Mid-Semester Group Feedback

This is mainly intended for students on WBS3730

I have been following the work of my advisee students on the first module for BAPP Arts. I thought I would like to give some general feedback to them, and any other student on WBS3730 (the first module).

In looking through hundreds of Blogs and comments I think some examples of good practice have emerged for me, and I would like to share these with you to help you, and to stimulate your thinking on these themes. It may be worthwhile to spend the time to look across the whole BAPP Arts Blog-sphere (even previous years) to see if what I am saying holds true for you. I would be really happy to discuss.

Engagement
I believe that the frequency of blogging and commenting vary considerably across the BAPP Arts Blog-sphere, and this can be due to a whole range of factors. But in terms of the quality of thinking and the development of ideas and skills, I think I can see a direct correlation between those who blog and comment frequently and good quality work. Testing out ideas, honing skills, reflecting on what others say … all lead to developing intellectual skills that come through in the quality of work. So engaging the Blog-sphere is very worthwhile.

Quality of Blogs and Comments
Again, there seems to be a great range of stylistic approaches to Blogs and comments. One of the greatest challenges is to be supportive while maintaining a critical perspective on what someone is Blogging. It is too easy (and there are quite a few examples) of individuals simply saying ‘yeah, I like you Blog’. Far harder is to find a mature and critical, yet supportive approach to someone’s Blog. There are some great examples of this, some from very early on in the semester, so do go and search them out and form your own views.

Using comments to improve the skills of critique
I have found some excellent examples of Blog comments. Tracking back through an individual’s commenting I can see some individuals developing their critical skills (assessment; evaluation; reflection). It would be very worthwhile to explore different people’s comments to see these developing skills and to learn from their practice.

Commenting to encourage feedback on your Blog form others
At a basic level, I can see very clearly that individuals who are commenting frequently are also getting far more comments back. So in addition to benefitting from the critical practice of commenting, some individuals are also getting a tremendous amount of feedback from others because they are engaged and commenting frequently.

Supporting others
Notwithstanding the theme above, there are also some great examples of people lending support and encouragement to others via their comments. It is a professional dilemma that we are, in the same moment, competing (for work, for grades, for recognition) and cooperating (to develop our support networks). The earlier we are in our careers (whatever the field or discipline) the more we need support. Early career professional therefore (I believe) need to get into the habit of constantly growing professional networks, and consciously improving current networks. Giving real support to others through comments is an easy way to grow you professional network and to practice the skills needed.

Working with the Conventions
Lastly, one of our ideas about professional ‘practice’ is that it is largely made up of iterative practices (practices that develop over time). These can be built on ‘conventions’ (the way it is done now) and ‘conventional knowledge’ (what we all know in a given field or discipline). So within our Blogs we can reveal and discuss conventions; our shared experiences; our shared knowledge. A small number of Blogs have been successful it demonstrating how the ideas being discussed relate to conventions (either conforming to, or arguing against the conventions). Being aware of, and being able to relate our ideas to the conventions, is an important professional attribute. Simply having a view on something is largely irrelevant. How it compares or contrasts with conventional knowledge and perspectives is far more worthwhile and useful (?).

Final thought. Emulate, don’t copy! The observations and comments above are to say ‘go and find examples of what I am suggesting and say whether it makes sense to you’. In the past I have included links to examples, but I think it is more useful for you to find these yourself. Where you find examples of good practice, engage that individual in discussion, they have something you want! If you can learn from their approach then do so.  To emulate good practice is a great method of learning. I hope this Blog post is of interest and helps, but it would be great also to know of other good things you have come across, or if you disagree with something I have said (academics really do like people disagreeing – we like it -  that’s why we encourage it!).

Thinking about Reflection. ?

This will mainly be of interest to students on the first module (WBS3730).

