Emptying my brain of all the jumble...

This is gonna be a stream of consciousness about the process of my inquiry where I'm at, what I've done and what is still to do.

I'd really appreciate anyone giving this a quick glance to help me fill in the bits that I am sure to have missed. My inquiry objective is to learn his to make the best first impression as a teacher to a new class.

Stage one - getting ready...

I've reviewed my plan and made slight adjustments according to issues that arose from my formative feedback.

Ethical considerations have not changed so on paper I'm ready yo go :)

Stage two - performing the inquiry...

I've gained appropriate consent.

Carried out initial observations.

Reviewed my initial findings.

Carried out the first round of interviews with teachers that I observed. 

Still to do...

Carry out follow up interviews.

Analyse my findings. 

Stage three - the literature review...

Help help and help again... I'm just not clear on how to go about this. Every time I think I've got it I then see it in a new light and feel back to square one!!!

Stage four - interaction with peers and colleagues...

I'm lucky enough to currently be working in a school and am surrounded by many teachers all with varying skills and experience. It's like having my very own sourest for a fountain of knowledge :)

A lot of chat I have with them is informal around the staff room but I often add these thoughts and finding to my journal for later reference. I also communicate with the head teachers from the 3 schools that I am carrying out my inquiry in by email and google plus communities. All of which are useful firms of communication as and when I need there help or assistance. 

My advisor Paula is great with quick and informed responses to my work and queries making my somewhat unorganised study time to date that much easier. Although after getting this all on to paper I feel my time will be allocated a lot more wisely. 

My sig groups, this is harder as although there are several teachers amongst us there isn't really anyone looking at the same area as me. What is great though is the way I have been able to use the blogs and sig pages to keep up to date with the campus session that I have missed and the apprehension that is eased from gearing everyone else's fears and worries. It really is reassuring to know that we are all in the same boat and not in it alone. 

As I said if there is something else I need to be doing please feel free to add to my list.

Big thanks in advance :) 

The ramblings of my very busy brain!!!

Tonight I took some time out from the hustle and bustle to go see the fireworks with my favourite person in the world. My little girl always helps me put things into perspective. When I look at how much she has achieved in the 5 short years of her life so far it just takes me back and I realise just how much we are all capable of....

If we have a goal we can most certainly achieve it. 

Tomorrow I plan to ramble some more, I think it will help if I just pour out my thoughts. What I've done so far, what's left to do, what's next and what I think of it all so far. Hopefully it will clear out my head and make some space so I can get on with the tasks at hand :) 

Student Relationships: You only get one chance to make a first impression, summery so far...

For Paula and anyone else that has the time or inclination :)

My inquiry questions...

The importance of first impressions.

What makes a good first impression.

The significance of a good teacher-student relationship.

What makes a good teacher-student relationship.

My objective is to gather information that allows me to achieve all of the above. I will be this be observing teachers first interactions with new classes. 

The feedback I received after submitting my inquiry helped me to realise that I needed to be a little more specific as to what I am hoping to achieve and define my line of inquiry. Although my inquiry looks closely at students and teachers it is the behaviour of the the teachers that I am focusing on. The reaction this has on the children will help me to establish the forms of behaviour for other teacher that I would like to take forward in achieving my goals. 

Although a very simple set of Inquiry tools using observation with a follow up interview. My feed back suggested that I then a few weeks later met with the teachers again either for another observation or interview to established how there relationships with there new class had come on since their first encounters. I have decided after some thought to meet with the teacher to have an informal chat about how there relationships with the students are progressing. Anything that they would change in hindsight and things they may add or do differently next time. 

I've become aware that I need to take a more holistic approach, that not only the work and writing of other professionals can help me in this process but that I should draw more upon my own experiences as a professional. That my knowledge from situations I have encountered throughout my career has a voice in the analysis stage of my inquiry. 

In analysis I will be looking also at a transdiciplanary approach. Theorising what I have observed and how realistic it may in in the lager context. Also focusing on what I can learn from the bits that didn't work. 

