Please take a look at my professional Facebook page! I will be posting dates of Matthew Bourne 'Lord of the Flies' workshops I will be delivering across South Wales!
James Morgan Facebook page
Sunday 18 May 2014
Friday 16 May 2014
Task 2C: Reflective theory
There are many different ways of reflection that we
use on a daily basis, sometimes unconsciously and it becomes a natural process
our minds take us on. I will be looking at some of the key theories that are
used and how I have used them in my own professional practice, which will
hopefully help me in the future to improve on my approach to my work.
I have found that as a performer I reflect on my actions almost all of the time, I believe training at a professional performing arts school from the age of 11 years my teachers used to offer critical feedback and not so much praise me in class. This then made me think ‘What am I doing wrong? and what can I do to resolve the problem and prove the teacher wrong?’ In class we were often told to bullet point 5 corrections that were personal to ourselves as targets to improve for the next lesson.
I found that was useful and for this course I think by using bullet points to note down things to be improved will be a good thing to add to my journal.
John Dewey was very focused on experience for use of reflection. He felt the level of education as an experiential action viewing the process as ‘Continual reorganization and the transformation of experience’ This is apparent when you look at the transition between primary to secondary school children and then onto college and university students. I feel that my role as dance ambassador, delivering workshops to males aged 10-25, I will hopefully see the development of the participants from session to session.
I have found that as a performer I reflect on my actions almost all of the time, I believe training at a professional performing arts school from the age of 11 years my teachers used to offer critical feedback and not so much praise me in class. This then made me think ‘What am I doing wrong? and what can I do to resolve the problem and prove the teacher wrong?’ In class we were often told to bullet point 5 corrections that were personal to ourselves as targets to improve for the next lesson.
I found that was useful and for this course I think by using bullet points to note down things to be improved will be a good thing to add to my journal.
John Dewey was very focused on experience for use of reflection. He felt the level of education as an experiential action viewing the process as ‘Continual reorganization and the transformation of experience’ This is apparent when you look at the transition between primary to secondary school children and then onto college and university students. I feel that my role as dance ambassador, delivering workshops to males aged 10-25, I will hopefully see the development of the participants from session to session.
Dewey also talks about persistent thinkers. I feel
some of the challenges as a dancer I have to continually work on are my
flexibility and physical strength but with persistence and determination I try
to improve this. One of the quotes I like to think when I am struggling to
overcome something is ‘Failure is no option’ I find even when it doesn’t
necessary go to plan its all a learning process and can be improved for the
next time.
Kolb’s learning cycle: I found this very interesting as I feel at every stage of my own learning process I use all four stages at different points in my practice. I will now discuss these:
Kolb’s learning cycle: I found this very interesting as I feel at every stage of my own learning process I use all four stages at different points in my practice. I will now discuss these:
1. Reflective observisation: Reviewing/ reflecting on
my own experience.
I start learning from watching, learning and being inspired by others. I find it sparks creativity which I can then expand on the initial concept and improve things I feel would make it better. I would like to ‘shaodow’ a few more dance classes taking note of how the teacher leads and organizes the sessions. I feel this will help me with my own workshop sessions I will soon be teaching.
I start learning from watching, learning and being inspired by others. I find it sparks creativity which I can then expand on the initial concept and improve things I feel would make it better. I would like to ‘shaodow’ a few more dance classes taking note of how the teacher leads and organizes the sessions. I feel this will help me with my own workshop sessions I will soon be teaching.
2. Active experimentation: Planning/ trying out what
I have learnt.
I am at the stages of planning workshop sessions with my colleague Sian, and we are diversing 3 different levels to use with different groups of young male dancers who we will be working with. I feel by having a structure to anything is essential to gain the most out of the practice.
3. Concrete experience: doing or having experience. I have been involved in dance from a young age and have been professionally working in the arts industry for the last 4 years. Skills and habits become second nature which help when you are coordinating a class, in order to gain the respect from students to inspire them to work harder and to think about their destination and goals they would like to achieve in the future.
4. Abstract conceptualisation : Concluding/learning from experience. I find by ‘working it out in my head’ helps me visualise what was successful and what was not. I am a visual learner and by thinking back to the experience I learn choreography through mirroring the shapes that the dancers make.
Schon: Reflection-in-action and Reflection-on-action. The idea you can reflect during the situation or you can reflect after the event has happened. Reflecting after the event and responding to the error after is often more of an academic way of correcting the problem. I find this is more difficult as you then have to remember what went wrong at a later date and go back on the fault. I find when performing I need to be able to adapt and change the set sequences ‘in’ action if problems occur. As they say ‘The show must go on!’ I find this is what my teachers encouraged that using my initiative to overcome the situation was okay and it could then even re produce something better then the original concept.
Robert Kottcamp: uses these terms reflection-in-action as (online) and on action (offline) he highlights that refection-on-action is much harder to achieve but the most powerful for improvement, as it results in experiments to improve actions. ‘Reflection-in-action the actor is the sole collector of data on the event’ (Kottcamp, 1990) I find I recall a lot of information as ‘sole collector’ but now as im am teaching it is much harder to translate that into words to direct students, this is something I need to work on as my perception of something my translate differently to the people that I am teaching, as everybody’s interpretation will be different.
I am at the stages of planning workshop sessions with my colleague Sian, and we are diversing 3 different levels to use with different groups of young male dancers who we will be working with. I feel by having a structure to anything is essential to gain the most out of the practice.