We know that reflection (of the critical, questioning type) is an essential element of professional practice in any discipline. We know this because practices and contexts change over time. So while we might be educated or taught how to respond to a given situation, we cannot predict how to respond to a future situation, one that may be difficult to imagine or predict. Critical reflection is the thinking process by which we adapt to the changing face of our professional and personal lives.

One way I like to think of reflection is as a practice in itself. As a practice, it is a skill that can be developed, honed, changed and generally experimented with to see how it can be used to good effect.

I posted a while ago on this, and think it is still relevant and may be helpful to you as you further explore what critical reflection means to you: What reflection might look like?

Developing your Support Network (for whatever stage you are at)

As I have been looking through the Blogs I am struck by some good examples of how students on BAPP Arts are supporting each other, commenting to each other’s Blogs, make good observations and giving sound advice. For me this simply reflects good practice in any professional field. Professional work is largely carried out collaboratively, and professional practice is largely conducted through the engagement with, and use of, our professional networks. It is a key professional attribute.

While there are lots of good examples of professional-level interaction (e.g. commenting) I though Liam’s post on his YouTube video serves as an excellent example. One of the reasons for the large number of comments on Liam’s Blog is that fact that he is out there commenting on others people Blogs – giving time to others through your comments are both a learning opportunity (in reflection, analysis and evaluation) as well as a benefit on terms of lots of useful feedback from others. My advice … emulate this practice.

I picked on Liam as an example, but there are lots of great commentators out there, go find them, link to them, comment on their Blogs, share, contribute and benefit!

Starting out on BAPP Arts - Confused?

(this is mainly for new starters but experienced BAPP Arts students may wish to comment)

Starting a new programme, with people you don’t know, at a distance, focused on concepts and principles that you probably have not tackled at depth before, using technologies you may or may not be familiar with. ANYONE who was paying attention would be confused so don't for a second expect that this should all make sense at the beginning. My only advice is to accept the confusion – things will get clearer – access and read the module handbook – we have written them to be as clear as possible. Engage with all the tasks we set out in the module handbook, and use advisers and other students as your support network.

At the core of all learning is the unknown.

Why use Blogs?

Our rationale for using Blogs is detailed on both the Web 2.0 guide and the programme handbook but to briefly reiterate that Blogs and wider social media tools are establishing as a core technology for professional practitioners to interact, share and develop as professional communities. 

It is therefore essential to be practiced at these technologies. As part of the programme, additionally it enables you to interact in learning with other students in a public domain where your ideas are presented, and you as a professional are represented. 

We all therefore have to carefully consider how we engage these technologies.

More from Sir Ken Robinson ... RSA Animate - Changing Paradigms

From time to time I have posted on the ideas of Sir Ken Robinson on education. I wanted to alert you to his RSA Animate talk in October 2010

There is also a really good visual animation version

While those of you who have followed my Blog know my interests in education, I think Robinson very effectively explains why this should concern us all.

Feedback on Student Posts - Some good examples

This post is intended to direct you to student posts that I thought worked well. It is meant to be generic group feedback, so please do not be offended or worried if I have not mentioned you by name. What you should do is visit the posts I mention and see whether you understand and agree with what I have suggested. Its fine for you to have your own perspective, and you should post that as a comment to this post, or the students posts I mention.

Some students are commenting on Blogs. It is very important to take advantage of all the work of others, to read it, reflect on what others are saying, and to consolidate that thinking in a comment. Do read other peoples’ comments. Yu will need this as part of the assessment, but the point is that this dialogue builds good practice. With the current WBS3002 students and the previous group, you have about 80 practitioners taking the same questions as you. Why wouldn’t anyone want to benefit from the ideas and insights of others? It might be worth noting that some of the best Blogs are coming from individuals who are also commenting frequently to the Blogs of others.