I've given my artifact a lot if thought. How would I like someone to share this information with me. As a new teacher or an exisiting one looking to develope ones skill set what padagogy would be best suited. I plan to develope a short audio visual training piece that could potentially be displayed on a get into teaching website or provided to schools to share with their staff new or established. 

This will be a hands on display of my findings giving the viewer help, advice and examples of how to establish a good practice when first forming teacher-student relationships. 

The practical side is going really well so far and is almost complete. I am however struggling to find the right piece for my literature review. A lot of my reading has focused on first impression or teacher-student relationships. I've not found anything of real significance combining the two....any ideas or suggestion would be greatfully received :)

Bobbie. 

Module 3...

Hi all...

My inquiry proposal in planning appears to have some merit so onwards I go in the quest for new knowledge.

My inquiry is entitled.... Student Relationships: You only get one chance to make a good impression. 

I'm looking at how best to approach a new class in order to establish a good teacher/student relationship. Which research sows is critical to a child's education and a teachers career. 

With the new school year starting in sept I took the bull by the horns and jumped in with the practical side of the inquiry. With that almost done I'm looking now at analysing my results.

If any of you out there feel we could benifits from sharing it assisting each other please let me know I'm more than happy to help :) 

Feels like a long wait...

Not too much longer now. Feeling a little anxious and eager to get on with module 3.

How's everyone else feeling???

:)

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Looking back over the journey that has been module two, one thing stood out and got me thinking. I‘d gone through the tasks laid out by the university which have guided me in gaining knowledge and information needed to put together a solid inquiry proposal. But what really gave me food for thought was the pivotal moments of change and enlightenment that have occurred throughout this process. Moments where the clouds parted, and words and ideas fell off the tip of my tongue. It’s these moments that I’ve chosen to reflect on, not merely because the thoughts and decisions made at these times have signposted the direction of my inquiry but because of the circumstance in which these epiphanies have occurred.

Whilst developing my lines of professional inquiry I learnt the importance of questioning my practice whilst looking for gaps or barriers to use as problems to research. Rosemary’s blog inspired a moment of clarity where she says ‘A great quality to have in this endeavour is one of curiosity - to develop an inquiring mind. Why should such a thing be? Is that the ‘truth’ and so on. Moreover, this develops a critical quality in your thinking, which is just what we are looking for on this programme.’ (Appendix A). Rosemary also recommended Freakonomics; a great read that helped me understand the practical applications of inquiry.

I shared my initial questions (Appendix B) on my blog and with colleagues. One communication proved invaluable as my next moment of enlightenment (Appendix C).

My blog post 4b (Appendix D) signifies two more key revelations; firstly, the formation of my Significant Interest Group (Sig) and secondly a new level of understanding. On my blog I quote ‘It's funny but I've really found that hearing my own ideas spoken in other people's words has made me able to access that bit of clarity that seems to constantly be on the tip of my Tongue.’ Comments from others really are a great example of how sharing can shape your ideas.

Initially I struggled to see the merit of my inquiry and how it would make a difference. I came across an inspiring blog by Peter Bryant (Appendix E). This quotation struck me: ‘They are not sea-changes nor are they barbarians banging at the gate. There is something to be said for the idea of from little things, big things grow’. It helped put my inquiry into context, especially the scale and feasibility.

The campus session on ethics highlighted the value of attending sessions. We brainstormed everything and anything on ethics until we had a clearer picture (Appendix F). I had my next revelation when Alan proselytized the “less is more” approach to inquiry. At last, I tapered my ideas into my final inquiry proposal.

Whilst piloting the tools of professional inquiry the emphasis turned to my Sig and what great support they provided as willing volunteers (appendix G).

On reflection, the biggest revelation of this emotional and mental journey is the realisation that - for the most part - my success is through engagement with my networks. Networking is an amazing source for a wealth of information that has assisted me in the ownership of my critical thinking process. In the future it will play its part in helping me sustain my professional practice.

