More musings about
imagery...! I have found that I have started to 'logicalise' all sorts of
things... found myself driving home today and working out how something was
happening within the mechanics of the car, thinking how to explain it in a logical
manner, so it could be replicated correctly. Not a problem in itself,
but I do not want to start analysing things that I really do not need to fret
about!!! I think it might be because I am really immersed in my Eric
Franklin reading at the moment... which I am enjoying. I do not agree
with every image that is presented, but have thought about how my imagery
differs and why. I am open to his and any other ideas, and find a lot of
it really fantastic. I will try to affirm the uses of the imagery I use,
then I may have an argument..... I can see that I will be reading lots
more - there is more to learn from all sorts of sources, and it fascinates me!
This is good to read Janet, and glad you are getting into Franklin's work. Absolutely fine not to agree with all imagery or uses of, I always feel with imagery it is being offered rather than stated, more like a buffet than a set menu! It is interesting that you comment in your previous blog about your use of imagery and your intentions of it being helpful to your students. I have had some interesting conversations with colleagues this week about the role of improvisation (embedded very much for me in imagery) and how helpful it actually is to students in training (we were talking specifically about its use within the HE context). It was good to be able to air these questions over what we teach, how we teach it, how and when something may be useful to students, what imagery works, what can often become a lot of waffle! Getting your students observing and commenting on their responses to and interpretations of your imagery in class is a nice method of evaluation. I find some of my final year undergraduates will now comment on particular imagery that works well for them and talk about how they have or will try to reconnect with a particular image in order to evoke a particular response in movement again. From personal experience though I find that the experience is never the same twice as we move forwards and occupy a different time, a different day, different sense of being in our bodies, but it is certainly interesting to try.
ReplyDeleteRemember to look at both observation and participant observation as methods of data collection for your research and the implications of both in theory. Have you had a chance to observe others teaching through imagery also and make some notes, your thoughts there on students responses that you see? (Observation) Or taking class yourself and noting your responses to the imagery offered? (Participant Observation). More than happy if you ever want to come in the Hendon and observe any of my classes at any point too, using imagery through a different technique, for different intentions, but still learning and teaching very much embedded in imagery.
Thank you Helen for the above - all very useful. As I work less within improvisation - in fact not at all, that side of the imagery is harder for me to visualise and evaluate. I am possibly more rooted, and more interested in imagery within teaching, but am open to seeing how it can be used elsewhere. I do get to observe - all the other teachers in fact, as part of my Course Leader role - really fascinating and a learning curve for me. There is no doubt about it, students do respond to imagery, and getting them to record their observations of it has been really helpful. I do intend to collect more feedback from the students, and do make notes when I observe other teachers. I have realised that I need to confirm the uses of imagery I use; I cannot presume that my imagery is effective (I have written more specifically about this today in my reflective journal as Franklin and I seem to disagree about mentioning the use of the glutes)and look forward to working on that in more detail. Getting the observing students writing about the imagery used in my classes is a two-way street - they can get bored filling out the same observation form in each class they watch - and I wanted to start to ascertain their interpretations of the imagery I offered to confirm comprehension, interpretation and learning. I would very much like to come to one of your classes if I can ever work it with my schedule - thank you for the offer. Ditto - if you, or any of my fellow MAPPers ever want to see me teach please just ask..
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