On Journal Writing and Reflection…

I thought Nicole provided a very honest and self-reflective post on ‘Journal Writing Experience- Conclusions’. We each approach reflection in different ways and I though Nicole’s post represented a very honest attempt to get to grips with her overall thinking approach. This is the real power of reflection as a process it can open up implicit ways that we think and act to greater explicitness. This is a process of realising our mental processes (its called meta-cognition if you would like to follow up on this theme). I agreed with Stephanie’s comment that ‘you (Nicole) found some unexpected reflections when you asked yourself certain questions from the framework’. I think the use of the framework in the Reader very useful. It is worth reflecting on the fact that we mostly use tools to get a job done. So when tackling the approach we are taking to our own mental processes, it makes sense to ask ‘which tool will help me do this most effectively?

http://missnicolecarman.blogspot.com/2011/03/journal-writing-experience-conclusions.html#comments

More on the Journal Writing Experience …

I was very impressed with the overall quality of Stephanie’s post on Journal Writing Experience

I thought some of the strengths were:

• Exploring the potential of Kolb’s cycle within her own practice;
• Structuring her thoughts using sub section titles to focus ideas;
• Describing and analyzing experiences.
• 
  

Likewise, I thought Leanne’s Post on looking outward was of a high quality throughout.

On Ethics ….

I thought Akin posted an excellent post on Design Ethics that takes a very strong moral stance on the responsibilities of Design as a field of practice. Akin very effectively explores the issues of ethics in an industry that does not have the established ethical code compared with say medicine or law. However, Akin sets out some ethical concerns that reflect my thinking on the issue – that is that ‘codes’ emerge ‘from’ the way we think about ourselves as a society. Nicolas reiterates this idea in his comment to Akin’s Blog … ‘Do you believe that society has already dictated what is ethically acceptable’. You may want to revisit my post on the topic of Ethics, Codes and Philosophy?

On Reflection …

I was very interested in Sophia’s post titled Using Reflection to turn experience into learning to find my own Artistic Vision.

I though it was a really good example of how theoretical models can apply to how we practically think about ourselves in the world. Well of course, everything we think is a ‘model’ in the sense that the world is out there, and we are inside our heads and bodies. The ‘sense’ we make are the models we construct to explain the world so we can operate within it. Sophia demonstrates within her post the ability to make connections between the theoretical and practical, and a confidence in taking the ideas of others (Howard Gardner; Sonal, Stephanie, Paula and Adesola) to help her make sense, in this instance, the process of learning and the Kolb learning cycle.

On this same theme, I thought Leanne’s Post on ‘looking outward’ explored Kolb’s and Gardner’s ideas very effectively.

And more on Reflection …

I thought Sonal’s post on Reflective Graph was really good. Its strength is that Sonal demonstrates her tool for reflectively exploring her student class through the use of mind-maps. I have a strong conviction that we do not have different ‘learning styles’ form each other … you know, ‘so-and-so is a visual learner, that other person is a kinaesthetic learner’. I think we all learn using all the means of interacting with our environment, it is just we get good at using certain approaches at different times for different purposes. What Sonal does here is to show that she has found a really good visual method for thinking reflectively – not because she is a ‘visual learner’ but because we are all designed (notwithstanding a specific disability) to use ALL methods.

I have Blogged on a very wide range of visual tools you might like to visit my post on Visual ways of thinking

Even more on Reflection ...

I thought Robin’s ‘Reflecting On Professional Attitude’ was a really good example of a post which carried a very powerful message about professional standards of conduct and attitude.

We all create or adopt ‘personas’ in our daily lives; it is in our nature to do so. However, Robin takes his colleagues to task because they do not always carry the same high standards of professional behaviour that Robin believes are correct. And for me, that’s right. Operating in a professional way is a complex mix of behaviours, attitudes, responsibilities and role-making and role-taking. I think one of Robin’s concerns is that all practitioners in a particular profession both represent themselves as individuals and the profession as a whole. So a lax attitude to a choreographic routine by a dancer gives the impression that all dancers are lax?

