Never happy

Is it just me or does anyone else never feel satisfied with their finished product.

At the moment we are just over a week away from our yearly show with college and although my dancers are finished and I am happy with how they look. I feel I could spend forever cleaning them and tweaking little parts. Making sure it is blocked better or the timing is improved. I must drive my students mad.

The same applies with my work for BAPP. Although I am very satisfied with how my inquiry went and I feel it will make a big difference to my professional practice. I find my self reading and rereading my critical review and professional artefact and making small adjustments. I cant seem to bring myself to submit my work just in case I could make it better. This is driving me mad... must be karma. Pft.......

Professional Artefact

So how do I present what I've learned from this inquiry? 
And who to?

I'd set on devising a website that students could use to help with their studies, as I looked into interdependent learning it would give them a feeling autonomy and therefore increase their motivation to study. I also wanted to create a Facebook group where students and teachers could ask questions share videos and ideas. We've all learned the power of social media on this course, I wanted to see if some of that would be use full to keep student's motivation levels high.

Based on my research I concluded that if student where taught the skills to help develop their motivation (intrinsic) rather that the teachers creating motivation (extrinsic) it would have stronger and a more lasting effect. So (thanks to a discussion with Paula) I also decided to design a booklet for a student induction which would be held in the first week of college. The booklet will give them strategies to help develop their intrinsic motivation as well as introducing them to what's expected of them in regards to self-study.

I decided to write a proposal to my principal with my findings and ideas on how we could hopefully improve student’s motivation. I printed out my booklet (Artefact) and gave that to her along with the proposal. After she had some time to read my proposal I had a meeting with her to discuss my findings and show her the website. The meeting when really well!! My principal was always supportive and interested in my inquiry and would like to integrate my ideas into the college. I was later approach by the deputy principal and financial director to congratulate me on my proposal and ideas. The deputy principal asked if I would be involved in the meetings and the process of integrating them into college. I'm really happy with the response to my inquiry and I'm excited to but it into action with the students.

Down the Rabbit hole.......AGAIN!

The BBAP experience....

Just a quick post on my thoughts on Inquiry and Bapp in general. Sometimes I find the whole process overwhelming and extremely scary. I don't like the feeling of no control that we need in order to discover the answers to our questions.
Adesola wrote in her blogg:

You might be afraid you will not know what to do with data that is unexpected. But this is like saying you want to control what you will find and if so then why bother to do research – you could just tell us what you want to find.
The process of research that you worked out in Module Two will stop you from getting too lost. The research project itself is like a path if you follow it even when you are not sure what you are doing you’ll get somewhere

The only way I can explain it is that I'm Alice looking down the rabbit hole. I know what I need to do (jump) but I have no clue what will happen after that (I'm pretty sure Alice didn't think about it as much as us but you get the idea) I don't know where I will land and what I will discover along the way, some things might be what I'd expect but others I wont (who expects to find a garden down a rabbit hole) We cant control every aspect of the fall but it's what we do with the knowledge we discover that's important and which way we go from that point. We might not end up where we thought we be (pretty sure Alice thought she'd end up in Australia at one point) but at some point we will stop falling......Hopefully!

We can't try to predict what people will say or what the outcome will be, we can't will them to answer the question the way we would.
I just thought it was worth mentioning in case anyone is not at this stage yet or if your feeling the same way. Any thoughts!?

Focus Groups

Well I've held my first focus group. I have to admit it got away from me a little. I was obvious that the topic was important to my participants and I didn't really need to do much work to get the discussion rolling......in fact I hardly talked at all. I explained my inquiry and the areas I wanted to research and they were off. I didn't ask any of my questions but they all got covered by the end of the session. I wasn't sure what would emerge after analysis but it turned out to be surprising. Some points where as expected through discussions I have had previously with colleagues regarding motivation but there were a few new ideas and opinions that I wasn't expecting. In a skype session with Adesola we talked about themes that emerge whilst researching and that helped me when starting to analysing my focus group. Gibbs (2007) suggests sometimes it is more beneficial to look at the bigger picture that to get bogged down in the detail of what a person said. I decided to take their advice and listen back to my recording of the session and take note of any re-occurring themes.
Adesola also discussed the need to control. We all have ideas of how we want our inquiry to unfold but Adesola suggested that by controlling our research too much we could be in danger of closing our inquiry off to possible ideas we may not have considered. She talked about how sometimes when she would listen to her recordings of interviews she would hear herself bringing the interviewer back to topic when they where discussing a new possible idea of interest, Adesola told me that she sometimes wished that she would of let the person continue with their thought as it might have opened up new avenues for her to research. I kept this in mind with my own focus group and I feel it was an invaluable piece of advice






Adesola's Blog on Data collection and themes
Gibbs, G (2007). Analysing Qualitative Data. London: Sage Publications Ltd. 10 – 23.

