I just wanted to say 'Hello' as your new student voice leader. My contact details can be found in the 'Programme Voice Folder' which is near the bottom of your module study page. Please email me any thoughts both good and bad about your experience so far.
The purpose of the role, is for me to feed-back anything positive and non-positive, you may be experiencing, so the information can be used to make any improvements necessary.
We have a PVG meeting next Tuesday, I'm really sorry, but I won't be in the group chat on Sunday morning as I am flying at that time, it would have been an opportunity for you to share your thoughts with me, so please do email me (before Tuesday) with anything you think needs to be discussed
We had a pre-meeting chat with Adesola which raised some interesting points;
Firstly there is a folder in the 'Programme Voice Folder' called 'Student Sharing Space', this was created after the last PVG meeting. The idea of the folder is that we as students can put in 'hints and tips' for other students, to share what has worked well for us. As you will note it is empty, mainly due to the fact we didn't know it was there! It would be great if we could all add something that would help make the journey smoother for everyone else on the course. If you have any tips, please email them to me and I will get them added to the folder.
Secondly, Adesola and Helen would really like to help us create ways to function better as a community. As a learning environment, we can all sometimes feel very isolated. Any ideas that you think would help facilitate us feeling more connected would be very welcome. With this in mind, I wonder whether a whatsApp group would help the blogging process, we could whatsApp when we have posted or responded to a blog, allowing us to engage in a more immediate way than is occurring at the moment - I would be happy to set this up, email me if you think this is a good idea and would like to join, or if you have a better suggestion. (email details in the PVG folder)
Thirdly, I anticipate there will be issues you want to share, but please also let me know the positives, all courses need to justify there existence in the current financial climate and I believe this course offers a really unique learning experience and we should celebrate that too.
Hope to hear from you soon
xx
Friday 28 February 2020
Friday 21 February 2020
My MAPP map and MORE
Having worked my way through the handbook again, I am beginning to see it as a map (a MAPP map) and like all maps the more you get to know the terrain the easy it is to spot your route through it.
On my first journey through, all the roads seemed equally interesting and I spent a lot of time meandering off the beaten track.
Second time; I was more aware of where the routes would lead but still got diverted by points that interested me on the way.
Third time and I'm able to keep to a focused journey, there are still byways I want to explore, to see if they lead somewhere surprising, but I'm now secure that the map (handbook) will steer me back to where I feel I need to be - Hooray a little progress.
I also took a look at the MORE form - I'm quite adept at grant forms, my process is to look at the actual form as early as possible. I fill in all the sections I can immediately (name, address etc), note down all the questions I know how to fill in, but need more time to do them justice. Then I note all the sections that don't mean anything to me and need more research. All I can say is even for someone used to forms, it's large! My advise would be to familiarise yourselves with it as soon as possible.
On my first journey through, all the roads seemed equally interesting and I spent a lot of time meandering off the beaten track.
Second time; I was more aware of where the routes would lead but still got diverted by points that interested me on the way.
Third time and I'm able to keep to a focused journey, there are still byways I want to explore, to see if they lead somewhere surprising, but I'm now secure that the map (handbook) will steer me back to where I feel I need to be - Hooray a little progress.
I also took a look at the MORE form - I'm quite adept at grant forms, my process is to look at the actual form as early as possible. I fill in all the sections I can immediately (name, address etc), note down all the questions I know how to fill in, but need more time to do them justice. Then I note all the sections that don't mean anything to me and need more research. All I can say is even for someone used to forms, it's large! My advise would be to familiarise yourselves with it as soon as possible.
Thursday 20 February 2020
The Power of Pina
I understanding from the handbook that the bases of a good, strong research project is grounding myself in a 'theoretical framework' a structure to build my research questions and methods on.
Recently I have come to understand (through feedback from my supervisor), that my actual understanding of who I am is in flux; my philosophical framework, my practice, my ethics, my lived experience - has all shifted and I have been trying to base my understanding on things 'I used to be sure of'
So before I moved on with module two - placing myself in a theoretical framework for my research, I thought I better go back, right to the beginning, and rediscover what is and what isn't important/relevant/interesting/necessary to both my practice and who I am.
I have spent the last few weeks revisiting writers, artists dancers, films and friends, who have had an influence on me - Frankly it has been a joy!
My journey culminated last Friday night at Sadler's Wells with a performance of Pina Bauch's 'Bluebeard'.
I have always loved Bauch's work and wondered whether time and my recent reflections would change my experience of it.
When I dance I understand through my embodied experience the power and necessity of the connections we make. Through dance I feel what is to be understood.
When watching dance, I have often wondered at the disconnect between dancer and audience, there is a pleasure in the experience but it is less visceral, diminished somehow.
Pina's work always enters my understanding through my emotional experience of it, I feel no need to analyse it, dissecting it for meaning, the meaning is the experience, undiminished.
It was a great way to draw to a close my exploration of 'me' and begin my exploration of my research; it's methods and frameworks.
I have a little catching-up to do, but all research is good research and will lead me somewhere I'm sure.
Recently I have come to understand (through feedback from my supervisor), that my actual understanding of who I am is in flux; my philosophical framework, my practice, my ethics, my lived experience - has all shifted and I have been trying to base my understanding on things 'I used to be sure of'
So before I moved on with module two - placing myself in a theoretical framework for my research, I thought I better go back, right to the beginning, and rediscover what is and what isn't important/relevant/interesting/necessary to both my practice and who I am.
