A good day at the office!

Firstly thank you Helen for your response to my 11th September post.... it is a big step from being used to doing what you do to challenging everything that you do and doing things differently as a consequence.  

However; today was a real leap of faith and so positive on so many levels - I had to deal with a ballet class of partied out students who had their Fresher's party last night... I was pleasantly surprised by how focussed they were, but I was challenged by a very slippery floor and no live music.  I took the decision to focus on the legs and feet, as I am aware that I correct lots of different things in a lesson and sometimes the students find it hard to work on everything at once.  One thing led to another and we got to the point where I felt it appropriate to discuss imagery with them in more depth than ever before - actually to stop the class and discuss and experiment.

I had been re-reading and Psychology of Dance on Wednesday night, documenting what jumped out at me and their suggestion of attaining imagery ability seemed appropriate to where we were in the class, along with ascertaining external and internal imaging as a subconscious preference.

So I asked all the students to lie down, close their eyes and visualise an orange, as suggested, recognising everything about it and asked them how easy or difficult they found it.  Responses varied from feeling they could taste it, to realising they were imaging the actual orange they had eaten 2 weeks ago to not seeing an orange at all.

Next I asked them to imagine themselves doing a pirouette and we talked after this - some realised that they were internal imagers, others external imagers and a few a mix of both - with the student who saw the 2 week old orange seeing herself in the mirror in a past class. Interestingly this student struggles to retain new work so we pondered that perhaps she needs to 'reframe' her imaging to new and current events and what is happening at the time rather than in the past in order to improve her capacity to learn new work.  She went on to explain that she sees photographs of things in her mind and can then recall everything she saw in the photograph - a true photographic memory.  Useful for many things I am sure, but evidently not so powerful within immediate retention.

The student who had trouble seeing an orange of any sort also reported that she just went through the names of the steps in her head without seeing herself at all.  Another explained that she saw someone else, always the same person, executing the step perfectly.  We discussed whether or not it might be valuable to aim to replace the perfect other being with herself.

Two students voiced that imaging a pirouette led to fear – which manifested in tension in one and a funny feeling in her tummy in another.  We discussed how that can lead into actual pirouetting and becomes a learned reflex or reaction to the step and how to replace the ‘negative self-talk’ with more positive thoughts.  One said she cannot imagine turning to the left at all – some sort of block about it.  Another said that she has a positive outlook when imaging yet can be very hard on herself and negative when something goes wrong in practice.  I mentioned setting themselves up for class by making positive statements before they start and checking back in with themselves at the end of class to see if anything was different.  I also reassured them all that they would need to practice imaging and not to expect overnight change. 

Finally I asked them to imagine themselves performing a role they would love to perform.  My orange deprived student saw the person who plays the role playing the role and not herself, whilst some students found it easier – one in particular who found it easier than the others as she said she loves performing.  I suggested that she might aim to realise the connection between technical achievements to that love of performance in order to reach her full potential. 

I gently suggested to the student who clearly has poor imaging skills that it might improve with practice outside the studio, and explained the notion of 2/3 physical doing, 1/3 mental rehearsal being seen as a good balance.

It was fascinating to hear their responses and I think they started to realise (they are in the first term of their second year of training) how different they are and how learning to dance is so much more than being in a studio and doing steps.  The class concluded with more discussion about positivity, the power of the mind and some of the other elements involved in becoming a dancer such as focus, concentration and drive which I explained we would be looking at next week when I ask them to fill out profiles for me.  

They all felt that imagery was important, and some of them voiced just how fascinating they found it all, thinking in new ways.  They were grateful for being considered as individuals, and some went on to tell me about CBT they had undertaken as we had touched on how close to CBT positive thinking is.  I found them open, honest, mature, engaged and interesting.  I appreciated their sharing with me and hope that they may be able to progress in a productive manner.  I also learned about them as learners and hope that this may assist me within helping them attain their goals.  I cannot claim to have all the answers but today seemed to trigger lots of thought within the students which can only be a good thing.

All in all – a good day at the office!

Acorns, oaks and other woodland matters

Taking a more focussed look at my work for Module 3, I am going to try and put into words where I was and where I am, and what I think I am about to do.  No point whatsoever in trying to imagine where it will end up because I could not possibly predict!

As I mentioned in my last blog, my interest since day one has been the use of imagery in dance training, sparked by an inspiring read – Inside Ballet Technique by Valerie Grieg – and my personal journey as a teacher.  Since starting the MAPP I have encountered much writing about imagery, and have been introduced to a wide range of imagery related possibilities that I had not previously encountered.

