Journey through gaining access..issues.. practices..ethics and gratitude

Gaining access to research process seemed a simple process.. however as I  began I  realized the range of issues like giving assurance of confidentiality, following ethical considerations, building trust etc.. was found to have fraught for it ignored the nature of the community with which I was going to engage and how that engagement will be undertaken. Gradually the sense of trust was created as my participants assumed my motives were benevolent and did resonate with recognition of the integrity of the researcher and the researched. At times it was challenging to interpret the whole conversation taken place in the interviews and it was daunting. At such a situation I kept assuring myself that I am doing this research to establish a base for my own study and improve my practice and this would cost me lots of time, patience and ultimately money. 
The qualitative research framework which I have chosen is based on assumptions on the subjective nature of young participant's knowledge. The procedure for generating new knowledge and relating to existing theory entails a methodology in which theory is grounded such as observation, interviews, questionnaire and written reports etc.
 Currently, I am at the level of interpreting research data, by narrowing down selective information as per my enquiry, making it to manageable chunks.  As I am into reading the process of critical thinking is leading me deeper into the further search of articles.forexample, if a key articile appears in a particular journal, and I find it relevant to my inquiry it is leading me further into other journals which stimulate debate and I sense that is developing my discussion.

Ann Greig says a good research can be likened to a well-planned expedition. The purpose of the journey is well defined and you know what mode of transport you must take. Your route is planned, you have a map and you have checked the feasibility of undertaking each part of the journey in the specified time.  Once you have started, you do not deviate from your chosen route, and if you unexpectedly have to take a diversion or you get lost, you immediately consult your map and get back on your pathway as soon as possible. This would help you in complete your journey successfully. as you have gained direct experiences and you do no share about what you have not seen or heard.
 Further, she says that a good study should have a sense of flow, and research approach should stem from the previous study and aims to expand the knowledge, and methods used should be justified and logical and the data should relate to the aims. You should be able to identify the sources of any conclusion and recommendation from the data as well as the title of the work whether it is an accurate reflection of the study itself.
Please share your thoughts!

My discoveries on ongoing Research

I am wondering if I am progressing with my work or not?? I sense that having pre-understanding of my inquiry topic I find myself constantly referring back to the diverse and interesting literature of various kinds and being open to ideas that are coming from many different sources.
 Recently, attending a lecture on Visible learning at my daughter's school,  made me think would this concept enhance student and teacher's development?  and also how to inspire students of the future as a teacher?  Prof.John Hatte, argues that in the visible learning concept, we could see a shift from teacher centred to a student centred approach where the teacher just supports them as a mentor with their considerable amount of expertise. and the student is allowed to explore on their own choices, collaborate as a team, communicate to deal with problem-solving and ultimately to be creative. However, when I compared to my traditional way of learning this is what I reckoned.

Thinking deeply, about our traditional way of learning I could think of my teachers who had a positive and profound effect on me was often because of their attributes and their passion..they could see something in me that I didn't see in myself.  They often identified the right act and appreciated my ability to accept errors.  The most important attributes of expert teachers rely on how they used their 'Technique and Relationship' with students. Though my teachers were incredibly strict disciplined and organised and never compromised on standards one thing that  I always remember is their Passion for the subject and the genuine love towards students the relationship which they maintained with me, though it was not always emotional it was always decisional. They would teach us skills and tips to overcome our weaknesses.

So, I feel to inspire and motivate our students and to climb the professional ladder we could effectively balance our passion for the subject and love towards students, as well as implement elements of visible learning.

Loved these quotes.. 'The mind is not a vessel that needs filling but wood that needs igniting'
-Plutarch( Ad 46-AD 120)
'Education is not about learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think'- Abert Einstein.

what do you think? You can watch these youtube links to know more.



https://youtu.be/rzwJXUieD0U

https://youtu.be/UCFg9bcW7Bk

Insights from Liz Lerman's talk

Listening to Liz Lerman's talk gave me goosebumps !!
I was wondering how could someone's life experiences create such an impact and compel the audience to think deeper and explore various aspects of their own beahviour.
Her talk forced me to think where I am today in my professional field? what influenced me to be the person I am today? Why did I react in a way in some situation?  What was bothering me when I received feedback? How could I move ahead in my professional practice?
Liz spoke how to skillfully handle every situation and understand nuances of our professional practice as an Artist, Facilitator and an audience.
She identified that our experiences are culturally framed and shaped they change according to our cultural moral and ideological views,. When we give or receive feedback we often have this discomfort as it would involve a lot of efforts to plan prepare and present and then what happens when someone receives it how they perceive it? we keep mulling over it..as dancers, we need to remember that it is not critics job to improve our choreography rather it is our responsibility to accept the ownership of learning.
 When dancers get together we never talk to our peers honestly we avoid talking about each other's work why? Is it because of our 'Ego? Accepting that creativity could happen in 1000 ways and keep all our personal judgement aside we can discuss neutral questions as what is working well? This capacity to filter is one of the greatest gifts for artists as facilitators.
 Critical responses are designed in fact to keep our defensive attitude down. The most important thing is that when we get stuck at a point we should ask questions to ourselves as in most of our lives suggestions ideas solutions can come from every direction without any thought or prior notice.
So....Remember to Ask Questions it could be thrilling!!

