The process of Inquiry; “investigate, explore, evaluate and
understand your professional practice.” This is the opening statement from the
professional inquiry reader, and the reason that we have undertaken the tasks
in part 4. To develop questions by looking at our practice and the practice of
others, further develop them by conversing with peers, professional colleagues,
SIG groups, using reflection and networking skills learned in module one. The
purpose of which is to become more educated and rounded professionals by
knowing what we need to investigate, understand and change in order to plan a
meaningful and useful enquiry.
I wanted to take this opportunity, now that I have a better
idea of my questioning and the direction of my enquiry and look back over the
reader and reflect on whether I am using the ideas, explanations and concepts
and how they relate to my inquiry and the work I have been doing.
Kahn and Rouke (2004)
describe inquiry based learning as requiring the learner to
“engage with relevant
problems and scenarios, draw on existing
knowledge, seek out
new evidence and analyse and present
that evidence in
appropriate ways.”
In developing the questions for this enquiry I have
undertaken the first part of this, I have looked into my areas of practice and
considered the problems that are encountered, I have also questioned peers in
order to evaluate whether they share similar concerns. I have considered my
existing knowledge in terms of dance education, working within mainstream and
special needs to ascertain the difficulties and benefits and used particular
scenarios to develop my lines of questioning.
I am hoping that through these lines of questioning I will
be able to undertake the second part of the quote. To seek out new evidence by further
investigate what is already being done in terms of inclusive dance education,
dance therapies and the benefits, potentially apply this to my own practice and
to analyse whether an integrated approach could be developed to use in all
inclusive dance education.
The concept of “Learning organisations” Senges (1994) could be potentially relevant when an
individual undertakes a professional enquiry within the work place. Learning
organisiations can be defined by dividing it into five points.
·
Systems Thinking – Understanding how things
influence one another as part of a whole. In terms of my inquiry line this is
relevant, understanding how the teaching of dance influences the student from a
holistic view point. Then using this to influence my practice and potentially
the practice of my colleagues within our organization, setting new best
practice ideas and techniques.
·
Personal Mastery – “commitment of the individual
to the process of learning”. I am committed to learning in order to improve my
practice and pass on development to my colleagues.
·
Mental Models = Assumptions, we assume we know
how or why we are doing specific things, often to bring about meaningful change
and growth these models need to be challenged. For my inquiry I am interested
in challenging traditional teaching methods in order to see if alternative
methods might be appropriate.
·
Shared vision - This is an important motivation.
If undertaking enquiry in the work place it is essential to know that this
information will be listened to and taken into account in order for there to be
a drive to complete and a benefit for the organisation.
·
Team learning – An individual piece of work or
enquiry that is shared with the whole staff has the potential to strengthen the
team as a whole, enabling everyone to benefit and possibly change widly used
practices.
I understand then that being part of a learning organisation
hold benefits, as there is a potential to learn from many sources, if more than
one individual engages in individual learning as it will strengthen a team, it
allows rigid ideas and models to be challenged enabling the a systems thinking
approach allowing the change of one element to influence the whole.
This I think relates directly to Argyris and Schons double
loop learning. Rather than detecting an error, correcting it and maintaining
the outcome or strategy, it is the strategy itself that is questioned and
modified, changing the way consequences are seen. Reflection is then aimed at
making the strategy more effective, I think this is the motivation for my
enquiry. I understand my teaching techniques are sound at achieving the outcome
required – improved technique. I wish to push this further by adjusting the
required outcome, in order to achieve greater benefit by including social and
emotional growth, I then hope that this will have a secondary effect of
improving the original goal of technique. By adjusting strategy and challenging
original ideas I hope that it might be possible to gain greater results.
Kreber (2009) Talks about Transdisciplinary Knowledge and describes
it as
“a lense or framework
through which to explore,
understand and act
upon the world.”
For me again this is where I have found the motivation for
ideas behind my enquiry. I work in three main areas, as a ballet teacher for
young adults and teenager, within adult social care, working with adults with
learning disabilities to lead fulfilling lives, and supporting workshops for
those with special educational needs. It is the combination of these factors
that have given me a different perspective on what I wish to achieve as a dance
teacher. For me looking at a student in terms of technique is not simply enough,
I have learned that personal fulfilment is vital for wellbeing through working
in social care, and I have also learned that expressive arts can have a massive
impact on this. In addition I have witnessed that people excel at what they
enjoy, I hope to find that there is a way to combine all three aspects in a
method that includes additional benefits, creative therapies and technique
teaching to create a much more dynamic and valuable teaching environment. It is
transdisciplinary knowledge that is informing the direction I wish to move in
as a professional practitioner and is the entire basis for my enquiry.
Eraut (1994) discusses professional knowledge and how it is
achieved,
“professional
knowledge is constructed through experience, and its nature depends
on a cumulative acquisition, selection and
interpretation of that experience.”
This directly supports the notion of professional enquiry as
it gives the learner the opportunity to create new experiences, acquire the
skills to undertake the experience and then the opportunity to interpret of
reflect on that experience, to form knowledge, not unlike the ideas put forward
in module one of Kolb’s learning cycle.
Eraut also discussed that the dual qualification system,
that is undertaking academic education followed by apprenticeship may be inferior
to a more integrated approach, and suggests that is the integration of both experiences
simultaneously such as that achieved by part time study linked to regular
employment could potentially achieve greater and more applied professional
knowledge.
It is through thinking about these concepts and theories
that I have a greater understanding of the purpose if the professional enquiry,
and also now I have begun to develop the ideas for my enquiry topic that I can
see how it relates specifically to me. I now feel that this I am in a good position
to move on to considering the Ethical issues that are presented in reader 5 and
how this will apply to me as I move forward with my planning.
This is a good start in developing the questions you want to develop for your inquiry - there is evidence of thinking around the theoretical approaches - now it's time to focus on the questions you want answers to and looking at some literature around these kinds of questions
ReplyDelete