They say that out of small acorns large oaks may grow, (a tree being my favourite image to use in dance class) and my acorn has allowed me to embrace, dislike, tussle with and learn from the work of many new writers and researchers such as Eric Franklin, Drid Williams, Jennifer Cumming (I find her research very stimulating) along with the Phenomenologists such as Husserl.  There have been several ‘lightbulb’ moments – Psychology of Dance by Jim and Ceci Taylor being one, and little phrases, quotes, moments, facts in so much of the literature I have come across that my mind is constantly engaging with new thoughts and ideas and new ways of finding out more.  I started from a relatively narrow perspective, but we all have to start somewhere and currently I stand on the precipice – about to leap into the unknown.  

Working qualitatively, for example, is relatively new for me – I am used to logical and factual analysis of figures both in previous research work and in my current post, so learning to drill down into a more narrative type of data will be an interesting challenge – and a more human outcome I guess.  That’s why I opted for Phenomenology – describing the lived experience.  I will also try and get some factual data as I am interested to see how it compares to the more personal narrative data derived from interview.  I have gained some really useful information from reading both quantitative and qualitative studies and feel that there is something in comparing both and something to be gained from having both.

I think in real terms my research is going to take me more into the realms of psychology:  I am reading about sport psychology at the moment, related to imagery via the notion of positive imaging, along with my current fascination which is that of focus.  I do bounce around a bit – something I read sends me off on another trail, and sometimes I cannot see the wood for the trees but I know somewhere in all of this there is a lot to discover and that I will find a way through.

My first notion was to research how students interpret and utilise imagery, how teachers teach imagery, and how teachers learn to teach imagery within this genre.  It feels at present like a rather huge undertaking and I am currently refining how to approach researching within all 3 areas.  I will be using a profiling system at first, with the students, which should allow me to establish a manageable number of participants between 3 year groups (as I wish to look into differences and similarities as experience evolves), followed by interviews.   I have to work differently with teachers as I am not looking into the same areas as the students, and am currently preparing how I will do this.    I have had second thoughts about trying to triangulate too much externally to my place of work, which may seem narrow-minded, but realistically within the given time frame there simply may not be time to gather enough back from elsewhere – I will save that for the next study.  I will contact other teachers, just not other students as I am aware of just how hard it is to get the participation you require.  The rest I cannot document..... the truth is out there somewhere!

So – that’s it for now – I am looking forward to hearing what your topic is, where you are at, what you are discovering!  

As autumn unpacks suitcases and settles in

It has been an interesting and rewarding summer, and as I reflect I realise that I approach my work in a new way, with broader thinking and raised awareness.

Choosing imagery as my topic of interest was born of a small idea about the way I teach ballet.  This has grown into a much bigger idea about teaching, learning, describing, watching, listening and hearing and I find myself thinking so differently about imagery - for example, I have read avidly for a large portion of my life, but for the first time, in July, I 'saw' a book and related it to the imagery that the words were creating.  That sounds worryingly unaware, but I cannot quite describe the experience......Of course I have 'seen' books before, but never before have I been so impressed by and aware of the skill involved in bringing the page to life.  The book was Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, and it was joy from start to end.  There are 2 paragraphs very close to the end of the book that I could hear as the voice-over for the start of the film; so vivid that I could visualise the scene in great detail and understand the whole concept and genre.  Most interestingly there was a section at the end of the book, a q & a with the author that discussed the use of imagery.  A real treat - and perfect movie material.

Another imagery adventure was creating the musical Footloose with my summer youth cast in Rugby.  This was my 21st youth project - so I am no stranger to the process of creating a show in 8 days with a large cast of varied experience and ages.  This year, however, I was really concious of the power of the words the creative team (myself, choreographer and musical director) used to create the shows opening environment of Chicago and then the repressed town of Bomont.  When working like this speed is of the essence and it is vital to capture the imaginations of the cast so that they 'believe'.  Only when this belief is there can the audience be transported, and it was vital that every member of the cast be they 10 years old and on the stage for the first time or 21 and playing a leading role was part of the community.  I was really aware of the descriptive way we communicated what we needed and the right energy and mood was captured by all the cast members, which led to a really committed and enthusiastic cast who gave a really embodied performance.  I am sure I have worked like this in the past, but it was interesting to be able reflect in this way with a broader vision.