Thanks to my sig...

I really want to say a big thank you to you all out there. you have all been a great source of support, information and inspiration.

I've tried to return the favour as much as I can. I hope I have in turn been some help.

A great example of the success of the sig for me...

Here's looking forward to module 3 and all it has to bring :)

Better late than never...

Have only just found the time to write this up but still wanted to share as this proved a pivotal moment in my line of enquiry...

When sharing my Initial Questions with a colleague her response was a real eye opener and helped me see things a bit more clearly.

I explained I was after a little feedback and read out my list of questions surrounding my practice, her first response was a little bit of a giggle!!! after my initial reaction of oh no! she thinks it's rubbish!!! I calmed down and listened to her response...

"Bobbie, are you feeling a little bit nervous of what the future has in store for you?".

It was at this moment I had one of those I can see clearly now moments!! I was feeling some apprehensions and looking at my questions most of them revolved around building relationships with my future students.

I decided from that moment on that there was to be an element of selfishness to my inquiry, as if I got it right I could lay a lot of these fears to rest :)

How funny that sometimes it takes someone else to see exactly what it is you are looking at.

First impressions...

The concept of making a good first impression is critical to my inquiry. I've been reading up on the facts behind this rather that taken it at face value. I came Across this and loved it.. Thought I'd share...

YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION...

http://www.lifebound.com/blog/educators/teachers-you-only-have-one-chance-to-make-a-first-impression/

Delicious...

Follow me @bjpingram :)

6b - pilot interview...

Ok so I managed at last to get a pilot interview done. I tried a different tact with this and based my questions a lot more heavily on my specific inquiry topic.

I went for the semi structured interview approach. So I had a list of questions but also an open mind as to where the questions might lead us.

I included open and closed interviews questions as I thought this would give me the most scope or collecting information that I could analyse.

I also decided to take notes rather that record the interview as I thought that the presence of a recording device might intimidate the interviewee.

I put together a covering information sheet that was basic but to the point.

The interview went really well and I enjoyed this inquiry tool the most. I think that I had more of an idea of how to prepare and control the whole process.

The plus points...

Great one on one in depth data.

Opportunity to run with a theme and gather unexpected data.

Able to build a relationship with the interviewee and possible opportunity for a second interview.

Can really hone down on specific areas and explore to the point of an acceptable conclusion.

Can offer up avenues that you hadn't already thought of.

The down side...

Can be time consuming and hard to narrow down and find just the right willing volunteers.

Collating so much data into some sort of decipherable results is hard to do.

The ethical side needs great consideration. The data protection act needs to be adhered to and giving a fair representation of people's views is critical.

I will be using interview as my main inquiry tool.

6b -pilot observations...

I have recently started a new job in a primary school which has provided me with lots of opportunities for observation.

I completed my first observation on my first day when I was unknown to the children almost taking me out of the role of insider researcher which was a great experience. I then two weeks later observed a class with children that I had got to know and again found it a great but very different experience.

What I found interesting...

The children all have their own very different personalities but I found during both observations they almost developed a uniform behaviour in the class room. They obviously were very clear on what was expected of them and how to behave.

The teachers took opportunities to be more light hearted with the children but at the same time were able to reign it back in when needed.

The children follow a code of conduct expected of them by the school. In a sense being a pupil is there job and they are encouraged to do it well. This gives the classroom a nice feel of equality and fairness.

Boundary's were tested but dealt with without fuss or two much disturbance.

There was a sense of calm even at negative times that surprised me.

Would I use observation?

The plus points....

If you open your eyes and your mind you are able to gather an awful lot of information at once.

It's relaxed and informal, seeing the raw materials in there natural habitat as such.

On the down side...

The range of what you observe can be huge and knowing how to take away the right information could be tricky.

Observation opens up a lot of variables that can be hard to control or understand there effect on a true result.

