Critical Reflection on the developing ideas of ‘Structured Improvisation’

MAINLY FOR MODULE 1 STUDENTS but of interest to others perhaps ...

This is my account of the campus session today, 28th February 2012. Please look at student Blogs for other takes on what happened.


At the campus session we explored the topic of critical reflection. We decided to raise and discuss an issue … in effect to practice the process of critical reflection. The topic that quickly emerged was the issue of reconciling the necessary structure (of curriculum, learning outcomes, learning objectives, lesson plans) with the need to react in the moment to the needs of students. (while this was an issue about teaching, the group thought it also applied to Choreographer-dancer and director-actor realtionships).

We coined the phrase ‘Structured Improvisation’. 

“Structure’ was seen as curriculum, learning outcomes, learning objectives, lesson plans and representative of standards and the manifestation of control. 'Improvisation' was seen as adaptive in the moment, drawing upon your own ‘memory bank’, reactive to students’ needs, a spontaneity, instinctive, and perhaps non-verbal or text based approach or practice. On reflection, this seems unecessarilly ‘opposed’ as an idea, but that is how it emerged in the session. Both aspects were seen as important, and toward the end of the session it was suggested that Structured Improvisation represented an attempt to create different balances between controlling and instinctive teaching practices depending on the needs of learners.

We also discussed some of the underlying reasons for the state of national curriculum and the diverse range of learners in a school setting and how the teacher can respond to both ‘delivering’ national curriculum while responding with more versatility and adaptability to the needs of students.

The most important outcome for me was to be a participant in a session where everyone was contributing to the process of critically reflection. The key points that came out of the session for me were:

a.    critical reflection is a process to be engaged and can be honed as a skill (likened by one participant to ;’muscle memory’);
b.    the reflection element is natural to us humans – we all do it – but to be ‘critical’ is to not accept the obvious or easy first thoughts, but to stay with the questioning, asking better and deeper questions;
c.    I thought that critical reflection is best structured around honing better questions.

When thinking about the initial proposition of ‘Structured Improvisation’ in teaching, I had the following questions:

1.    What is it?
2.    How did it come about?
3.    What is its purpose?
4.    Who does it?
5.    Are there different approaches?
6.    Who has previously commented on it – what did they say?
7.    What other ideas are associated with it?
8.    What relevance does it have to me?
9.    When does it occur?
10.    How is it engaged?
11.    What does it look or feel like?
12.    What does it mean?
13.    What value do I attribute to it?
14.    What values do other attribute to it?

Finally, it should be borne in mind that the idea of Structured Improvisation is a bit of theory making, but the session was really about the act of critical reflection in action. Structured Improvisation was simply the idea we were reflecting upon. Nevertheless I think all participants went away thinking about teaching in a slightly different way?  It would be interesting to know if they do and in what ways?

I will post some podcasts to BAPP YouTube made at the session.

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.

Critical Reflection on The Networked Professional course reader

I thought it might be useful to signpost an example of a critical reflection, in this instance by Ross Dunning (although there are numerous others across the programme community).

I think it is really worthwhile to read and comment to Blogs to help your developing critical thinking. Blogging your ideas and then commenting builds a dialogue with yourself and others, and like any conversation, has the potential to build deeper understanding and insights.

You might like to see my comment to Ross. I have tried to indicate an area for further thinking.

Here's the link to Ross's Critical Reflection on The Networked Professional course reader.

Do try and keep up the effort in Blogging and commenting even if it seems a little artificial at times. Remmeber, what we are doing is trying to build critical reflection as an ongoing practice so it is as important to keep going as it is to produce exemplary work.

'The I' - 2007

Haunting piece by Sean Feldman
and Monika Wydrowska

http://www.rmwdance.co.uk/video/video_theI.html

Work Based Learning: Journeys to the Core of Higher Education

Here's the link to a recent publication frrom Middlesex University's Institue for Work based Learning:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Work-Based-Learning-Journeys-Education/dp/1904750192

Amazon provide the 'Click to look inside' function.

'Established' and 'Establishing' Practioners

I have been thinking for quite a while about the needs of professional practitioners across a range of fields. How do newly trained or educated practitioners transform over time into experienced insightful and flexible professionals?

...and what role do Universities have in this, especially when we can accompany newly establishing practitioners through work based learning programmes?

Defining Professional Practice

I wanted to develop a possible definition of professional practice to support my students. This is my initial thoughts:

Professional Practice might be understood to mean any work that demands a high level of specialist knowledge, that is sustained and developed over time, and which is guided by trans-disciplinary principles and conventions.

Professional practice has grown in importance for both individuals and work organisations in recent years and has several important features. Firstly, individuals value the status they believe that ‘professionalised’ work implies as it mimics some, if not most of the conventions established in the chartered professions. Secondly, the professionalization of occupations has provided a useful anchor in the development of standards of professional behaviour that has raised the expectations of society from workers. Thirdly, in a ‘super-complex’ world, the notion of professional practice has offered the individual worker the means to explore, understand and establish their own set of professional principles and conventions in types of work not previously considered worthy of such status. This has enriched work and made it special for the worker with the resulting benefits to both the worker and recipients of the work.