I have also been captivated by reading Psychology of Dance by Jim and Ceci Taylor which refreshed and re-framed my thinking about the possibilities of success imaging and added much to my research ideas.  I am hoping that the participants in my research may find that they have a more positive approach to their training and capabilities once the work is done.  It is important to me to have something to offer them for being brave and taking part - it is always hard to reflect and be open and honest - and to have something to offer a wider audience in time.

I think my research is going to take me to unexpected realms, and I am prepared for this.  When I started this course I was most interested, probably because it was what I knew, in the type of imagery I use when teaching.  Since then there has been a shift and I am more interested in establishing how others feel - students when they are learning and teachers when they are teaching.  Perhaps worryingly narrow-minded at the start, but exciting at the onset of my research.  I am ready to listen, see and hear with open eyes and ears and an open mind and as autumn unpacks suitcases and settles in, I am settling in to accepting the unknown and feeling ready to face it head on.

Reflection/Progression

I wanted to share what is happening at the moment... although I am not too sure how to express it!

Here goes.

So, my proposal and all related work is handed in, ostensibly 'completing' unit 2,  However, I am having almost retrospective lightbulb moments (or are they progressive?) about my chosen topic and actually musing that my research may end up taking me somewhere other than I thought.

Then comes the anxiety that this may not be allowed, followed by rationalisation which tells me that what my brain is processing now is related to my topic... and could in fact enhance it....

Then I cogitate further, and pick up a book which is not related but related to my topic and it all starts again...

If I can analyse this logically, I do think that my understanding of my research topic is broader than it was, which it should be, and this is all ok.. but then I ponder that maybe I should have got to here before I did, but I didn't, so what can I do?

Is this just me?

Ethics.....

Thinking about my research and who and what it may include and therefore affect, I need to ensure that I follow a clear ethical code.  Looking at several codes of practice dedicated to research made me realise that the ethical boundaries are wider than I first thought.

http://ethics.iit.edu/ecodes/node/5029

http://www.arts.ac.uk/media/oldreddotassets/docs/13_-_RSDC_UAL_Code_of_Practice_on_Research_EthicsForRSDCMarch2011.pdf

http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf

http://www.humanities.uct.ac.za/downloads/humanities/research/ethics/UCT_Humanities_Ethics_Guide.pdf

I had not really considered any problematic scenarios with regard to publishing, for example, or a personal conflict of interest with my own work, but I can see how they may become problematical, or at very least would require consideration.

To me, ethical consideration is mostly common sense and good manners, but there are wider parameters to consider than just behaving in a professional manner.  My students and colleagues are all included in college safeguarding policies and procedures, as well as disciplinary and harassment policies, so by default, as a member of staff I have to abide by all college rulings.  Naturally I would anyway but it could be possible, I suppose, to harass someone who does not return a survey, or to belittle their input.  Horrifies me to even write this, but I suppose it could happen.  My intention is to conduct a positive, useful, well intentioned inquiry that offers something in return to all participants and the wider dance community.  It is also critical to ensure that everyone is aware that their input cannot be wrong… that sort of judgement can be destructive, and in reality, no-one can give me wrong information if they are telling me their lived experience.  I have nothing to prove, but plenty to learn.

When approaching triangulation sources, I will take the stance that I am setting out below, but will also have to be mindful of any additional considerations that may arise out of them being off college premises.  For example I am CRB checked, but would ask if I had to be accompanied if interviewing off site.  I do not intend to engage with anyone under 16, but if my research takes me on that route I will insist on being accompanied when interviewing.  This protects the participant and me.

As I am not researching personality or the human psyche per se, there should not be anything within my inquiry that could be detrimental to any person; however I will be mindful to ensure that the contribution of all participants is valued, not judged, and obviously appreciated.  A ‘thank you’ along with a clear understanding of the work and where it might be read goes a long way. 

With regard to my personal choice of research, I have constructed what I think is an appropriate ethical code to follow:

• Be explicit when asking for permission to use participant’s information.  Better to be over clear than to keep anything from anyone
• Get written permission from everyone
• Show transcripts of interviews to participants so that they can change the wording if they feel misrepresented
• Ensure that appropriate explanations are offered when conducting surveys or interviews so that no-one feels that they are required to participate in something that is too challenging for them – a happy participant is one who does not feel undermined or confused by what they are required to do
• Stick to the guidelines of where I work, or to those of other institutions I may become engaged with
• Be open, patient, reliable, and non-judgemental in any interview or discourse with any participant
• Ensure that clear references are given to any quotes that are included
• Be mindful of how you criticise the work of others when writing a Literature Review – if you really believe you have a point to argue, remember a human has written it
• Be reliable – if you have booked an interview make sure you do not cancel

The above are 9 very basic tenets to follow.  I am sure I will become aware of more as I progress.  

