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.

Reflecting on formal learning, feedback and professional practice

One of the challenges of ‘formal’ education (School; college; University) is that it sets out certain conventional ways of doing things. You know, a classroom is like ‘this’; a lecture is like ‘that’. And those conventional ways of doing things, the ‘conventions’ of education, bear little resemblance to the actual ways in which we conduct our professional, working lives. The conventions of education perhaps are built upon the preferences and conveniences of the educator more than the needs of learners?

One of the conventions of schooling at all levels is that the teacher is dominant in the relationship. It’s a ‘master’ and ‘apprentice’ model that I think permeates all educational thinking from the ancient to the current.

As learners, indeed as professionals engaged in learning, I propose that we need to think differently about the act of learning. I think we can think of learning as something that is not ‘transmitted’ by the master to the apprentice, but something constructed by learners themselves (if interested, you might do some follow up reading on Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky ideas of social constructivism and education). If this makes sense, then the teacher’s role is to enhance the opportunities to make meaningful and worthwhile knowledge constructions. Additionally, it might mean that anyone, not just the teacher, can contribute to the process of learning of another individual.

This is why we have created, and want to engage in a learning community, and to see your Blogs as more than complying with assignments, but far more than that. They are one way of connecting with professional practitioners within the programme and very importantly, with professional practitioners beyond the programme. The Blogs, and other technologies come to represent the way we are all developing our professional networks, and how these networks can contribute to our learning.

So when we come to think about feedback, you might get a better understanding of why your teachers are giving such prominence to the ideas and comments of others, over our own. We want you to find and appreciate the way forward by seeing good practice around you, rather than seeing what the teacher thinks as the dominant ‘voice’. It is our conviction as teachers that the professional conversations you strike up and develop (on the programme and beyond) are what matter, not what you teacher thinks. I believe our role is to guide and enhance those conversations, and to place value on the extent and depth you make of these links and conversations.

These conversations happen in real life and online. The online version for us is partly a practical thing – we all cannot be in the same place at the same time. But also it opens us to the world and the ideas and work of others who share our interests. Online also allows us to present ourselves, and represent our qualities and thinking. It also can represent the use we can make of real conversations, observations and reflections in real-life. This is something of equal important to me and those of you, who, like me, are established professionals, as well of those who are just in the process of establishing yourselves. Others will look you up, and your Blogs will speak volumes about you as a serious, intelligent and active professional person.

So our Blogs are not just about the programme, but present us, and represent our qualities as professionals. Keep Blogging, and see your Blogs as something that will continue and be part of a richer, more dynamic presence that you are creating for yourself.

You might like to look at: the Seven Habits of Highly Connected People

Feedback on 'Links to work from people I admire'

There have been a great number of really good ‘Links to work from people I admire’. Here are some examples and my reasons for bringing them to your attention. Please note these are examples rather than a list of the best in my view. Do go and look at the other Blogs and form your own views:

Tasha's Blog has a lot of good content, but I particularly liked the section on ‘The Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries. In this section Tasha identifies why she admires the work of the Centre and identifies individuals involved and gives the sense that she knows the work of the Centre well.

Sophie Gilbert’s Blog on Bob Fosse is very effective. Sophie gives an extensive a detailed explanation of why she admires Bob Fosse, with links to various other resources and sources. I had trouble with one broken link: ‘Presentation of the Festival and News’ however the overall effect was very informative, and gave me insight into the work of Fosse and West Side Story. The strength of this Blog is the variety of sources and Sophie’s strong commentary.

Murat’s Blog on Chickenshed ‘Chickenshed from Murat Shevket’ is a great Blog. It’s short and communicates Murat’s passion and commitment to Chickenshed. This is a feature of the Chickshed ‘crew’ that I have come to recognise but Murat captures this very nicely. We all could emulate this to our credit.

Melissa’s Blog on Alvin Ailey's and Revelations is another wonderfully respectful and passionate Blog. Melissa demonstrates knowledge of the development of the Ailey School and the context of the development of Black Dance in the U.S.A. Incidentally do go and look at the revelations link. Also, and for you Melissa, go to ADAD who support the development of Black Dance in the UK. ADAD is run by Jeanette Bain who is a graduate from Middlesex University MA Choreography if this is a helpful link.

Laura Bentley's Blog on Matthew Bourne is very effective in that Laura provides a detailed and analytical explanation of why she admires Bourne and his work. It’s very important to make a distinction between admiring someone or something, and knowing why. I thought the Section on Lance Armstrong was very inspiring, but the Bourne text was stronger for me because it unpacked Laura’s analytical skills. You will see some Blogs (but for that matter essays and other writing) that is passionate and interesting, but part of what we are also doing is developing our powers of understanding and knowledge creation.

Danielle Stacey’s Blog on Pete Purdy is really worth reading. Danielle manages to talk us through a critical phase in her creative and technical development – having been taught by Pete Purdy and then his untimely death. What I find good about this Blog is Danielle’s ‘centeredness’. She clearly feels the loss but appreciated the value gained from being taught by Pete Purdy. The professional is often also the emotional, but what Danielle does is show how you can maintain a professionally strong perspective even through emotionally difficult situations.


Well that's a few Blogs that caught my eye ... but to finish this part of my feedback, I also wanted to say something about Blogs I don’t admire so much and these fall into two categories:

1. Links with no explanatory text leaves me wondering what the Blogger is thinking;

2. Text with no links make me wonder if the Blogger has really looked and researched the people they admire – given how easy it is to link to external sources, is looks a bit weak and lacking richness.

What do you think?