Holding on to clarity. (Module 3, slide share)

I have yet to attend a campus session as I often work shifts that are over a 24 hour period and it always difficult to cover, add to this a colleague who is off on maternity leave, a colleague who is travelling for 3 months, and a colleague who is off long term sick and this becomes even more difficult.

But I have just been reading the slide share from the module three session for the second time, and decided that giving the exercises and discussions a go might be a helpful exercise, and it was, a rare moment of calm and clarity that helped me to focus my thoughts for moving forward.

So the initial task I looked at was defining a professional inquiry, I used key words to sum up my thinking on this;

·         Planning

·         Asking

·         Searching

·         Observing

·         Reviewing

·         Critically thinking

·         Analysing

·         Drawing conclusion

·         Testing in practice

Just jotting these words down and reading through Paula’s definition has allowed me to stop for a moment and think about what I am trying to do, not as a huge, important, degree defining project, but in its more simplified elements. It makes it a lot less frightening, as each aspect on there own are things that I am fairly sure I am capable of doing.

Next was reviewing the plan.

1. Topic; Different teaching methods, benefits for adults with learning disabilities

Questions; Any Positive changes in behaviour?

                  Do incidences of positive behaviour very between types of class?

                  Obvious causes of changes in behaviour. Eg. Teacher approach?

                  Can teachers maximise positive benefits/ changes?

2. Ethics; Discrimination, not treating people with learning disabilities as one whole. Respecting the individual and being careful to conduct inquiry and look at results in this way. Not assuming one solution will be correct for all LD adults as obviously each and every person is individual. How ever still looking for a best practice approach, that will benefit most people, perhaps looking at people as individuals may be an important part of this approach?

3. Literature; I have a selection of literature that I am reviewing at the moment, want to start looking outside the box slightly, looking for education and learning disability as well as dance education and learning disability to see if there is any common ground or evidence to be considered.

4. Gathering data. I have completed 9/16 observation. And 3/4 interviews, and one small unplanned bonus interview. I am now transcribing interviews and looking at analysing the observations and relating this information back to literature.

Breaking things down and looking back at my original questions, what I have achieved so far and putting the thinking in my head down in some concise words (rather than the ramblings if my journal) has again helped me to clarify. I think that because this module isn’t full of tasks that have to be completed and blogged about in the same way as module one and two it can feel like you aren’t achieving as much. I don’t know about everyone else but there is a lot going on in my head, and although there isn’t an end product as yet I have achieved quite a lot just by completing observations, reading and thinking.

So next on the slide share was “Updating your planning”

Action 1: Thinking about issues around discrimination. A conversation with Paula made me panic about this and feel the need to defend myself, and to clarify my inquiry aim to ensure that it is not misunderstood to be discriminatory. I don’t think I am being discriminatory but it is something that needs to be looked at carefully with this type of inquiry and would like to get a new aim on paper to make sure my intentions are clear and ethical.

Action 2: Thinking outside the box with my literature. To look at my inquiry from a different angle and see if there are any related sources, including looking at general education and LD, and looking at specific LDs and behaviours, such as autism and Downs syndrome and see if this has relevance to my inquiry.

Action 3: Continuing to gather my data. Analysing and relating anything of interest to literature to see if there are links and supporting evidence.

For someone who is not great at time management, this is a brilliant tool, I have now transferred these actions into my diary, so I have specific time slots to work on each thing, this should help me to get them done. And when they are I fully intend to set up another list of actions….. watch this space to see if it works!

Finally I looked at my emerging findings and what my participants had said so far. In one interview a service leader told me

“I had been looking for a dance teacher for 2 years, but they all worked

too quickly for our guys and couldn’t adapt their teaching from mainstream”

(Interviewee 3, service manager)

So the first thing emerging is the need for more teachers to be able to teach a wide range of abilities, this is something that I included in my inquiry aim. The need for teachers to be better educated to teach a wide range of abilities, what benefits are produced and how to achieve this, allowing the teacher to teach at the correct level and the student to have more options. (and potentially teachers more work!)

I have found support for my inquiry aim, and a need that requires fulfilling (hopefully by my inquiry). This is something I found from one comment in one interview. I am excited to continue, and see what else I get from my inquiry once I start analysing data. And now from going through the slide share and having a go at the tasks I have a short term plan within the big plan to help me achieve this.

If you didn’t get to attend the campus session, I would recommend this as a useful exercise.  

           

Every Cloud....

So it’s the beginning of week three of the study period, I can not believe that time is marching on so quickly again.

I have had a successful start to the term however, getting a good majority of my observations moving, and have completed most of my interviews, along with a bonus one with another professional which I wasn’t expecting, but which highlights and supports my enquiry perfectly…. Now I need to start writing up my evidence and analysing my findings, surprisingly I am looking forward to this process although I know its not going to be a quick task!

Today however I stalled, the observation that I had for today had to be cancelled as the performing art instructor leading the session was not able to attend. Although this has put me back slightly with my observations it did however give me some more things to think about and in fact I think provided support for my enquiry by not taking place.

The fact that due to the instructor being unable to attend the whole sessions was cancelled to me is a fairly poor situation to be in. Was there no one else who was qualified or able to take the class? Apparently not! This is not something that is uncommon in the world of learning disability and performing arts provision. I was speaking to another colleague yesterday who provides sports and recreation for people with learning disabilities and he told me that he had been looking for a dance instructor for 2 years before he found one. His experience is that mainstream teachers either weren’t interested in leading this type of class or that they were unable to teach at an appropriate level and he had to let them go as it wasn’t benefiting his clients. This is something that I highlighted as a need in my enquiry, the fact that mainstream teachers are not used to, informed or confident in teaching people with a range of abilities, and it shows a greater need for education and support in this area to give those adults with learning disabilities who want to take part in such activities the opportunities they require.

Additionally what I found disappointing today is that although the class was not running the student who were expecting to take part in their performance class were not informed until they reached the lesson, they were not turned away but were given another class in its place, this however was not performance based, it was arts and crafts. How would you feel if you turned up to your adult dance/ drama class and were told, “Its not running today but here is a piece of paper, draw me a picture.”?

This to me identifies that the performing arts classes when provided for adults with learning disabilities are not afforded the same respect as those provided for the rest of us, they are simply an amusement, and provided as a weak alternative to sitting around and therefore can be replaced by almost any other activity.

This client group should attend because they enjoy dancing and drama specifically, and this is what they should be provided with, they may enjoy arts and crafts, they may not, is it not a little discriminatory to assume that all people with LD enjoy arts and crafts and so they can do that instead? (that’s an argument for a different day and a different post!) In this case the students were more than happy with the change in activity and were happy to join in.

To me this just highlights the need to better educate teachers and activity providers of the benefits of performing arts classes for those with LD who enjoy this kind of activity, even if these benefits are simply participating in a hobby they enjoy, a little exercise and putting a smile on their face it is of much value as it is to us when we attend our recreational activities and should be afforded the same respect.