A Learning Cycle

What type of learner am I? This is a question that I hadn't considered in some time, probably not since I graduated from college. From reading the Reader 2 and further reading of related articles I have seen how important it is to look at and reflect on your learning in order to evolve and improve the work you are doing.

'Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of evidence' (Kolb 1984 p.38)

Reading about Kolb's learning cycle I was immediately able to relate it to my own recent work of teaching dance. Kolb's learning cycle is about the process of learning from your experience and comes in four stages. Before reading further and reflecting on my own work I would have said I entered the cycle at the 'Abstract Conceptualisation' stage. I like to really think things through before I act. For instance before teaching a class I like to think up all possible outcomes of a class and come up for a plan for each of them. I will make a list of what I am going to include in a class but also make a second and third list for if the class goes in a different direction because of reasons out of my control, for example if the standard and knowledge of the children is different than I expected. Although this way of learning makes me feel prepared it has the negative aspect of time wasting. I could plan two thirds of a lesson that will not get used.

I believe the environment you are put in can have an effect on the way you reflect and learn. Recently I have been teaching lots of new different classes as I covered a colleague's work due to sickness. This meant that I often did not have an in depth knowledge of the children and their abilities before I taught them. Due to the amount of classes I was taking it was not possible for me to come up with three or four different lesson plans for each class 'just in case'. Therefore I was taking each first class with each group as a learning experience. I would try out lots of different things with them and then go home and consider what worked well and and what didn't and use this as my basis for my next class with them. I entered the learning cycle at the 'Concrete Experience' stage. I used an actual experience to reflect upon and gain knowledge from and then altered my future work accordingly.

Looking at the learning cycle further I am able to see where I regularly complete the four stages of learning in my work as a dance teacher. One example I have comes from a new class that I have been teaching once a week for nearly a term. The class has a lot less structure than other classes I am used to teaching as it does not follow a syllabus. I found that the younger children were struggling to keep their concentration with the lesson plan I had in place. During my time teaching the class I was asked to cover a different class which came from a franchise. This franchise uses a lot of imagery in order to involve the children in the class. After teaching the class and seeing how well it went, I reflected on why the images worked and thought of ways to introduce them into the regular class I taught. As a result the next class I had with my regular group I used images in a special 'Sports Relief' themed lesson. The images I used broke down the individual steps that the children had to put together in a routine. The change in the children was remarkable. They were engaged from start to finish and their level of creativity increased. An example of an image I used is below.

I am looking forward to developing my knowledge on reflection and different types of learning. I think it is important for me to have a wider knowledge as a teacher in order to cater to the different learning styles of the children I teach.

An article I found helpful to read further to the information provided in the Reader 2 was - 

                                                 http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html. 

A whirlwind few weeks - lots of need for reflection!

Its been a few weeks since my last blog and my what a few weeks it has been! Since I last wrote a post I have taken part in a group Skype session with Adesola and fellow BAPP students from all three modules. Initially I didn't realise that the session would involve people from all three modules and it turned out to be very helpful. It was interesting to hear the different directions the course has taken people. It varied from discussions on the positives and negatives to working abroad to talks about healthy eating and body image in the performance industry. I was able to ask people on their thoughts about what they learnt and took away from Module 1 in order to check that I am heading in the right direction. The main point they brought up was that they were able to learn new ways of doing things using technology that they then used in their own careers. It was advised that it is important to always relate your learning to your industry. This is something that I am trying hard to do and I am finding it one of the main positives of doing the course. There are things that I knew existed, such as the power of social media and Web 2.0, but had never truly considered their full impact on my career and the industry that I work in. Through reading different peoples points of view on topics such as the power of Facebook in gaining a job in the performance industry it has made me think about and take a look at my own online profile and make amendments where I think necessary.

Since the Skype session I have had a few important decisions to make. I was offered some new performance contracts with companies that I have not worked with before as well as a third contract with a company that I have performed with for the last two summer seasons. I was left with what felt like the impossible task of deciding which opportunity to take. There were so many different factors to consider. Some factors linked to previous things we have considered in Module 1. I thought about what I would like my CV to look like, whether it was important to take a new job so that I had another company on my CV or if I continued with my previous employer that it would reflect positively on my character and work that they wish to re-employ me. I also considered the type of work I would be doing whilst completing the contracts. Ultimately I made my decision by looking to my future. I know that I wish to ultimately go into teaching dance full time, if you have read my previous posts you will know I have recently been involved in the setting up of a new teaching business. I have chosen to work again with my previous company as I have been given a position with more responsibility which will involve taking rehearsals with the cast and teaching choreography. I think this will be most beneficial for me considering my future plans as I will be able to learn new teaching skills and different ways to approach different teaching scenarios. I am now really looking forward to leaning more about different ways to reflect on my work from the next part of this module in order to take away the most learning from the job that I can. For example I am interested to see what different approaches I will take to teaching choreography when it is meant for professional performance compared to teaching to improve younger children's dance education. Perhaps there will not be as much of a difference as I currently think there will be!

So I now embark on a journey to Malaga next Sunday where I will be living for the next six months! I will be completing the rest of this module from a slightly further distance but believe the course will work very well along side the work I will be doing this Summer.