Emily Richards BAPP Blog

I feel like at the start of module two there was a real focus on how we shouldn't have a set question and the point of module two is to develop our route for our enquiry. All of a sudden the focus seems to have changed very quickly to 'what is your question?' At the start of module two I had an idea of the inquiry path I wanted to go down and I haven't strayed far from this as I have progressed through this module. How can a dance teacher create a positive role model for their pupils? Do dancers look at their teachers as role models? Should a dance teacher be a role model for their pupils? How can a teachers actions in lesson inspire their pupils? In what ways can dance teachers ensure they are a positive role model for their pupils? If anyone has any feedback on my questions this would be greatly appreciated. I am struggling to steer away from the term 'role model' but I feel it makes for a simpler question.

Reader 5 I have found to be a more interesting read than some previous readers. I have particularly found the case studies interesting and thought provoking. This has allowed me to gain a better understanding of ethics and how they apply to my work as well as my inquiry. Ethics sets out moral principles which help a person distinguish between right and wrong. As my work involves children, ethics have even more worth, as they are there to protect the children and allow them to be treated equally. There are three main contexts where ethics are considered in reader 5- Personal Professional Organisational These all contribute to the promotion of social good in the larger society. Code of conduct, which is covered in task 5B is involved in professional ethics One thing I have taken away from reader 5 is that ethics is not only objective and can be subjective. By sticking to ethical arguments that are based on objectiveness it will be easier to get a clear outcome. When creating...

My second literature review has been taken from The American Psychological Association - ' The Motivational Theory of Role Modeling: How Role Models Influence Role Aspirants’ Goals Thekla Morgenroth University of Exeter Michelle K. Ryan  University of Exeter and University of Groningen Kim Peters University of Queensland' This piece of literature is research into role models, it does not relate directly to dance teachers or even teachers in general, but this will help me gain a better understanding of how role models work and also on the people who they are being a model for 'role aspirants'. The study focusses less on the role models themselves but the people who the role models are inspiring and the motivational processes on their side, the research calls these the 'role aspirants'. Leaders do not exist without followers, therefore role models do not exist without the role aspirants. "role models are seen as those who motivate ...

As the school I teach for does not have a specific code of conduct or set of guidelines to follow, I have looked online into what code of conducts, rules, guidelines and expectations teachers are expected to have and to follow. After reading these, they seem to be common sense and are things I would do as a teacher anyway, without have them as a set of rules to follow. Obviously some of them would not apply to dance teaching directly, but many of them can be adapted to relate to my work. I am not surprised to see what is included in the rules and expectations for teachers, and feel like some of these I covered in task 5A. And some of the things that I found, were not things I covered in task A, but I feel that I do in my practice anyway. Safeguarding  is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of  children  and protect them from harm.  Safeguarding  means: protecting  children  from abuse and maltreatment. preventing harm to  c...

As I work for a private dance school and not in a public school, there is not a set of rules, a code of conduct or any training specific to the school that you need to go through. These are my personal thoughts on the ethics I need to follow as a dance teacher. Permission for photos for social media or promotion purposes. Full DBS Check. Hold dance teaching qualifications. If I want to slightly adjust a child's alignment (e.g an arm in second position in ballet) I would ask first. Treating every child the same, but identifying individual needs. Being an appropriate role model. Stick to timings and plans, so pupils know what to expect. Keep parents informed of any mishaps (fall outs or falling over in class). Keeping my boss (owner) informed of the above. Make sure uniform rules are applied and adhered to by all pupils. Allow toilet and water breaks where necessary. If children are too young to go to the toilet on their own, ensure a helper or parent goes with them. ...

Approaches to Lying I have always been an advocate for a little 'white lie ' a small lie that will cause no harm, but may help someone or avoid a bad outcome. The reader explains someone who would do this as a consequentialist. Someone who sees lying as always wrong is a deontologist. For example telling someone they look nice rather than hurting their feelings. I personally try to be honest in these situations, as I would want someone to be honest with me. However if someone cooked me something that I didn't like, I probably would lie, to avoid hurting their feelings. i ould class this as a 'white lie' This made me think if I ever use this in my practice. I thought with Christmas coming up a lie many parents tell their children is about the existence of Father Christmas . And I feel that this is absolutely an acceptable lie to tell children. As Christmas approaches I am sure i will say to some children 'Santa watches dance classes remember, he knows...

Case study two - Ethics in Photography was a  very difficult read. A photographer, Kevin Carter, who took 20 minutes to take a photo of an eagle spreading its wings, instead of helping a dying girl in Sudan who was trying to make her way towards water. The photo won a prize but Carter took his own life due to the guilt he felt for not helping the girl. There are many conflicts of interest in this case, the lack of intervention from Carter was fully justified, however he was instructed not to touch anyone and the ethical role of a photographer is to observe and not to interfere. This is a terrible situation for the photographer to be in, stuck between saving a life and following rules. I personally know what I would have done. This makes me think of many times where I watch wildlife programmes such as Planet Earth, Blue Planet etc., where you see many animals being chased, attacked and killed by other animals, or them struggling to cross dangerous and treacherous terrain or ...