Consolidating data is difficult. Finding the right way to evaluate and report your results could be hard to do.

As an insider researcher I will have to be concerned with my own bias and experiences clouding what I am actually observing. You have to almost step outside and become detached to what you are seeing and just report clearly on the facts. But my main concern with the validity of the results would be the effect being observed would have on the people being observed.

I know from experience no matter how hard I try if someone is watching me my behaviour changes. Sometimes very slightly but other times hugely. It's very hard to stop this as I'm sure as much as anything it happens on a subconscious level.

I think observation is going to feature heavily in my inquiry so I'm gonna have to be very clear in my own mind what information I am looking for and to try to avoid having a changing effect on my subjects and to also try and bare in mind the effect of me actually being there has had on the people I'm observing.

6b - pilot focus group...

This was great. I got together with half a dozen friends who all work with children in different roles to discuss the ways in which they engage with a class and how as the adult they make the best first impression. We went on to talk about how first impressions really make a difference to the control you then have over that particular group of children.

The focus group had lots of positive points...

Good qualitative data source.

I found it great to be able to knock ideas off of each other.

The conversation took on lots of avenues that I wouldn't of particularly thought to go down during a conventional interview.

As we all knew each other we all relaxed and spoke openly not only revealing our positive experiences but discussing where at times it had all gone wrong.

It seemed just enough people to keep the conversation focused. As the leader I felt that I had good control of the conversation and keeping it on track.

I learnt a lot of general information that I can use to compare amongst everything individuals had to say.

The down side...

Information gathered was very generic. The focus group would need to be a lot more geared to the inquiry question being investigated. And gathering enough willing volunteers that have the right skill set and experience could prove hard.

The ethical dimension would certainly come in to play here. Candidates would need to be very carefully selected to allow a fair representation and to gather overall unbiased data.

Difficult to gather quantitative data.

Was hard to know when to draw the conversation to a close.

The biggest issue for me here was the insider researcher issue. I felt a lot of bias to my own experiences. I almost feel that I needed to keep my mouth shut. To just lead the group rather than participate. As the leader I felt that anything I added to the conversation led to too heavy a focus being placed on my input. The group looked at me like maybe I knew best as it was my inquiry.

I think that in order to learn from others that at times I need to just be a detached researcher. To then after the fact analyse what I have learnt from others against my own personal experiences.

I really feel that this is going to prove a useful tool for my inquiry and look forward to getting together a more specific focus group.

6b - My pilot survey

My pilot survey...first of all thanks for a great response.

The plus points...

This was a great way to get a feel for people's opinions and brief justifications.

Can use this as a tool to make general inquiry's that can lead to more specific forms for investigation.

Gives participants anonymity to feel free to answer openly.

Gives the researcher time to analyse and re analyse results over time

An opportunity to approach a large number of people. Either within specific groups or the mass population.

Gives participant opportunity to answer at own leisure.

Easy way to gather quantitative data.

The negatives...

Not particularly specific.

Hard to analyse qualitative data.

If needed to be aimed at a specific group can be limiting in regards to best use of participants time.

Lacks the opportunity for leading questions.

Removes chance to observe participant.

I don't think that this is gonna be the best way forward for my inquiry as I think I will be relying mostly on qualitative data. But I will not count it out as I may use another survey to help narrow down the questions and areas that will be most beneficial during other processes especially interview.

6a - The pilots...

Looking very broadly at my inquiry topic I'm gonna conduct these pilots. I'm hoping that not only will it give me the experience needed to plan and carry out my formal inquiry but also help me narrow down and tweak my final inquiry question!!!

1- the pilot interview... I'm gonna be asking my SIG's for help here. I've put together my questions and for the ease of the willing interviewee I may conduct this by either Skye or as a live online chat.

