Coming very close to end now. I still feel as though I am not doing anything right. It is hard going from years of learning practically to going back to writing essays again. Write up done, artefact pretty much done. Now just to prepare for the presentation. Again do not have a clue what I will do but I'm sure I will figure it out.
I do not want to submit my work yet in fact I wish I could have another year because in such a short space of time I still feel as though I have a lot more I could add to my inquiry but not a lot of time. If I did have more time however I would teach and manage in a few more places and try different styles of management and teaching to see which ones work.
Tuesday 12 May 2015
Saturday 2 May 2015
1st Draft done!
So, like many of you I have done my first draft, sent it in and had my feedback. This week I have been trying to improve it and take in the comments given to make my write up better. I feel like I still have a long way to go but am keeping calm and just trying to get my head down and get it done. I will have no social life this week because I know my priorities.
I also have to finish my artefact which, is still puzzling me.
Either way not matter what happens I only have a matter of weeks to complete it.
I did however have a chill out from work earlier and went to the cinema with my friend. It was a horror film called Unfriended. Very strange, about cyber bullying! Worth a watch I'd say.
I also had a short choreography session to choreograph a small section in a dance for the dance school I work at. We are doing a show in August so are starting to plan the routines.
I am also doing a show with my after school clubs in July. It is Spanish and American themes so all the songs are linked somehow to Spanish or American. Whether this be the singer nationality, the lyrics, the story of the song or the music itself.
Anyway, back to my write up now as it's not going to improve itself!!
I also have to finish my artefact which, is still puzzling me.
Either way not matter what happens I only have a matter of weeks to complete it.
I did however have a chill out from work earlier and went to the cinema with my friend. It was a horror film called Unfriended. Very strange, about cyber bullying! Worth a watch I'd say.
I also had a short choreography session to choreograph a small section in a dance for the dance school I work at. We are doing a show in August so are starting to plan the routines.
I am also doing a show with my after school clubs in July. It is Spanish and American themes so all the songs are linked somehow to Spanish or American. Whether this be the singer nationality, the lyrics, the story of the song or the music itself.
Anyway, back to my write up now as it's not going to improve itself!!
Thursday 16 April 2015
Write up and Artefact time
At this point in my studies I have almost finished my write up. I have the word count, now I am just going through it with a fine tooth comb, picking at it and trying to make it better.
Whilst doing this I am at the point of starting my artefact, at present I am still unsure what I want to do because I haven't seen any example so am not 100% sure what to do for it.
I am thinking of doing a photo book to show management and dance teaching and show the elements of similarities and also to show images of what I can take from my management job into teaching.
I have tried to look on the uni website to see if there are any past example but I was unsuccessful in finding something.
Where is everyone else at?
Is anyone else struggling for ideas with their artefact and what it is?
Whilst doing this I am at the point of starting my artefact, at present I am still unsure what I want to do because I haven't seen any example so am not 100% sure what to do for it.
I am thinking of doing a photo book to show management and dance teaching and show the elements of similarities and also to show images of what I can take from my management job into teaching.
I have tried to look on the uni website to see if there are any past example but I was unsuccessful in finding something.
Where is everyone else at?
Is anyone else struggling for ideas with their artefact and what it is?
Friday 10 April 2015
Main findings
Main findings so far are that the roles are very similar.
For both roles you have to have knowledge, understanding and confidence.
You have to be able to do everything you are teaching, speaking about. It is one thing because able to explain how to do something but you should also be able to do it.
You need to be organised and plan what you are doing.
In my management role I plan my days, weeks, months. I plan what I will be doing and I plan what my staff will be doing. I also tell them what they will be doing so, they know what I expect of them. If they do not do what I expect of them then there will be consequences but, I find that if you brief your staff on what you want them to do then they usually follow these expectations because they know what they are.
I also organise my time, the staffs time and organise things in the store. I organise their break times and where people are needed to be. I also need to be focused at all times in the workplace to be there if things go wrong or if people need my help. Some times when you have newer staff on shift they may have had their full training but may need support from you at times.
All these above points relate to teaching I plan lessons and organise them when they are taking place.
In a school usually break times are organised for you set in the school timetable but there are times when you need to do toilet trips and you may need to organise them at certain times. I need to be there support all my pupils at all times and offer help so that they can come to me in confidence. If they do not understand something I want my pupils to feel that they can come to me and ask for help and advice.
I think that from being a manager and doing this module. I have seen how similar the two roles are and I am confident that I could go into a teaching role and do a good job. I have experience with people in a management and teaching situation and I feel as though I would be more confident from having this past than if I had just gone to university and gone straight into a teaching role.
