2020 Recap - Module 1

As I embark onto my continual journey to module 2, I would like to discuss several module 1 theories. Thinking back to my very first group Skype call back in September 2019, I made preparations by skimming through the module 1 handbook and jotting down some questions and ideas I had. It is clearly stated in the module 1 handbook (p8) that our blogs are our study activity tool, and is used to assess our engagement and attendance throughout the course. The act of blogging is one I had never previously considered, however I do rather enjoy it now.  For the initial days at the start of my course, I wrote down blog post ideas such as: school - the journey, nutrition and recipes, my responses to various articles in The Dancing Times, 'day in the life of Serina,' my work - touring, auditions, European Union and Brexit effects on pointe shoe trading, my former injuries, how the arts are funded in the UK. My blog posts slowly manifested into topics that covered more substantial themes, with the help of the module handbook. Wherever I went, I kept a small notebook with me just in case I suddenly had a great idea for a blog post and wanted to write it down. What is great about blogging is you can do it anytime, anywhere. It really is an amazing Web 2.0 platform to share knowledge within a community. I also slowly began to truly understand what module 1 consisted of, and annotated the handbook to highlight parts that particularly interested me, paraphrased sentences into short words to help me summarise substantial sections and re-read it regularly where every time I would return with a new outlook.
An idea that has planted its seed into my thought process and overall perspective of life is positioned in Lens 2 with McFee's words:

"I must know what the words 'unmarried', 'married' mean, if I am to understand what is being said when you claim that a bachelor is an unmarried man" (1992: 18).

McFee's words sound so simple and logical, yet we take for granted the vast amount of knowledge humans have. There are many unknowns such as the effects of Brexit, the possibility of other life on other planets and universes, how far the irreversible chain reaction of climate change is. Theorists such as McFee dedicate their lives to philosophy, wanting to find the answers to the unknown (ie 'how do we understand?').

How does confusion develop into knowledge, and how we know what we know?

My newly found comfort in initial confusion has allowed me to be more open-minded in discovering new thoughts and ideas. The physical act of learning is the gateway to understanding.

Kolb's Learning Cycle

David Kolb developed the idea of a learning cycle in 1984 when he published his book 'Experimental Learning: Experience as the source of Learning and Development'. The most popular theory of his is the experimental learning cycle. This theory was discussed in various group Skype calls, perhaps because it is relatively easy to understand and can be adapted to anyone's learning. To make this blog post was a collaboration of abstract conceptualisation and reflective observation. I regularly read other blog posts, to find inspiration and stay apart of the BAPP community. I read up on previous notes to make sense of my journey so far and reflect on how my past thoughts connects to my ideas at present. 

On-Line and Off-Line Engagement 

On-line engagement refers to reflection-in-action and off-line engagement refers to reflection-on-action. Robert Kottkamp (1990) believes reflection-in-action to be more difficult to achieve. The way you reflect is impacted by which profession you are in. Kottkamp is an academic writer, who is used to reflecting-on-action, thinking back of events and outcomes. My profession is dance, where most would assume we are all fantastic at reflection-in-action and are kinaesthetic learners. To an extent, I do need to use tacit knowledge and reflection-in-action to, quite literally, think fast on my feet whilst in the studio and especially on stage. However, dancers cannot cast aside the needed skill for reflection-on-action. For example, I may find a particular step difficult during a performance due to a spacing mishap. After the show, I will think about how I can improve that section so that it doesn't happen again. The following day, I would practice the step I found tricky before the show. As I dance, I learn kinaesthetically and use reflection-in-action. Outside the studio and away from the stage, I consider myself to be an over-thinker where I use off-line engagement to critically assess how my dancing is going. I enjoy communicating with others through interpersonal learning and believe that verbal-linguistic learning is vital to express yourself (especially since dancers do not speak as a part of their art form, unlike actors). Sometimes, saying something out loud does make you remember it better. Learning through the lens of music is a skill that I use daily, as dance would simply not exist without life's gift of music. I am interested in the idea that whether you are musical or not is partially inherited, or completely based on upbringing and access to learning music. 

 Cooperation and Affiliation Theory 

Cooperation is a theoretical concept in network theory which is linked to Game Theory. Robert Axelrod, a political scientist, published 'The Evolution of Cooperation' (1984) which investigated this partnership. Why is this relevant to me and my practice?

Hayes (2019): Game theory is a theoretical framework for conceiving social situations among competing players. In some respects, game theory is the science of strategy, or at least the optimal decision-making of independent and competing actors in a strategic setting. 

Game Theory focuses on how people interact and how much we cooperate. All the students of the BAPP course are from varying practices, yet we are all connected by our university community and drive to strive for higher learning. The selection of people accepted onto the course is not random, despite being different ages from different backgrounds. The pattern that is manifested in our network is our shared view to better ourselves by participating in the course and the passion we have for our practice. To improve our operating network, we can do so by contributing ideas and sharing thoughts on our blog posts. 

Affiliation is a social psychological concept, which seeks to find out how people enjoy and benefit from affiliations with others and exactly why humans form close relationships. Through work and social convention, most would naturally affiliate themselves with colleagues. Crisp and Turner state that this could be a result of psychological processes that go on in our minds. They believe affiliation is a social process that provides people with a "network of support that will help us when we are in need" (2007: 266). 

Do you warm to those you work with? Do you prefer to keep yourself to yourself, making home and work life separate? Is the line between work and home blurred? 

O'Connor and Rosenblood suggest that the level of social interaction one can handle is linked to whether they are considered an extrovert or an introvert. On the whole, I consider myself to be an extrovert where I enjoy social interaction within my professional network. However, the pressure of social media and invasion of privacy can lead to professionalism being skewed. For example, the ballet company I work for tends to post their auditions on facebook and instagram. Unless, you follow their account of this social media platform, you are at a disadvantage. I believe it to be entirely acceptable if someone wishes to maintain their privacy in the workplace. This is all dependant on the individual's social stimulation (extrovert vs introvert), their culture and general upbringing. I believe affiliation is a vital tool for a successful career to create an effective professional network. While maintaining an appropriate level of privacy, being outgoing and interacting with those around you leads to better communication, a good platform for information sharing and exchange of knowledge. 

I am looking forward to 2020, and the challenges that module 2 brings. 

References:

Axelrod, R. (1984) The Evolution of Cooperation. New York: Basic Books. 

Crisp, R. J. and Turner, R. N. (2007) Essential Social Psychology. London: SAGE, p266. 

Hayes, A. (2019) Game Theory: What is Game Theory? Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gametheory.asp (Accessed: 14th January 2019)

McFee, G. (1992) Understanding Dance. London: Routledge, p18. 

University of Leicester. David Kolb. Available at: https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/doctoralcollege/training/eresources/teaching/theories/kolb 

(Accessed: 14th January 2019)