On the Inquiry task …

I thought Verity’s post on the Inquiry task very effectively summed a very familiar picture of the difficulties of progression from training to professional work in dance, musical theatre and acting. However, I think Verity does a good job of setting out her ‘thoughts in some kind of order’. It is this intention and capability that I believe makes such a big difference. The ‘intention’ to be systematic underlies good professional and academic work. It means working to a plan, being clear, recognising all the features of an issue or question, and working through in a clear and structured way. Verity’s post does this well.

I was very impressed with Daisuke’s Inquiry Task post. Daisuke demonstrates a clear and consecutive way of thinking through an issue. He also shows how he challenge’s his own practice and that of others, and where appropriate, using the practice of others as an exemplar. This level of questioning and intention to challenge the ‘current conventions’ is central to good practice in ALL disciplines.

On Professional Communication Technologies …

I thought Kazuka’s post on Professional communication technologies explored a very important theme that was picked up by Peter’s comment and which Kazuka tackled effectively. That is that social media might have started as a clumsy add-on to our professional lives, but are now becoming a core part of what it means to be a professional. To manage your links and professional relationships, to gather and organise information, to represent our ideas, and present ourselves to our target professional audiences is a key function of the web.

Visual ways of thinking

This will mainly be of interest to WBS3835 students ....

A While ago I came across a really interesting set of visual ways of thinking through ideas, and mapping them out in a variety of ways. There might be some real gems here that you could use to think through your inquiry themes?

Ethics, Codes and Philosophy?

Ethics is often presented as a ‘code of conduct’ or set of regulations, things that must be done, to protect others, ourselves, the safety of others … but how do arrive at a set of regulations, codes or guidelines?

Do ethical codes express underlying human experiences of truth about good? Or God-given and sanctioned laws for us to follow? Are ethical codes subject to difference between individuals across cultures and history? Or do ethical codes derive form the relative morals held within a particular society, or part of a society? (I use the terms ethics and morals interchangeably in this Blog).

As professionals, we can understand that there are constraints on our actions that are largely guided by written codes of conduct and unwritten ethical perspectives. It is harder however to understand how these codes come into being. As a human being, it is proper and good to lead a moral life, but where does this morality come from? Is it constant or does it shift depending on other factors?

This is properly the subject of debate for moral philosophers, but I though it might be worthwhile and thought provoking to set out my understanding of the philosophical terrain in terms of the major perspectives on this question:

Subjectivism: This perspective suggests that morality is subject to individual outlooks. If it is good to be a slave owner and you benefit from slavery then the Subjectivist perspective would be that slavery is morally good. Of course the slaves might hold quite a different viewpoint! It is this lack of universality that makes this perspective difficult to defend at times, yet very applicable in other cases.

Consequentialism: This perspective suggests that if some goal produces a happy result, then it is morally good. Morality can be viewed not as a description, but a prescription. In other words, if the result of a moral or ethical code is good, then the moral code itself is good. Thinking of our slave analogy, while a few individuals in a slave-owning society deem slavery to be good because it improved their wealth, the Consequentialist perspective might suggest the desperate suffering of the slaves outweighs the scales against slavery. Therefore, slavery is bad.

Theism (belief in God): This perspective suggests that morality is universal and derives from God. Therefore whatever God decrees must be moral and right. The main challenge to this perspective is it is arbitrary. If a particular god approved of slavery, then slavery would be good and moral thing to engage in. Yet this is nonsensical. While many religions share some broad moral beliefs, they also vary enormously, and have evolved over time. With so many gods saying so many different things, it is difficult to make a Theist argument that morality is universal simply because each religion denies the truth of all the others. We are left with the arbitrary position that morality is simply what a particular god approves of.

Relativism: This perspective suggests that morality can only be understood in relation to the society in which it operates. If we explore a new land and find a slave-owning society, Relativism would suggest that we should not judge the slave-owning society as immoral, because their own moral codes relate to their particular social structure and systems and they might deem slavery to be moral.