For both roles you have to have knowledge, understanding and confidence.
You have to be able to do everything you are teaching, speaking about. It is one thing because able to explain how to do something but you should also be able to do it.
You need to be organised and plan what you are doing.
In my management role I plan my days, weeks, months. I plan what I will be doing and I plan what my staff will be doing. I also tell them what they will be doing so, they know what I expect of them. If they do not do what I expect of them then there will be consequences but, I find that if you brief your staff on what you want them to do then they usually follow these expectations because they know what they are.
I also organise my time, the staffs time and organise things in the store. I organise their break times and where people are needed to be. I also need to be focused at all times in the workplace to be there if things go wrong or if people need my help. Some times when you have newer staff on shift they may have had their full training but may need support from you at times.
All these above points relate to teaching I plan lessons and organise them when they are taking place.
In a school usually break times are organised for you set in the school timetable but there are times when you need to do toilet trips and you may need to organise them at certain times. I need to be there support all my pupils at all times and offer help so that they can come to me in confidence. If they do not understand something I want my pupils to feel that they can come to me and ask for help and advice.
I think that from being a manager and doing this module. I have seen how similar the two roles are and I am confident that I could go into a teaching role and do a good job. I have experience with people in a management and teaching situation and I feel as though I would be more confident from having this past than if I had just gone to university and gone straight into a teaching role.
Sunday 5 April 2015
Module 3 in progress
So after almost completing the first half of my write up I have learn't many things. I have done my observations and am almost finished my interviews. I have found out some very interesting things from my observations and interviews. I am starting to realise though that everyone is different and everyone is from different backgrounds etc. Confidence, experience and personality are all factors in who we are and what we do.
From doing this module I have done self reflection on myself to change some things that I do!
I will continue to do finish my interviews and finish the analysis of my work. Next I have to do my artefact which at the moment I have no idea how to do it.
What is other people doing?
From doing this module I have done self reflection on myself to change some things that I do!
I will continue to do finish my interviews and finish the analysis of my work. Next I have to do my artefact which at the moment I have no idea how to do it.
What is other people doing?
Wednesday 18 March 2015
Module 3 findings so far
I am glad I have chosen this topic because it is very interesting and helping me a lot personally. I have done my observations and am finding out that the way you are and the way people behave seems to be dependant on their personality and the type of person they are. For example, whether you are strict or laid back, whether you are organised or unorganised etc.
The managers I have observed have been very different some working back of house and some working front of house. The managers that 'hide' in the office all day long and only come out when assistance is needed have less respect from their employees. This is because they feel that they are lazy and do not care. Where as, back of house managers that go that extra mile and check whether their staff are ok or need anything have more respect from their employees. This is because the employees can see that the manager is trying their best to help. Then there is the front of house manager, they can either be organised managers that have great knowledge or the opposite less organised managers that have less knowledge. If an employee knows more than the manager I think this is a bad thing because the manager is meant to be the 'top dog' and know everything about the business and be there to help their staff in times of need. This knowledge will have come from training, personal experience and work experience. If you now compare this to teaching your teacher is like your manager and if they do not have the knowledge then why are they at the front of the class teaching you?
They are meant to be leaders and have the knowledge and understanding to lead and teach. This can be compared also to other careers such as; a dancer. Most dance groups have a dance captain who is meant to be the best of the best and have great skills, knowledge and understanding to lead the group. If this dance captain is lacking these skills then the respect may not be present and the group will slowly start to get annoyed and loose their sense of team work. This can be the same for driving instructors, sports coaches and many more careers that are suppose to lead their followers/students upwards.
When observing teachers I have found that there are also the same factors involved as there were in my management observations. Organisation and knowledge. I think in teaching qualifications are also a high factor, this can be towards their knowledge or towards gaining respect of colleagues and pupils.
There seemed to be two different types of performing arts teachers; teachers that have danced since a young age in dance schools and done as much as they could performance wise without getting in the way of their studies and work. Then there is the performing arts teacher that possibly started to have interest in their teens took it as GCSE or A level then went onto study this at degree level. These teachers do not have as broad knowledge as the teachers that have been dancing for a while and can sometimes have conflicts with their pupils over knowledge in specialist areas such as ballet, tap where the pupil may know more. Dance is a very large subject as it has so many sub areas and I think if you are going to be an expert or teacher of dance you should have as much knowledge as possible.