2- the pilot survey... I did this using survey monkey. I had nearly 40 responses in all so a big thank you to all my teaching friends out there. The survey was broad and thought provoking. The results have definitely helped me narrow down my area of inquiry and given me so results to play around with and develop my analysing skills. A common thing I learnt from this was just how much time and information the majority seemed to be prepared to put into my survey. It gives me a clearer idea of how much I should expect to gain if I decide to use this form of data collection.

3- a pilot focus group... At this stage I'm going to carry out my focus group with a group of my peers. Although I want to gain the experience in holding a focus group I don't want to use up the valuable time of those that. Want to take part in my formal inquiry and as lots of my SIG's are also teachers I will be calling on you for the real thing. I'm meeting with half a dozen friends tomorrow who work with children in different settings to hold a discussion on the relationships they build with the children. Ill let you know how it goes.

4- a pilot observation... This week I have started a new job in a state primary school and it has given me a lot of opportunities to carry out some observations. With lots of different teachers and students.

In 6b as required I will critically reflect on my experiences...

5c - Ethics in a Professional Context...

Looking at the different theories and ideas around ethics has made me look back at my own experiences at the hands of professionals.

I like most of us studied dance for many years. I responded really well to harsh criticism. Of course the praise always went down nicely too but I never felt hard done by if I got it in the neck more than others in the class as I knew it was what worked best for me.

The way my long term dance teacher treated me was ethically appalling but I still have no complaints it helped me achieve what I have today. But now as a professional myself I see what the ripple effects that this abandonment of ethical and moral rule has had.

The reader has opened my eyes to how far ethics stretch and how bad choices and decisions can affect so many more people than you may at first realise. Another fellow dancer remembers the time we shared in class together very differently. I loved it yet she will shudders slightly at the memory. The teacher was very kind to her but the knock on effect at watching those of us that did get it in the neck upset her gravely and really effected her trust and relationships with teacher in general.

I now as a professional I will certainly give a lot more thought to my behaviour. I'm not saying that everything should be nice and sugar coated all the time as that does no one any favours in the long run. And not every body should be treated the same as we are all individuals and need different things. But I will most certainly consider the greater good when making my professional decisions.

I strongly believe that Hobbes (1651) idea of a social contract is current and valid today, we do need guidelines to live in harmony and mutual benefit. Of course these guidelines can not be set in stone as we have seen. Cultures, religions and individuals needs vary. We have to adapt our behaviour to fit in with the ethical values of our current situation..

I cannot get my head around Kant (1779) idea of moral rules being absolute. I feel that this would lead to the breakdown of society as we know it. And not for the good. Whereas Mill (1861) argument that the end justifies the means is a guideline that should in certain situations be part of our social contract.

The theoretical approaches to ethics are great tools when it comes to evaluating ethical issues in our professional (and personal) lives. I would like to use elements of consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. Sometimes the greater good is the most important thing and there are things in my professional live that will always be seen as wrong. The person I am and the actions that I take make me who I am and give others grounds on which to judge me. The key thing is learning to effectively handle different situations and issues as they arise.

I think I'm going to have to ask a lot of normative questions in the build up and during my inquiry to get the ethics just right..

There is plenty of food for thought here...

5b - statutory guidelines for ethical conduct.

So after reading through lots of different ethical/codes of conduct relating to my field or practice. I've come across a few things that I'd over looked or not given enough credit to during 5a...

1. The responsibility to uphold the publics trust in us as a professional teacher.

2. The safeguarding of my pupils interests and well being.

3. The importance of not exploiting my own personal views and opinions.

4. CPD regarding the prevention of injury.

5. The necessity to hold public/employer liability.

6. Recognising a students potential and helping them reach there goals.

7. Health and safety guidelines.

8. Objectivity and upholding 'fundamental British values'.

All of my findings during task a were relevant and necessary in my professional practice. The things I have listed above have not come as a surprise to me. Only that they are more important than I initially gave the credit.

The idea of being in the public eye as a role model is really interesting. It's learning what is and isn't expectable and where to draw boundary s. The government Teaching Standards talks a lot about upholding fundamental British values. I guess that as these are all values that I already hold with high esteem that it didn't really dawn on me that not everyone does. And that those people will have a much harder job in setting this example as a teacher.