An Ailey Dancer Loyal to His Miami Roots and Mentor By  JORDAN LEVIN OCT. 9, 2017 Continue reading the main story Share This Page https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/arts/jamar-roberts-ailey-dancer.html?emc=edit_th_20171010&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=58095287   Levin, J. (2017).  An Ailey Dancer Loyal to His Miami Roots and Mentor . [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/arts/jamar-roberts-ailey-dancer.html?emc=edit_th_20171010&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=58095287 [Accessed 16 Oct. 2017]. This article is an account of Alvin Ailey dancer, Jamar Roberts and his relationship with his dance teacher and mentor Angel Fraser-Logan. In an interview with (Levin 2017) it explains how Roberts came from a deprived area of Miami, where a  hurricane Andrew caused devastation for his family in 1992 and with parents struggling with drug addictions Roberts said how his family became " poorer and poor...

First stop. My local library.  It has been years since I last visited a library, (apart from the ship library when I worked on cruise ships) but I wanted to expand on the varieties of sources I use. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get books specific enough to relate exactly to my possible lines of enquiry, but as Adesola said in a group chat we may have to piece information together.  I accumulated books on dancing, books on teaching and children book on exercise.  I was quite disappointed on the lack of books on dancing. Second stop - google This is my main source of information when researching. I found tons of articles, but this time some were more specific to my area of interest.                                                    Third stop - Uni Library - Summon Much like most of uni hub I found this diffic...

I have been discussing my ideas with fellow teachers at the school I do the majority of my teaching in. I was talking about how I had an idea of a line of enquiry I wanted to go down, this was an idea I discussed with Paula during module 1. I was careful not to assume anything whilst explaining my idea, as this was something that was discussed during the last Skype call. I went on to ask further questions that could help me better understand how to approach my enquiry. Do pupils look forward to a class on different levels depending on who the teacher is? What teacher based factors that contribute to the pupils having a more positive experience in class? Does having practical experience within the performing industry make a difference on how you are as a teacher? Is it important to have practical experience as a teacher? All these questions I hope will help me understand how pupils see teachers and if they see them as someone to aspire to be like. Moving forwards I wou...

In order to better understand what a special interest group is , I wanted to understand what SIG's I am already a part of. I found this very similar to module 1 when we were asked to identify our networks . I don't know if I am the wrong lines but I feel the two are very similar? I will hopefully be focussing the remainder or my studies on the BAPP course and my inquiry on my practice as a dance teacher , if there is anyone else who is thinking along the same lines and would like to form a SIG with me so we can discuss experiences or ideas within our practice and possible lines of inquiry within our area of interest, then let me know. I'm sure there could be a lot gained from doing this!

We had a really interesting Skype yesterday (however I was unable to talk for most of it, due to being in a room with a meeting going on). However it was really helpful and even though at times I felt even more confused about where to go from here it definitely made me think more about my practice and possible lines of enquiry. The chat was with Adesola, Ann and Jessica. As the three of use on the course in this chat all have dance as our primary practice I felt we could all really relate to what the others had to say. Do not assume. This was something I took away from the chat. I was talking about role models and I assumed everyone would know what I meant, however we all had different views on what a role model and a teacher would be. This has made me realise that throughout the remainder of the course I maybe need to state what I think is obvious, but may not be for others. After all we all think in different ways and have different experiences.

This was my first group discussion, as I had not managed to make any of these during module one. The chat was between myself, Adesola, Eleanor (module2), Matt (module1) and Selene (module1). After having a general chat about what we had been working on so far, we spoke about the module 2 task of 'wondering'. The theme of the chat stemmed from this and Adesola asked us about our view on perfection and how does this reside in our practice. For me personally as a performer you can work and practice a movement or sequence and keep going until you have reached what you consider perfect. However, as a teacher I could have a class of 5 pupils, give them all the same steps, teach them all in the same way, give them all the same details, corrections, but because of ability every single pupil will give me something different. One thing to remember in this industry, as Adesola said in the chat is that we are not all on the same level playing field . One person could be n...

I have found it a real struggle getting my teeth stuck into this new module and handbook. I keep thinking back to how I felt at the start of module 1 and how eventually things did fall into place and everything started making sense - I am hoping the same will happen for this module. More so than module 1, I find this reader even more difficult to get my head around, firstly due to the content and secondly because I feel the language is even more academic than module 1, so many things take a few reads before i actually understand what I am reading. I feel I have not fully understood task A, so wanted to expand on this further before moving on. In order to do this I have looked at many blogs of previous BAPP students to see how they approached module 4. As I started to think more about these points of wonder more and more questions pop into my head. How do my pupils see me? Am I creating a positive and encouraging environment for my pupils? Do they enjoy coming to class? ...