Skype with Adesola

We discussed what are view of data is. Adesola talked about data being anything that happens within a given time, its what you do with that data that makes it informative. Both Pip and myself expressed our fears that the data we gather from others (through focus groups or observations) might not be what we anticipate or would like to hear. Adesola suggested that this is not necessarily a bad situation to be in, she said that sometimes when you analyse your discussions you find important data that is useful to your research when you would not have necessary thought the line of discussion was valid.
Adesola also talked to us about themes of our research. Where are we up to today? What themes are emerging? These themes that keep occurring during our research will help us to organise our data. Once we have identified our themes we can look back over our data and once it is organised and this will help us to analyse the data we collect. The analysis of the data is the important part, you need to look at all things and find what story it tells you. The inquiry is how you interoperate the data you find.

I find it hard to work for something without knowing where it is heading or what the outcome will be, but this is what we need to do for our inquiry to work. Adesola told us we need to have the courage to be in the position that we may not know what's going on, that that if we try to control it the whole way through you wont find out anything. We want to find out something that's new. We don't know what the end product will be and an negative result or in our eyes an unsuccessful inquiry is not a failed inquiry. It is the process that is important not the result. We need to learn how to conduct an inquiry and all that goes with it so we can take that knowledge into our professional work in the future.

 

Fail to Prepare.....

Invitation to participate.....

Invitation to participants and briefing note
You should send written (or e-mail) invitations to participants well in advance of the
focus groups. Such invitations should include a briefing note that:
• Explains the purpose of the focus groups;
• Describes what taking part in the focus groups will involve for the individual
employee;
• Explains how issues of confidentiality will be dealt with;
                     Makes clear that participation is voluntary and offers alternative options for expressing their views where appropriate;
• Describes how results will be analysed and reported;
• Emphasises that individual responses will not be attributable;
• Describes what will be done with outputs, suggestions for action etc;
• Offers a contact point for further information; and
• Is signed by an appropriate member of senior management to demonstrate
organisational commitment. 

HOW TO ORGANISE AND RUN FOCUS GROUPS.

I had a couple of things to consider whilst writing my invitation to participate letter. Everyone participating in my inquiry will be over 16 so I would be directing my letter to the participants. I wanted to start by explaining the topic of my study. Then move through the ethical considerations and data protection issues. While researching ethical issues for Module 2 I found the book Qualitative Research in Education. Lichtman (2013) discuses ethical issues in qualitative research in chapter 3, he talks about the potential problems with conducting an inquiry in a small environment, as this is comparable to the location of my inquiry it was important to me that the students where aware that even though I will take precaution to keep the inquiry anonymous they would have a role in keeping the identity of other participants unidentified. It was also important to me that the students where aware that participation is voluntary. I didn't want the students to feel like they felt obliged to take part in my inquiry if they did not want to. I also explained what they would be asked to do during my study and the possible benefits so they could decide whether they wish to take part.


My invitation to participate Letter 


Meeting with the principal.....
I had a meeting with my gatekeeper (college principal) so I could update her on how I would like my inquiry would work. My main concern was how I was going to fit in the time for my focus groups and practical workshops, where in the middle of the busiest term of our school year with exams and preparations for our upcoming show in May. So finding time that didn't imped on rehearsals would be tough. Fortunately we managed to find a time that suited everyone. Student would not be missing vital classes or taking time from their personal lives (hurdle 1 crossed) Next was the focus group I wanted to do with the staff, this will help to to get views and different opinions in student motivation and whether and to what degree independent study could work in a college like the one I teach at. So an important part of my inquiry. The trouble was we only have 30min for lunch, not really enough time for a focus group. We discussed a few options and the principal has allowed me to use one of our staff meetings to conduct my focus group. After speaking with the principal I feel even more confident that the topic I have chosen for my inquiry will benefit others. She is very supportive and is eager to find out what I discover from my inquiry and how it might benefit her students. My concerns lye in whether or not I will be able to come up with a strategy for developing students intrinsic motivation.