28th April 2013.......... Where am I?

I have been a little absent from my blog as much has happened recently which has caused me to address my past and face the events that have shaped my development as a person. 

Much good has arisen out of a potentially difficult time, and I have been able to reaffirm what I believe with regard to my philosophical stance.  I have always believed that we are able to have a huge influence over our own health and emotional responses.  Therefore the mind/body connection for me is also contributed to by the spirit.  I remember writing on Adesola’s blog that the notion of selecting a philosophy felt ‘spiritual and vast’ and now I know why; it feels like that because it is like that!

Within my work as an educator, I embrace the mind/body connection and feel that this is a good way forward when learning how to use the body in order to dance safely.  I feel that the ‘thinking dancer’ is the dancer who is able to apply logic, work constructively with their own physical parameters and work to their maximum and even beyond, with application and thought.  Add the spirit, or soul if you will, and you have the dancer who can attach their intuition, emotion and life force to their work, which can only, in my opinion, take the work to another level.

On a more personal level, I have recently been reminded that ‘your biography becomes your biology’ and this has certainly resonated and helped me to find my way back to the path that I wish to tread.  As the recipient (not, I stress, victim) of a challenging childhood and adolescence, I found I followed the path of self-help and was able to confront my emotional responses to what had occurred, which led to forgiveness, but perhaps not amnesia..!  I have always said that my childhood is the reason that I am as I am and not an excuse and I am starting to realise the benefits that my journey has allowed me, such as awareness.  I have tried never to sit on the negative side, but more recently, since starting my new job, have been able to view life from a more positive angle.  

As a result of recent events I feel ready to work even harder to be a better person.  Lessons regarding the power of the spoken word (once it is out there is it out there) and the power of the self within health and creativity are jumping at me from all corners and I am endeavouring to move forward with new energy within my cognisance and approach to everyday life.

Somewhere within all of this I know that my research and teaching will be better for all the work I have had to do on a personal level, and the curveball I have been thrown, for why are we sent challenges other than to use them to progress and learn?

Dualism in action......

On a rare and productive trip to the gym this morning, I was idly watching the world go by out of the window and observed a young lad walking along a wall which ostensibly got higher as the steps got lower.  I was one step ahead of him and waited in great anticipation of what he would do when he got to the end and realised that the wall was too high for him to jump to the ground from. 

I was fascinated to observe him.  He reached the end, and I could see a clear calculation going on which seemed to sequentially involve eyes, message to brain, thought and finally action - to turn back!  It was almost in slow motion; he stopped, looked down, thought for a moment, made a calculation based on what he saw and turned around and went back to a spot along the wall where the stairs were higher so he could jump down safely.  So, his mind was assessing the risk and informing his body what to do.  Mind and Body working as a team to save a potential accident.  

Thinking about Descartes, I found the following of interest, visually a strong representation of what was happening to the young lad I observed.  I then applied the four steps that Decartes created as the route to all problem solving to the situation he was in (described below each point in brackets).

https://thescienceclassroom

Descartes four steps to solve all and any situations presented in life:

‘The first was never to accept anything as true if I had not evident knowledge of its being so; that is, carefully to avoid precipitancy and prejudice, and to embrace in my judgment only what presented itself to my mind so clearly and distinctly that I had no occasion to doubt it.

(There was no doubt at tall that if he jumped, the young lad would have injured himself)

The second, to divide each problem I examined into as many parts as was feasible, and as was requisite for its better solution.

(It seemed to me that the parts were observation, consideration, calculation and solution)

The third, to direct my thoughts in an orderly way; beginning with the simplest objects, those most apt to be known, and ascending little by little, in steps as it were, to the knowledge of the most complex; and establishing an order in thought even when the objects had no natural priority one to another.

(Orderly thinking: analysis and action, which concluded somewhat ironically in him returning to the ascended steps)

And the last, to make throughout such complete enumerations and such general surveys that I might be sure of leaving nothing out.

(He really thought it through even though it did not take long – he identified and evaluated the risk, and made a logical decision)

It was a great scenario to observe and gave me food for thought about how we function as human beings, and the amazing way that our minds and bodies are united as one great ‘machine’ with a powerful control system.    Descartes believed that a motion of the body was effected via having a thought – mind/body interaction – and what I witnessed today was, in my opinion, a perfect demonstration of this dualist philosophy.