Teaching standards...

The Department of Education, Teaching Standards, May 2012.

https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/teachers%20standards.pdf

Simpler than I first thought but very clear and concise. Worth a read whatever sort of teaching you do.

Also the National Union of Teacher. Code of professional ethics, can be applicable to all teachers.

http://www.teachers.org.uk/files/active/0/NUT-Code-of-Professional-Ethics.pdf

Task 5a, Ethics in my work place...

As we all now realise ethics play a huge role in everything we do. I'm gonna try and explore what ethics come into my daily practice.

I'm gonna think firstly about the children I teach, I feel ethically bound to consider how I treat the children, to be fair and considerate but to also treat them as individuals. The way I communicate with them and the language that I use is very important. As a teacher I am a role model to my students and need to set an example of how to behave. Discipline and reprimand need to be handled with careful consideration. Not only am I correcting bad behaviour but am showing the rest of my class what is and isn't except able behaviour and how to deal with people that behave in these ways. Listening to them and giving them the time that they need is important. As is passing back any relevant information to parents and or schools.

What to teach? I'm ethically obliged to plan and deliver adequate lessons. They need to be appropriate, relevant and up to date. Lessons need to be planned and taught with individual children and their needs in mind.

Where I work...if I'm working for myself or an established organisation I need to be aware that I am constantly representing myself/them and need to behave in an appropriate professional manor. Also the space in which I teach my classes needs to be safe and secure. It's my duty to make sure it's this way and to resolve or report and problems that may arise.

My colleagues, wether they are other teachers, admin staff, caretakers or any other number of people I may come into contact with. I feel the need to be civil, honest and have good lines of communication open with them.

Parents/guardians, they are entrusting me with the care of there children. This needs to be met above and beyond expectations.

Data and information... I hold details about my students. Names, addresses and contact details. It is my job to make sure these are stored securely and used for only the correct purposes. And are dissed of correctly at the relevant time.

There are so many angles to look at this from. This is what I have come up with off the top of my head. I'm intrigued now to move on to the next task to see what I have missed...

The mind begins to boggle :)

Campus Session 2 - module 2.

Professional Ethics...what a bloody mine field!!! I thought I had a good sense of what ethics were but when it came to trying to voice it, well it was on the tip of my tongue but I and many others really struggled with the right words to relay what we were thinking in our heads.

Alan really helped us break it down. We looked at what makes someone a professional... See image 1.

We jotted down what we thought ethics actually are...see image 2.

We talked about who should be concerned with professional ethics...see image 3.

Your professional code of conduct is a great place to start when looking at what ethics involve your practice. Ethics are so far reaching that they effect almost everything you do in your professional and personal live, we make ethical and moral decisions constantly without realising. We all have in build and learnt ethical and moral standards that we adhere to all the time without giving it a second thought.

It's when thought has to be given to it or we are asked to break it down and explain our ethical stance, opinions and choices that I began to realise just how important this topic is and quite how much attention I will have to pay to the ethical side of my inquiry.

Another key thing to come out of this session for me was just how specific our inquiry's need to be. Many of my ideas and those I've heard from others i now realise are much too broad to be able to investigate and get valid and useful results. Also that smaller amounts of quality data may be better that masses of less in-depth information. I was looking at teacher/student relationships. I've now narrowed this right down to looking at How to set a good first impression as a teacher to a new class. Specifically looking at key stage 3 classes in my local area. I think this information will help me develop better relationships with my pupils as first impressions and initial boundaries are very important. I picked a specific age group as different age groups would need to be approached in different ways and this is the key stage in which I aim to be working with. I also have picked to look at this in my local area as children's lifestyles, attitudes and approaches can be different depending on where you live/grew up. So I'd like to get the best heads up on the children that I will be faced with.