Interesting Impromptu discussion

Hi,
 I wish we could continue the impormptu discussion little longer as it was getting very interesting.

Started off with Becky who said how she was surprised to learn that her students preferred to participate in competitions over dance exams. As teachers, we always believe that dance exam is crucial to one's career as it provides a platform to achieve standards and obtain certification, however, what we fail to notice is that students enjoy instant gratification after their performance compared to hear the exam results to be announced at a much later date. I think as a teacher we must skillfully create a balance between exams and competition.  It's very natural how teachers consider student's achievements or trophies as the extension of their success as students become our progressive partners.
Later our discussion moved around areas of learning, Maitee expressed that when we browse through various literature, we definitely come across theories which relate to our experiences and it allows us to connect with what we already know and where we could possibly explore more in-depth.  I believe reviewing our own learning in order to identify its significance and transformation of work with other's work and practice is what dictates one's AOL. 
we continued to talk about 'Culture' and its significance for dancer's creativity..I truly feel that learning dance is nothing but learning the culture. Knowing culture reinforces better understanding of how and why techniques of dance movements are practiced in a specific way.  Being an Indian classical dancer, the first thing I teach my students is about its culture and roots. In fact, when I conducted group discussion with some parents they said they enrolled their children to learn classical dance class so that they could learn Indian culture.
We concluded as Adesola asked us to write our blogs regularly by narrating any practical experience from our professional practice and hope I have done mine. Thanks.

Module Three begins!!

Hi
Well, I am embarking as Module 3 opens up with another journey.  I realize the evolution of thought and understanding as I have progressed through this journey. I can now relate very well to Helen and Adesola saying that MA is about opening doors, broadening our perspective and extending possibilities, rather than re-affirming what we already know.
To be honest, reading blogs of people whom I have never met seem to have similar experiences.  It did help me to understand where I am right now.
  As proposed in my inquiry, I considered non-positivist approach and  phenomenological perspective. I have now collected data from different methods like by conducting individual interviews, (with students aged 10-16) and group discussions with parents of minor students and by sending questionnaires to my ex students who live in the UK taking into account each participant's experience with their ideas, and thoughts., yet to collect so much more from journals, other literary sources.
 I find it overwhelming...as I have collected audio and video recording, survey data, and my reflections about the entire process. I am trying to transcribe interviews at the moment also trying to think and narrow them down to few main categories. 
Digging into my data, I am struggling to organize my thoughts and remain critical and to avoid projecting my own assumptions, I think support of literature will help me to formulate my thoughts.
I hope whatever I have collected will fit within my research proposal. 
Do share your thoughts!

Module Two study plan

Hi,

 From yesterday's skype discussion, I could feel the transition from Module 2 to Module 3. Though some are beginning Module 1, some are moving to Module 2, we all seem to be experiencing the same challenges where to begin from? 

 I felt I should share what I learnt from Module 2...as I took enormous amount of time to understand its requirement.  Hope this helps Module Two.  

Project Inquiry proposal is a prepared document that provides detail description of your intended  project. It is not your actual project but an outline of a planned work-based project that is relevant to your professional practice.  It provides clear evidence that you (worker-researcher) have a good understanding of the project context and the area/topic of research. 

The format or structure of your proposal would depend on several factors including the type and nature of your intended work-based project – hence there is no right or wrong way to present your proposal. However, the following points guided me to develop my proposal.   

- Is my research topic worthwhile and interesting to me?

   - What benefits would it have to my organisation or employer?

   - What benefits would it have to me?

   - Other unique things to consider?

 Introduction/background

    - What is the context of my project proposal? – my practice context; existing ideas & knowledge about the topic; what are the issues/gaps/opportunities.

 What is my research question(s)?

 - develop your main research question which should link strongly to your project aim and when answered should directly achieve your project aim

 What is my research approach & Methodology?

  -  Select and justify your project approach; e.g.  quantitative/qualitative; action research

  - Clearly explain your approach; supported by appropriate literature

  Data generation/collection & analysis

 - Think about the type of data you would need to answer your project question or achieve your project aim; e.g. quantitative, qualitative or mixed data?

  - Then select and justify your methods of data collection and analysis; e.g. Interviews; questionnaire; observation; documents; artefacts etc

  - Clearly explain the methods; supported by appropriate literature

  - Clearly explain how you would analyse and make sense of the data.

Project feasibility

 - Provide an action plan for your project to demonstrate how you will manage it in the time available; plan should show activity and planned date/time (could be in actual dates: e.g. 15th – 30th October 2012; weeks: e.g. Week 1 – 3; 1st – 3rd Week of October 2012; or Months: Mid October – Mid November etc); could use Gant chart.

- Identify potential ethical issues that are likely to affect the project and how you intend to deal with them; e.g. if your project involves children there may be ethical issues which would require you to gain formal permission (consent) from school authorities and parents; also, to prove that children would not be in any form of danger (physical or psychological) etc.

Do leave your comments!!