I have spent the last few weeks revisiting writers, artists dancers, films and friends, who have had an influence on me - Frankly it has been a joy!
My journey culminated last Friday night at Sadler's Wells with a performance of Pina Bauch's 'Bluebeard'.
I have always loved Bauch's work and wondered whether time and my recent reflections would change my experience of it.
When I dance I understand through my embodied experience the power and necessity of the connections we make. Through dance I feel what is to be understood.
When watching dance, I have often wondered at the disconnect between dancer and audience, there is a pleasure in the experience but it is less visceral, diminished somehow.
Pina's work always enters my understanding through my emotional experience of it, I feel no need to analyse it, dissecting it for meaning, the meaning is the experience, undiminished.
It was a great way to draw to a close my exploration of 'me' and begin my exploration of my research; it's methods and frameworks.
I have a little catching-up to do, but all research is good research and will lead me somewhere I'm sure.
Sunday 9 February 2020
Don't re-invent the wheel!
I had been going round and round my bubble-circles of ideas for my research inquiry, with each circle another realisation, another question I need to ask before that question, before this question, before I reach the question that is relevant to my 'nagging thought of inquiry'. When I remembered reading in the handbook 'Don't reinvent the wheel!'
So I thought about my research questions - especially the ones that I feel I need to understand before I can carry out my research, but I don't want to make my whole research about them. I typed them into Ecosia (a new search engine that plants a tree for every search you do) - And WOW, there was a whole world of articles, books, Ted talks, choreography's to help me fill in the gaps and begin to hone what it is I am really curious about. It's like leap-frogging forward instead of wallowing around stuck and overwhelmed.
I haven't read, watched, listened to them all yet, I am in my foraging stage - but it's great to know they are there, I feel like I have a team of great dance artist and researchers in my corner, who's interests overlap with mine and who's hard work is something I can use to help me turn my 'nagging thoughts' into a fully fledged inquiry question.
So I thought about my research questions - especially the ones that I feel I need to understand before I can carry out my research, but I don't want to make my whole research about them. I typed them into Ecosia (a new search engine that plants a tree for every search you do) - And WOW, there was a whole world of articles, books, Ted talks, choreography's to help me fill in the gaps and begin to hone what it is I am really curious about. It's like leap-frogging forward instead of wallowing around stuck and overwhelmed.
I haven't read, watched, listened to them all yet, I am in my foraging stage - but it's great to know they are there, I feel like I have a team of great dance artist and researchers in my corner, who's interests overlap with mine and who's hard work is something I can use to help me turn my 'nagging thoughts' into a fully fledged inquiry question.
Monday 3 February 2020
Looking Back - Moving Forward
I am excited to be starting module two and getting stuck into the process of pinning down my research inquiry, but it seemed appropriate (on this course) to begin module two, by looking back and reflecting on our learning from module one.
I learnt a lot from the process of the AOLs and the final essay and with the help of Adesola's feedback, I came to understand that it is something about ending and beginning again (the part in the middle) that enabled me to clarify my thinking to begin to move forward. I think I explained this a little better in my response to Adesola:
"it was interesting to me that the moment the essays were submitted my mind starting understanding the theories that threaded through Module one in a more complete way, as if in the act of ending everything became clearer. It is possible, with more time, I would have reached the same understanding and articulated this more clearly in the essay, however, I feel it has something to do with the process of finishing and beginning again, as you and Helen have said ‘the place in the middle’ that helps connect the learning."
Connection is so important for the learning process on this course and I am determined (like others have said) to make full use of all the exciting connections made possible by the blogs and Skype. For those who are starting module one I wanted to post a little thought I had in my 'review of learning' essay about the learning journey this MA affords us and the connections we make;
I learnt a lot from the process of the AOLs and the final essay and with the help of Adesola's feedback, I came to understand that it is something about ending and beginning again (the part in the middle) that enabled me to clarify my thinking to begin to move forward. I think I explained this a little better in my response to Adesola:
"it was interesting to me that the moment the essays were submitted my mind starting understanding the theories that threaded through Module one in a more complete way, as if in the act of ending everything became clearer. It is possible, with more time, I would have reached the same understanding and articulated this more clearly in the essay, however, I feel it has something to do with the process of finishing and beginning again, as you and Helen have said ‘the place in the middle’ that helps connect the learning."
Connection is so important for the learning process on this course and I am determined (like others have said) to make full use of all the exciting connections made possible by the blogs and Skype. For those who are starting module one I wanted to post a little thought I had in my 'review of learning' essay about the learning journey this MA affords us and the connections we make;
"I
understand each student on this course comes from a different set of
experiences, the connection we have is this MA and dance. The combination of
learning from this MA and our prior experience, is unique for each of us, the
connections we make allows knowledge to develop in a connectivist way. By blogging about our reflections and ideas,
we are each adding to the learning journey of the whole group, by framing these
journeys in this MA, enables us to move forward individually but connected. Through
Skype and blogging, I encounter theories and knowledge I didn’t know I was
looking for, sometimes this causes immediate development of learning, affecting
my research and sometimes it adds to my ‘slow-cooker’ of ideas, to dip into
when ready."
So, welcome to all those beginning the journey, I am looking forward to hearing your unique perspective, and for all us 'veterans' thank you for all the inspiration so far, I'm going to do my best to share my journey, research, theories and ideas as often as possible.
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