I can always return to look at a wider audiences as and when my career calls for it.

Thanks for reading. I'd appreciate your feedback and if you have any questions about the campus session please don't hesitate to ask :)

Check this out...

http://peterbryant.smegradio.com/?p=298

A really thought provoking blog by Peter Bryant. Opened my eyes alot about teaching in the 21st century.

A place to share...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kR7fw6nm0ZTfLbfHxrHbFEWVlRmMb9oVaBZ82LIs1Ps/edit?overridemobile=true#

Here is the link to our Dance/Teaching SIG's doc. Where we will be sharing relevant info, links and communications. Feel free to use and add to it :)

Facebook success :)

The groups on Facebook are growing and coming along really nicely. Think we have about 18 members and separate groups forming to create our SIG's.

Anyone not on Facebook let me know and we can find another way to share the information with you.

Hope your all enjoying module 2 as much as I am :)

4b - I've got my SIG :)

Well this week has been enjoyable. I've spend a lot of time reading fellow students blogs. Developing my relationships with other professionals and getting my thoughts into shape.

I've whittled my head full of ideas down a fair bit thanks to fellow students and colleagues and really want to spend my time now looking at respect and enjoyment within teacher/student relationships.

This theme is relevant to my current practice and will also help set me up well for where I hope my future practice will lead me.

I've found a small group of Bapp students that share my interests and through the wonderful world of Facebook we have managed to get together to form our SIG. I'm sure we will continue to thrash out ideas, question and encourage each other as we progress through this module.

It's funny but I've really found that hearing my own ideas spoken in other people's words has made me able to access that bit of clarity that seems to constantly be on the tip of my Tongue!!!

So thank you all and I look forward to continue to develop our inquiry's together.

Just to add. This weekend I will be throwing all my thoughts and ideas at a few of my teaching contacts. I'll blog next week there ideas and responses with you all and specifically my fellow SIG's.

4a - Initial questions.

A set of question relevant to my practice???

What is my practice? That is a question in itself! I feel a little in limbo. Right now I teach musical theatre as an extra-curricular activity. The reason I'm doing this course is so I can go on to gain Qualified Teacher Status and work within a school setting as a dance and drama teacher.

The two careers are very similar but yet worlds apart. I feel that I should be looking into the questions I have arising about my up and coming career. But this is not yet strictly classed as my practice.

So I've thought long and hard about the transition between the two and have come up with a few themes that interest me and are relevant to my current and future practices :)

1. Student / Teacher relationships.

2. The importance of understanding that every student is different with individual needs.

3. What skills do I need as a teacher to enable the successful teaching of many different students.

4. How do students of different ages need to differently interact with their teachers.

5. Does a successful student teacher relationship have any baring on how successful a teacher is?

6. As a teacher are students ever to young to learn the benefits of self teaching. At what age/stage do you introduce this?

7. Do the relationships teachers have with their students vary depending on what subject they teach?

8. What form of teaching to students best respond to?

Moving my career in a new direction is taking me out of my comfort zone. I have a great relationship with my current students but they are all of a similar age, back ground and status. I fear I may be like a fish out of water in a big state secondary school.

Once you have there attention the rest can be worked on. So if I can master the art of good teacher/student relations hopefully I'll become the successful teacher that I aspire to be.

Module 2 Campus session 1.

Great session with Rosemary yesterday. Was good to hear other people's thoughts on their inquiry's and lack of thoughts was also reassuring as I'm still to finalise my subject area!!!

We discussed a better way to stay in touch and share ideas and form sig groups. As promised I've started a Facebook group for all to join.

Middlesex Uni Bapp SIG forum.

Look forward to hearing from you all on there :)

Welcome 2013 :)

Happy New Year Bapp staff and students. Hope you all had a great Christmas and new year.

Back to reality tomorrow. Final draft of critical reflection will be completed (I hope!!!).

Hope your all ready for the deadline and not nursing a hangover!!

See you all at the next campus session.