Literature Review 2

Here is my 2nd Literature Review on an article I found called "Dancing Thought: An examination of children's cognition and creative process in dance." This article presents a study which produces results that suggest that not only does dance develop children emotionally and physically, but that dance can in its own right can aid a childs cognitive development.

Literature Review 2

Literature Review 1

This piece is reviewing an article by a Professor of dance education about defining the term "Dance Education" and what the benefits would be of dance becoming a part of school curriculum throughout primary and secondary education. It is extremely relevant to my enquiry, and she makes some very interesting points.

A review of the article "Toward a definition of Dance Education"

Pilot Survey to be completed by anybody that has ever attended dance classes

Hi everybody! I know I'm a bit late with trying out a survey, but please please complete it and let me know what you think! It's only tiny!

Pilot Survey

Task 5b: What existing Codes of Practice steer my professional work?

In my previous blog I reviewed my own personal and professional ethical guidelines, which I established had been built up through common sense and from picking up good practice from my own teachers when training.

Following this blog, I then went on to researching the actual Codes of Conduct that exist within my professional community. Although I am not a member of the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing), their website was the first place I went to look, as I am quite heavily involved with an ISTD school. I therefore feel like I am a part of this particular organisation, or at the very least I feel I am held by the same standards as any fully qualified ISTD teacher by my employer.

It turns out that the ISTD use the Code of Conduct published by the CDET (Council for Dance Education and Training), which I was advised to look at prior to this by one of my employers along with a few BAPP students. This can be found here: CDET Code of Conduct

Reading through the Code of Conduct, I can honestly say that I knew and currently practice all of it, having never before seen it. This just shows that I have picked up excellent work ethics from the teachers that trained me and the people I work for, and I feel very lucky!

The RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) is other prominent organisation in my area, and so I found their Code of Practice as well in order to compare. RAD have a much more breif and condensed Code, but essentially it covers the same ground as the CDET.

So it seems that in the world of Private dance education the CDET Code of Conduct is a great guideline to follow for any dance teacher. They also recommend a book called Dance Teaching Essentials which is available from Dance UK which I have ordered. Will it simply be a more in depth version of the Code of Conduct, or take a more advisory role? We shall see!

I have also contacted another of my employers, ERYD (East Riding Youth Dance). This is a council funded organisation that provides weekly dance workshops and termly performances. It is of course Public, and therefore it will be interesting to see how a dance teachers Code of Conduct in the Public sector differs from that of the Private Sector. (Read part two of this blog to find out!!)

Task 5a: Ethics Applying to my Workplace

For this task I decided to run though the process of teaching a class from beginning to end, picking up on each "unwritten" ethical rule that I abide by as I go.

Preparation:

Before each class I teach I ensure that the class is properly planned in terms of structure, in order to ensure that the class runs smoothly. This includes:

• A list of class content and song choices.
• Usually a pre-choreographed routine. 
• Making sure I am presented in a professional and smart manner in order to maintain a level of professionalism.

Upon Arrival:

I always arrive at least 15 minutes before a class in order to:

• Clear the room of any obstacles or obstructions, ensure all the required light are on and the room is the correct temperature.
• Arrange my music, notes and register so that I can begin as soon as I can.
• To make sure I am in the room before anybody arrives as this appears much more professional

During the class:

• If there are any new students I ensure the parent signs a small disclaimer acknowledging that it is their responsibility to ensure the child is dressed appropriately, and that during the course of a dance class some student/teacher contact may be required and that it will always be carried out in a professional manner. (I feel as a male dance teacher this is particularly important) 
• I carry out a thorough warm up making sure my students are participating fully, as it is my responsibility to ensure they are properly prepared for dancing.
• I aim to give equal attention to each student. They are all paying the same amount of money and therefore it would be wrong to focus more on the struggling students, or more on the ones excelling.

After class:

• As much as possible I make myself available to parents if they wish to discuss anything related to the class of their child.
• I maintain a professional manner until I have left the building.

Its interesting looking at what I've written, as I started to consider where I have picked up these codes of conduct/unwritten guidelines. I've never been taught them directly, therefore I must assume that I have picked them up from teachers that have taught me in the past, or simply instinctively known what is right and wrong.

Is working on ethical instincts alone enough? As I only teach free classes (no examination bodies or syllabus involved), my own personal and professional ethics are the only ones I've ever followed. Is this something I should remedy, and if so, what organisational ethical guidelines should I follow? And would they even differ that much from my own Personal/Professional ethics?

Task 4d: Award Title

The factors I considered were:

• I have trained in dance since the age of 12
• I have worked as a professional dancer for 3 year
• I have been teaching freelance classes in a variety of styles for nearly 2 years
• My aim is to become a full time teacher in the public sector
• My enquiry is not entirely focused yet, but it's clear that it will be concentrating on dance education within secondary schools.

With all these factors considered, the most appropriate title I can think of is:

BA (Hons) Professional Practice Dance Education

I felt that including the word dance in the title was obvious and a necessity, and the word education bridged over to where I am aiming to get to professionally.

Effective Blogging: How to encourage comments on your posts.

An issue that keeps on coming up is "How can I get people to comment on my blog?"

Tip 1:
Comment on others blogs...a lot!
If student no.1 goes onto their blog page and sees that student no.2 is frequently and consistently commenting on their posts, they will feel obliged and obligated to comment on theirs in return.

Tip 2:
Go out of your way to help.
When commenting on students posts, make your comments about them and their work. By all means relate it to your own work, but don't make it selfish. If the recipient of your comment finds it helpful and encouraging, again they will feel obliged to return the favour. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours".

Tip 3: Subscribe to responses.
At the bottom of every comments page on every blog entry, there is a link that says "subscribe by email". By clicking this link, you receive an email every time somebody comments on that post. My advise: click that link on every single post you write or comment on. This way you will never miss a comment and you will be able to respond quickly, keeping the people who are commenting engaged.

Tip 4: Presence
It's extremely difficult, and all of us go through phases when our blog attendance is poor, but the best way to ensure you receive comments is to spend as much time as possible posting and commenting. If your presence within the blog community is strong, you will "trend" and become a popular person to interact with.

I hope those tips are helpful. Please let me know if they are, or indeed if they're not!

This is by no means a fail safe plan, but if you follow these tips it should generate more comments.

Thanks for reading,

Liam.