Personally from doing my observations I have self reflected on my myself and feel that I have areas that I can improve on. Such as, my knowledge in my management role. This is mainly because I am fairly new and only had 7 days training when I was meant to have 4 weeks but, this was cut short due to the need for me to be in the store sooner than thought. As my training was cut short I feel that my knowledge is very limited and as a manager I feel as though I am letting my staff down sometimes by not having the answers for them. Also some of my employees have much better skills than I do in the work place. This may be due to practice as some have been there for years but I still feel like it is a personal goal for me to improve on these areas. I feel as though I am organised so I do not feel I let myself down by being unorganised. In the areas of teaching I feel like I am very organised because I always prepare things for class even if it takes me a long time. I do not mind taking time to prepare dances etc because I enjoy doing it a lot and it is also my hobby. Where as, if I have to prepare things for my management job I am not as keen because it is not a hobby for me and I feel as though I am there for my hours I work and that is it.
Now that I have done my observations I will be doing interviews with different people that I have not observed to answer further questions I have with them. I would like to know their experiences and if they have done management and teaching, how they thought it helped them?
By asking these questions I will hopefully get a better understanding.
The managers I have observed have been very different some working back of house and some working front of house. The managers that 'hide' in the office all day long and only come out when assistance is needed have less respect from their employees. This is because they feel that they are lazy and do not care. Where as, back of house managers that go that extra mile and check whether their staff are ok or need anything have more respect from their employees. This is because the employees can see that the manager is trying their best to help. Then there is the front of house manager, they can either be organised managers that have great knowledge or the opposite less organised managers that have less knowledge. If an employee knows more than the manager I think this is a bad thing because the manager is meant to be the 'top dog' and know everything about the business and be there to help their staff in times of need. This knowledge will have come from training, personal experience and work experience. If you now compare this to teaching your teacher is like your manager and if they do not have the knowledge then why are they at the front of the class teaching you?
They are meant to be leaders and have the knowledge and understanding to lead and teach. This can be compared also to other careers such as; a dancer. Most dance groups have a dance captain who is meant to be the best of the best and have great skills, knowledge and understanding to lead the group. If this dance captain is lacking these skills then the respect may not be present and the group will slowly start to get annoyed and loose their sense of team work. This can be the same for driving instructors, sports coaches and many more careers that are suppose to lead their followers/students upwards.
When observing teachers I have found that there are also the same factors involved as there were in my management observations. Organisation and knowledge. I think in teaching qualifications are also a high factor, this can be towards their knowledge or towards gaining respect of colleagues and pupils.
There seemed to be two different types of performing arts teachers; teachers that have danced since a young age in dance schools and done as much as they could performance wise without getting in the way of their studies and work. Then there is the performing arts teacher that possibly started to have interest in their teens took it as GCSE or A level then went onto study this at degree level. These teachers do not have as broad knowledge as the teachers that have been dancing for a while and can sometimes have conflicts with their pupils over knowledge in specialist areas such as ballet, tap where the pupil may know more. Dance is a very large subject as it has so many sub areas and I think if you are going to be an expert or teacher of dance you should have as much knowledge as possible.
Personally from doing my observations I have self reflected on my myself and feel that I have areas that I can improve on. Such as, my knowledge in my management role. This is mainly because I am fairly new and only had 7 days training when I was meant to have 4 weeks but, this was cut short due to the need for me to be in the store sooner than thought. As my training was cut short I feel that my knowledge is very limited and as a manager I feel as though I am letting my staff down sometimes by not having the answers for them. Also some of my employees have much better skills than I do in the work place. This may be due to practice as some have been there for years but I still feel like it is a personal goal for me to improve on these areas. I feel as though I am organised so I do not feel I let myself down by being unorganised. In the areas of teaching I feel like I am very organised because I always prepare things for class even if it takes me a long time. I do not mind taking time to prepare dances etc because I enjoy doing it a lot and it is also my hobby. Where as, if I have to prepare things for my management job I am not as keen because it is not a hobby for me and I feel as though I am there for my hours I work and that is it.
Now that I have done my observations I will be doing interviews with different people that I have not observed to answer further questions I have with them. I would like to know their experiences and if they have done management and teaching, how they thought it helped them?
By asking these questions I will hopefully get a better understanding.
Module 3 starter
Starting module 3 has been a challenge for me because I changed my inquiry topic. I have chosen something now that I think will benefit me more in my career and it is what I am doing now as a stepping stone and learning what I can take from this job and bring forward to my ending career path. I am in management at the moment and eventually want to become a performing arts teacher in a school. I teach part time evenings and weekends at the moment but would like teaching to be my full time job. I enjoy performing and want to perform as much as I can before I give up completely and start a teacher career. My inquiry has started off rocky but I feel like I am focused now and have chosen something more personal that I can relate to and use personally.
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