Natural selection: this is not strictly the territory of moral philosophy or ethics, but it brings an interesting and new perspective. The natural selection perspective suggests that good or moral behaviour exists because it has evolved over time as a survival ‘trait’. In other words, human societies that evolved specific moral codes have tended to survive better over the generations compared with societies whose moral codes were less than effective. Turing to our slavery analogy, slavery might be more or less moral depending on the extent to which it increases a societies or groups’ chance of survival. Morality is a set of traits that have tended, over time, to increase our chances of survival.

Well, that’s my limited grasp of moral philosophy! I hope it provides some anchor points for you to consider professional ethics in some broader and contextualised perspectives. I can suggest further reading in the form of Peter Singer’s ‘Practical Ethics’. It is one of those books you can keep picking up and reading because it tackles so many interesting moral dilemmas.

I’d also be interested to know whether you think it is sufficient for a professional to know and apply the relative professional ethical codes, or whether you think the professional should be able to relate the code (and their adoption of it) based on a deeper engagement in moral philosophy?

Just two questions … surely not?

This is mainly for WBS3835 students but may interest others …

As we start to work through and explore important questions relating to our professional practice, it strikes me there are perhaps two broad types of questions.

Firstly, what type of inquiry will improve my performance to create, make, interpret or teach my art. This is for me a ‘disciplinary’ or ‘subject’ question. It is fundamentally about how I operate as a lecturer, or you as a teacher, dancer, graphic designer etc. An inquiry located here might give weight to disciplinary knowledge (the ways or conventions or literature that exists and created by exemplary practitioners or researchers). Or it might be practical in nature (the ways we do things and higher-level skills). The inquiry could be to understand something more effectively which in turn could lead to a change or improvement in practice.

The second type of inquiry might focus more on the context within which we practice or the ways in which we conduct ourselves that we often think of as ‘being professional’. This type of inquiry might seek to develop knowledge of understanding of a particular situation, which we wish to influence or improve. For example, how to promote our work or ourselves. It might explore a specific issue that weighs heavily on our practice and that come from outside our disciplines like ethics.

It may be worth reflecting on whether you think your emerging questions are more one than the other?

It may be this compartmentalisation is unhelpful, but it occurred to me while reading Hayley Bence’s recent Blog on Show reels. At first it seemed of the second type, about promoting her practice, demonstrating her skills etc. Mark commented on Hayley’s show reel, and it seemed to me (even as ex-jeweller and not a dancer) that Mark was suggesting some choreographic intent in re-editing Hayley’s show reel. So it occurred to me that the ‘practice of’ and the ‘professional’ overlap and inform eachother in subtle and interesting ways that are specific and personal to the practitioner.

So we started with two apparently opposed perspectives, which now seem to come together more holistically?

How does this impact on your thinking? Are you thinking very much in a disciplinary way, or a more overarching professional practice way, or something that integrates the two? (Importantly I am not suggesting one way is better or 'right'! Just different ways of thinking and for different reasons.

You might like to follow up with the following two links which I shan’t introduce ... but see if either prompt further thoughts …

Agentic Learners Albert Bandura.pdf

Ron Barnett

TED

For general interest ...

I have been following TED for a long time now. TED is the Technology, Education and Design Conference held annually in the USA for an invited audience. The lectures and presentations from the conference are podcast to their website so you can go and look. There have been some extraordinary speakers tackling some of the greatest issues of our time.

My favourite of all time is Ken Robinson, but do go and browse for a while … but beware … you may get hooked!

A bit of housekeeping news!

Hi to everyone who is starting BAPP this January (module WBS3002), and to continuing students (WBS3835 and WBS3861). Over the next few months I will be posting to my Blog some items that are specific to a module, and then some items of general interest. I’ll start my posts indicating who are my main intended audience, although you are very welcome to read all my posts!