Focus groups......
With a date and time arranged for my focus groups I wanted to re-read the literature I had gathered and best prepare myself for the focus groups. This helped me to re-focus on how to run a focus group and the ethical issues. As I mentioned before the problems that come with research in a small environment was one that I needed to address. I also worried about ensuring students would discuss the topic openly and honestly. I decided to write down a few do's and dont's as a hand out to both staff and students, I also thought it would help to sit down and talk to the students who had decided to take part to clear up some of the ethical issues that where concerning me. We talked about anonymity and to respect others, respect for teachers and other students. I asked that when discussing other people they need protect the identity of that person. I want them to feel comfortable enough to be honest with me in their answers but I am their teacher so I needed to make it clear to them that they will be allowed to express their personal opinions which I would analyse as a researcher and not their teacher. They were also concerned about staying anonymous and agreed on the importance of not discuss points of the focus group outside of the group.

Jouring the Skype I had with Adesola we talked about gathering data, Adesola advised that we need to be open to other ideas and opinions and that it is sometimes beneficial to allow a discussion to waver from the topic you are focused on. She told me that while she had been analysing data from her own research she would sometimes wish she hadn't tried so hard to keep people on topic but allowed them to digress opening up other possible ideas that may not have been considered.

Focus Group Letter



Bibliography 

Health and Safety Executive, (n.d.). HOW TO ORGANISE AND RUN FOCUS GROUPS. 1st ed. [eBook] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/pdfs/focusgroups.pdf [Accessed 7 Jan. 2015].

Omni, (n.d.) Toolkit for Conducting Focus Groups, Rowan University [Pdf]. 

Kvale, S (2007). Doing Interviews. London: Sage Publications Ltd. 

Lichtman, M (2013). Qualitative Research in Education: A User's Guide. 3rd ed. London: Sage Publications Ltd. 49 – 68    

Getting started.....eventually!!

At the beginning of this Module I felt completely overwhelmed and a little unfocused, after a skype session with Paula I feel better about my inquiry and ready to steam ahead. although I have some catching up to do I feel better focused and happy with the shape my inquiry is developing.

Paula and I discussed something that I had been worried about for a while. She questioned my topic of motivation and what I was hoping to achieve from my inquiry. Although I thought my line of inquiry was a valid one, I was unsure as to what results I wanted and what the outcome might be or how it would benefit.

The idea of Independent learning has intrigued me since beginning this course. Although I'm sure you will all agree it is a slightly terrifying prospect to be given such a open range of possible areas to study. Once you get used to this style of learning and the freedom it allows, it does motivate you to learn more. Its that intrinsic motivation that I am interested in. How to create intrinsic motivation in others. It was at the back of my mind that this is where my inquiry could possible lead but I suppose you could say that light bulb moment didn't come until my discussion with Paula. So my focus whilst still on motivation has shifted slightly to include independent study also (more research for me!). It will look to explore student’s levels of Self-Motivation and whether they can be enhanced through increased responsibility towards their own learning.

From

MOTIVATION: AN INQUIRY INTO STUDENT’S MOTIVATION, THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT EFFECT IT AND WHETHER WE CAN ENCOURAGE SELF-MOTIVATION.

to

SELF-MOTIVATION THROUGH SELF-STUDY: CAN INTRINSIC MOTIVATION BE DEVELOPED THROUGH INDEPENDENT LEARNING?

I have touched on this previously with students in the past. I spent a couple of lessons allowing the students to develop their own technique. I had taught them a piece of solo choreography and walked through the detailing and some of the technical and musical corrections. I then allowed them to video themselves dancing the piece and work independently until they felt it was ready. they would then show me their work and we would discuss how improvements could be made. It was interesting to see how by giving the students a little bit of responsibility changed the way they worked. At fist they were coming to me after a couple of minutes practice and waiting for me to correct every detail, after a while they would work longer on the piece perfecting it further before showing me their work. Their motivation to develop their work was evident and I feel they benefited from the independence it gave them. While I am aware that this technique would not work in all circumstances and the student would need a certain level of knowledge towards technique and self-correction, it makes sense that a person would learn more from correcting their own mistakes rather than having them corrected for them. I would be interested to know if anyone else has tried this method with students or has any thoughts on the topic of independent study.

Although I'm still behind in the overall scheme of things I have a more focused inquiry and I'm ready to get cracking......finally!