Tara-Jane

I feel like it’s been a while since I last wrote on my blog so I begin by mentioning that my second module will start on Monday 28th Jan 2019. This Monday ahhhh!!! I’m still waiting patiently for my feedback and grades from my advisor from my module 1 but I am starting to worry as i haven’t heard anything as of yet. I wonder how I got on and what I need to work on ? I suppose I will recieve some response this weekend or maybe Monday morning..... Our last Skype session Sunday 2nd December 2018 with the MDX dance community was all about communication, how do we communicate within the classroom or with our students or teachers. How do I communicate with my students who have special  needs? How do I alter my communication skills within a classroom with toddlers to adults. What do I say differently how do I act ? Do I change my voice tone or body language. This Skype session really helped me to reflect on my previous teaching experiences and methods as well as acknowledging how I commun...

Tonight’s Skype session 4th November 8pm (London time) with my class mates involved “embodiment” and different ways of learning.  Personally I feel like my writing process so far has been difficult; as discussed I express myself through dance and as a performer and dancer I feel reflective writing is a difficult process. I feel by reading several literatures it helps me discover my own experiences and understand my own knowledge.  ‘Art as Experience’ by John Dewey gives different understandings of having an experience and I feel when I read someone else’s questions and answers I am able to then reflect and write on my own knowledge and experience.  By listening to someone’s point of view it helps me remember and understand my own work. Literature I have read has provided different expects and connections on knowledge and different approaches which also helps with my own reflective writing. David Kolbs learning cycle has helped me understand my own teaching and learning st...

So this week I have been going back and forth with my cv looking in depth at my experience as a choreographer/teacher and student. As the deadline for submitting our AOLs fast approaches I start to panick as I’m overwhelmed with all my achievements and experiences over the past 6 years. Since 2012 I have had a huge interest in community dance and inclusive practise. I’ve always enjoyed community dance and seen and experienced the benefits it has for everybody in the community from young people to adults and non disabled or disabled people. After my experience and knowledge growing within community dance I started to broaden my thoughts and practition into inclusive dance. Inclusive dance has been a huge topic when I critically reflect on my teaching and studying knowledge. As I’m looking through my cv I’m reflecting on my time as a student, remembering the reason I chosen professional dance as a MA and the reason why I love and enjoy my job. I start to reflect and critically think abou...

What excites me in my daily practise ? What do I admire ? What gets me enthusiastic? What makes me angry or sad ? What do I love about teaching ? What don’t I understand ? Like John Dewey I have been thinking about ways to talk about my experience and what having an experience means to me. I have used deweys term of reflective writing to start this essay and throughout will be comparing my reflection on teaching and my reflective thoughts with resources and researchers such as Kurt Lewin, David Kolb,and J Moon to name a few.  Like Dewey I believe reflective thinking is “careful consideration”. “Active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposes form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends” (Dewey, 1993). Like Kolb I believe I learn when involved in having a “concrete experience” Kolb describe this as ‘doing something’ which helps me recognise knowledge and experience more. I’ve always been a very sl...

This blog will be a start to my journal writing experience. I’ve never written any of my experiences down before so this will be amazing to look back over in the next few months. It’s all valuable experience within my professional Practice course. I have choosen to write about an event I worked at over the summer. The event was for Newham council. My role was to promote my dance classes, hand out leaflets, interact with members of the public and get them involved in dance games and different activities. In this blog I would like to reflect on my day beginning with my how I felt about the event and what I was expecting from the event  Key facts to think about: Initial reflection  Mood  Unexpected happenings My thoughts  My feelings Evaluation: What went well What worked  What did I learn What if ? Another view: writing about the event from another perspective 

Knowledge to me is an networked product. Knowledge to me is something you have experienced and learnt along the way of either your professional practises or day to day lifestyle. Like George Siemens I believe knowledge comes from networking and people gain more knowledge and experience through social media.

Here’s some of my ideas from the past few weeks. I have been working on critically reflecting in my professional practise as have been really thinking on these questions to help me start writing my first module. The questions as follows... How have I presented myself to the learning  community ? What are the ethical implications of how I have represented myself ? Ideas having a impact on how I think about myself  What affects my actions have ? I’m finding different methods and ways of teaching everyday