...

A brief check-in/check-list for you all at the half-way (ish) mark through this term...

Taking this an an overview check-list but remembering you're all working to YOUR own pattern in terms of time/work/study/home balance.  Don't panic at this stage, but do talk to your advisor if you have concerns at all.  Often just talking through what's bothering you can help you to find a way through.

We are here!

 <aonthephone> - Adesola

  <helen.kindred2> - Helen

Module Ones - Compiling a list of your proposed AOLs (Areas Of Learning) following feedback on your annotated CV/Job Description.  Noticing the areas in your prior learning that you have made reference to in your CV and beginning to build a picture of yourself/your practice from this information.  Share your list with your Advisor and then draft the first AOL with guidance/feedback from us before setting off on writing the others.  Begin to collect/collate evidence to support these claims for prior learning, remembering that evidence can take many forms; maybe you have certificates from CPD courses attended, programmes from events you have organised, dvd of your choreographic or performance work?

Module Twos -  Thinking about and noting what you are reading to begin to form your draft literature review.  Noticing patterns emerging in your line of inquiry, beginning to sketch out your proposal for your research inquiry.

Module Threes - Research underway, keeping those questions coming, allowing space for more to emerge, checking in with your advisor when you need to.

ALL - continuing to share and support each other via your blogs, keep breathing, keep going!!

Join each other Sunday April 6, 11am for our next Group Skype.

Remember you can arrange a one-to-one with your advisor at any time also

With all good wishes,

Helen

Grade waiting...

Apologies for the delay in you all getting your grades through on UniHub from your previous module.  Just to let you know the delay is for all, no-one has been forgotten!  There some discussions still taking place between the External Examiners and the Institute for Work Based Learning at Middlesex.

I hope this will be resolved this week and Grades published very soon after.

Thanks for your patience!

Helen

Creative Habits...

Some mid-week food for thought for you all as we ponder pedagogy / andragogy, males / females, people, life, dance...


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/creativity-habits_n_4859769.html



What are your thoughts?


Helen

What have you noticed?

So, I've been talking a lot with my BA dance students this week about taking time to look around them and to note in some way, what they notice.  This came up through choreography workshops and my concern that most of my students were desperately searching for inspiration, ideas to choreography 'about' outside of them/their own interests.  The idea of actually noticing what they notice, what's around them, what they feel about it seemed quite novel to them as a starting point, to begin to explore through movement.

It made me think of the way we can distance ourselves not only from our surroundings but from our 'selves' too; missing out on the opportunities that may be right there within/around us through not being open/able to see them.  Why do we see 'things' -  research, choreography, as separate from us, when it is us, our experience of the world around us and our place within it that offers us a route to our understanding of these 'things'.

An embodied approach to learning suggests that we learn through our experiences, that experience is knowledge, so how can we expect to understand things if we hold back from experiencing them, by seeing ourselves as a separate entity?

With appreciation for different learning styles and routes in needed for each of us, it is important within the MAPP DTP to find your way through to an embodied experience, to begin to understand your prior learning from the experiences your different roles have offered you (Module Ones), to begin to recognise and value what interests you, how you feel about it in relation to how you situate yourself within the world around you, your social, cultural, political, philosophical views, and how what interests you may already be spoken about by others from similar/different stances (Module Twos), and Module Three's to really immerse your 'self' in your research project, following your curiosity, noticing what you find and how you feel about it, how your experience of your research offers you understanding and knowledge.

See what you notice, see what you think...

Look forward to catching up with everyone in our group skype chat
next SUNDAY MARCH 2, 11am.

Helen

You don't always need a plan...

A nice quote I came across today...particularly thinking of those of you setting off with Module Two this term : )

You don't always need a plan.

Sometimes you just need to breathe,

trust, let go and see what happens.

(Mandy Hale)

Have a good week...

Helen

Settling in...

A week of adjusting, noticing, reading, thinking as you all begin the first steps of your next MAPP journey

Great to talk with most of you during our Skype group call last weekend, hoping the general fear/excitement is slowly tipping more towards excitement this week!  Thanks for sharing your thoughts through your blogs this week too!  Don't forget to check-in with each others if you haven't done so yet.  All of our blog addresses are listed on the LibGuides page:

http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/content.php?pid=290681&sid=3466977

A brief check-in for the first week's learning:

Module Ones - Making sense of the module handbooks, talking to your advisor if you have any questions.  Starting to look at your CV as your first task.  Try to really begin unpicking what each role has involved in terms of the learning embedded in it.  Begin to get into some sort of study routine, check-in on each others blogs as well as ours and writing your own, weekly if you can.

Module Twos - Try to start embracing research as part of you, something that is all around you, that you do on a regular basis, without necessarily articulating it as such prior to now.  Try not to hold it at arms length as something separate to you.  Maybe look back over your AOLs and start to see what you notice in them, what questions you may have within certain areas, or identifying threads of conversations running through them.  Drawing up a framework for yourselves working back from the assessment submission date for this module (May 13th) was something that was suggested following your apprehensions voiced last weekend.  Join the Linked-In MAPP Dance Pedagogy discussion group, read back through previous discussions see what you notice there, what others have said, what questions you have.

Module Threes - Talking with your advisor.  Looking at your Gantt chart, looking at your research proposal and the feedback you've received on it.  Reviewing what you have proposed to do, and working out how you might begin doing it!  Share your research areas/ideas through your blogs, start talking/writing about what it is that interests you, what you are researching.  See what comments you may get from others.  

Date for your diaries - Sunday March 2, 11am Next Group Skype.

Remember you can arrange a one-to-one with your advisor at any time also

  <aonthephone> - Adesola

  <helen.kindred2> - Helen

All for now...

Helen