Saturday 13 October 2012

Expanding my CV

Expanding my CV, so far, has taught me things I did not expect to learn but emotionally I am bit all over the place due to having to revisit some painful moments.

I have learned so much in the last 16 years, and have also encountered some difficult scenarios.  I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger but reflecting on some of my most profound learning also requires revisiting events that were less than perfect and which affected me quite profoundly.

On a positive note I have also recognised that I have acquired lots of new skills over the years, and that is rewarding.  

My training at Bush Davies was fantastic. I learned discipline, organisation, to be determined, and time management, amongst many other physical and technical skills, all of which are required for the work I do now.  Maybe I would never have gone on to learn about Quality Assurance, Reflective Practice, and all the elements that make up my current job if I had not had those basic skills entrenched in my early learning.

I am aware that I am becoming overly reflective - already.... and need to monitor this so that I do not analyse myself into oblivion.... but at the same time I might be able to allow myself a small moment to celebrate the journey so far... once again balance in all things... and no, I am not Libra.. Leo through and through...

Time to switch off now.  Have a good weekend.

Janet 







4 comments:

  1. Hi Janet, I am not sure you can be overly reflective in terms of this course!!! I am interested in the great link you make between the emotion in the experience and the memory of it. Dewey says that emotion is one of many elements of an experience, and experience is how we learn. I wonder how you have separated 'learning' from 'emotion' in the past. I wonder how you involve emotion in your teaching?

    I find it really helpful to look at how I learn, engage with new things, recognise knowledge. Thinking about this can help you to unpick learning experience beyond the information you gained. In other words help you to look at the process of learning for you. It is then that you can better critically reflect and write about your RoL (areas of learning), since they are not a list of things you did but a critical reflection of skills, experience and on-going application.

    Adesola


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  2. Hi Adesola

    Reflection is a marvellous thing...I do agree - don't get me wrong - the only negative affect for me is that my brain will not switch off and I run the risk of analysing every word I say and everything I do! As I said - balance in all things.

    With regard to using emotion in my work I have used how I am feeling (if it is relevant) when choreographing, when asking the students to feel music, as music is a great stimulus to me emotionally, but generally otherwise try and keep outside emotions in check when teaching so that I demonstrate an even keel as a teacher with one clear goal - to enable the students to improve.

    With regard to how I learn and separating emotion from learning I learn by research, observing, processing, joining up experiences and other mechanical routes. I am not, in my opinion, a particularly emotional student when studying myself. I would say I am more practical than emotional.

    I thoroughly enjoy analysis and unpicking in order to gain understanding and recognise knowledge. I am starting to be able to allow myself to give myself some credit for my journey thus far which has required a lot of work and dedication.

    Hopefully the above reveals a little of who I am and how I tick!

    Have a good day.

    Janet

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  3. The above gives you the meat and potatoes of a number of RoL analysis points / themes. You have an number of points for in terms of RoL
    Talking about how you deal with emotion not entering your teaching why you do this, professionally, how you learnt the importance of it etc...
    Another theme is the idea of using the music and the link between the sensation of sound and moving and how you use this in "asking students to feel the music" why etc... and the skills needed to explain this to students.
    Another point is the "research, observation and processing" what these look like, the skills of doing them, why they are important the level of professional work you do.
    There is much more in the above and they may not all be in the same area of learning.

    My point is the fact you started talking about emotion in the original blog is more than just a quirk of you - you can look beneath that use it as a door way into looking at what you do and what you value and how you work.
    For this module you need doorways in to deeper thinking and it is useful to see the things that come up as indicators because they are what gets you going.
    Do you see what I mean?
    Adesola

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  4. Agreed and thank you. I think I just meant that I have to monitor myself, which hopefully is a sign that I know myself and my limits, how I work and how to get the best out of what I am doing.

    With regard to the emotions, of course I know what you mean - I am driven by passion and passion is an extreme example of an emotion. My passion for our profession is the umbrella over everything I do.

    I will use it all for deeper delving - thank you.

    Have a good weekend

    Janet

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