3. Concrete experience: doing or having experience. I have been involved in dance from a young age and have been professionally working in the arts industry for the last 4 years. Skills and habits become second nature which help when you are coordinating a class, in order to gain the respect from students to inspire them to work harder and to think about their destination and goals they would like to achieve in the future.
4. Abstract conceptualisation : Concluding/learning from experience. I find by ‘working it out in my head’ helps me visualise what was successful and what was not. I am a visual learner and by thinking back to the experience I learn choreography through mirroring the shapes that the dancers make.
Schon: Reflection-in-action and Reflection-on-action. The idea you can reflect during the situation or you can reflect after the event has happened. Reflecting after the event and responding to the error after is often more of an academic way of correcting the problem. I find this is more difficult as you then have to remember what went wrong at a later date and go back on the fault. I find when performing I need to be able to adapt and change the set sequences ‘in’ action if problems occur. As they say ‘The show must go on!’ I find this is what my teachers encouraged that using my initiative to overcome the situation was okay and it could then even re produce something better then the original concept.
Robert Kottcamp: uses these terms reflection-in-action as (online) and on action (offline) he highlights that refection-on-action is much harder to achieve but the most powerful for improvement, as it results in experiments to improve actions. ‘Reflection-in-action the actor is the sole collector of data on the event’ (Kottcamp, 1990) I find I recall a lot of information as ‘sole collector’ but now as im am teaching it is much harder to translate that into words to direct students, this is something I need to work on as my perception of something my translate differently to the people that I am teaching, as everybody’s interpretation will be different.
This then leads on to ‘muscle memory’ the idea that
the body no the steps but this is sometimes difficult to break down and explain
the steps verbally. ‘We know more
than the body can tell’ (Polanyi 1966) I feel this is something I need to
improve on especially when teaching classical ballet as the terminology is in
French so it makes it even more difficult to explain as a teacher. Although the
theory is important every student is unique and may require different technique
to suit their learning styles. That’s why it is important that the teacher needs
to be creative and think ‘out of the box’ to help all students reach their full
potential.
Through studying on the BAPP arts
programme. I am learning to use my
reflective skills in a conscious and structured way as a means of improving and
developing in my professional working practice. These skills will continually
be developed as my professional experience expands.
Sunday 11 May 2014
Task 2b: Reflective writing
I decided to
compare and reflect on a typical day on tour performing in China last year and now
currently as a freelance dance artist based in the UK.
Description: I have wrote up in diary format from morning to evening typical schedules
of my life last year and now.
Initial reflection: I then compared the pros and cons of life on
tour and life in the UK. This was very interesting as it really made me think
about my feelings and emotions, how travelling abroad each day taught me a lot culturally
but also difficulties of being away from home. How I have to be very
independent and self-driven as a self-employed freelancer at the moment in the
UK.
Graphs charts and diagrams: I then created both schedules in a pie chart. This really helped me visualise what was most common and the differences between them both. I think this would be very useful for my finances, if I could start putting data into a graph it will help me visualise over the year how I’m managing my money.
Graphs charts and diagrams: I then created both schedules in a pie chart. This really helped me visualise what was most common and the differences between them both. I think this would be very useful for my finances, if I could start putting data into a graph it will help me visualise over the year how I’m managing my money.
Evaluation: This then led me to reflect by looking at both spectrums of how my life is and was. It has allowed me to criticise what I have done well and I what hasn’t been as successful and think about the future and how I would like my career to progress.
What if: A question I regularly ask myself, I get very annoyed with myself when I think something should have been done better or different. As a performer I have been trained to never be 100% happy with anything and that everything can be improved.
I am also a big worrier and hope the decisions I have made were the correct ones but I feel its better to try and fail so it can be improved for the next time.
Another view: I like to get the opinions of others and find friends and family can give the honest truth. Also giving me advise and support to help me confirm my decisions.
Looking at all these reviewing styles they all help in different ways. I defiantly need to make sure I use them to help me in the future. I feel it will make myself improve on my weaknesses and build on my strengths in my professional career and also my personal life.
What if: A question I regularly ask myself, I get very annoyed with myself when I think something should have been done better or different. As a performer I have been trained to never be 100% happy with anything and that everything can be improved.
I am also a big worrier and hope the decisions I have made were the correct ones but I feel its better to try and fail so it can be improved for the next time.
Another view: I like to get the opinions of others and find friends and family can give the honest truth. Also giving me advise and support to help me confirm my decisions.
Looking at all these reviewing styles they all help in different ways. I defiantly need to make sure I use them to help me in the future. I feel it will make myself improve on my weaknesses and build on my strengths in my professional career and also my personal life.
2A: Reflective Journal task
I try to keep myself organised as much as possible,
my IPhone plays a crucial part in this on a day to day basis. I regularly
travel around the country for work and the portability of the device with built
in applications like ICalendar, Notes, Mail and Safari help keep me on track.
I always seem to have the device on me though, which can be a negative thing as I never seem to switch off from work
with continuous phone calls and beeps for different notifications. It may be a
good idea to get a 2nd work phone, then I can keep my work and social life separate?
I have found keeping voice recordings in diary
format has helped me on this course keep record of my experiences. I find it’s a much quicker and easier way for myself to express my
thoughts and feelings verbally rather than writing down in a journal. I am
hoping to get an IPad soon, as there are more advanced applications like
‘Dragon Dictate’ in which I can then translate my recordings into a word
document, which would be a great help for my university studies and blogging.
Monday 5 May 2014
Social media... Look up
Everyone needs to watch this... I'm guilty of this... Social media is great but needs to be used in moderation! http://youtu.be/Z7dLU6fk9QY
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