Alison Lonsdale BA (Hons) - Professional Practice, Arts & Creative Industries Blog

Before starting on the BA PP course I didn't know how critical group Skype sessions were going to be for me. They bringing forward new questions that you have never had to answer before and also expanding the questions that you bring to the table. I have recently started working in a school for specialist needs and I wanted to analyse 'how I started my new beginning'. This came from the group discussion when the question was raised; 'When is the beginning the beginning? How do we know it has started, or is this just part of the evolving journey?' Prior to working in a school, my time was split between teaching ISTD grades in tap, ballet and modern and dancing on cruise ships. Upon starting my new position I almost felt like I had to start again. This was very daunting for me and also felt that I didn't know what I was doing. But it also allowed for a moment of reflection. Starting these new classes I had to simplify dramatically but this also made me critic...

How are these linked? I have come to learn that everything is linked in some way. The Rhizome learning model was introduced to me in the handbook, dance is something that I have done my entire life and the concept and word Hippocampus was mentioned by Cathleen Limerick (Module 2 student) in one of the group Skype sessions. But the links are deeper than this. The Rhizome learning model is mentioned on page 6 of the hand book. It is not explained in masses of detail, but stated that we are "looking at our Professional Practice", "and making connections between knowing, information, doing and theory (a rhizome learning model)". But how are we meant to know how to do this, or if we are doing this, without learning and knowing about the theory? So I decided to research into this.  "Rhizomatic learning is a way of thinking about learning based on ideas described by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari in a thousand plateaus. A rhizome, sometimes called a creepi...

When criticising your own professional practice, it is very hard to know where to start without critiquing every detail of your work. I see reflective writing as problem solving, so I decided to work through my day noting the problems I came across. At the end of the day there were a few things that either didn't go to plan, need improvement or certain aspects that need more thought and planning. Some issues came hand in hand with a very straight forward solution and some not so much. Reflecting on your own practice almost gives you an overview of your performance but it doesn't always give you straight answers. We know within our working day when things don't go to plan, we sense that something needs adjusting or more attention, but we don't always know how to correct it and how to better ourselves. The way I decided to tackle problem solving is via approach. How did I approach the situation? What alternative approach could I try next time? There are so many types an...

I have been thinking a lot about the little things and how much they contribute towards my student's learning process. If you haven't read any of my blogs before, I have recently started a new journey as a dance teacher at Birtenshaw school and college, teaching children and adults with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). In some of my classes, I feel that I am not doing a lot with the students and not making a huge difference or progress. Lately, I have realised that this is a very egotistical way of thinking. The journey is not about me, it's about the young person. Their journey and their progression. At the beginning of each class I read up on their flight paths and what they did last week, what worked and what didn't. This helps me structure my classes and helps to build on areas they show improvement. These areas range from catching a ball to remembering a certain step or routine I taught them last week. After realising that coordination was somethi...

Skype session - Monday 30th September. The Skype session was a journey through reflection. The idea of being surrounded by the same entity (the internet and social media), but it having a different effect on people, positive or negative. How have you come to being at this stage in your practice? What is your practice? Have your teachers influenced how you are in your professional practice today? The question of influence mostly hit home for me as it is something I have recently thought about. I asked myself so many questions. How have my teachers influenced me and what can I take away from my learning experience as a positive? What negatives do I need to shed? Has a bad experience been made into a positive and influenced the way I carry our my professional practice? Or has that experience been blocked/shed, and maybe overlooked what positives could have been taken away from the experience? I think the reality of it is, we do not realise how much we are affecting the thou...