Literature review three

With this final review I have just began to read the book, Movement and Dance in early childhood, the second edition, by Mollie Davies.

I feel that this book will be a big insight and help into beginning my research and inquiry, so although I have not read the book fully it was a piece of literature I thought was worth me making a note of.

The book looks at all the aspects involved in dance with young children, from ‘what is movement?’ and how to move, right through to creating, performing and appreciating dance.

I intend to continue this review when I have read more.

Through dance the child can discover the body as an expressive instrument and develop the aesthetic and creative side of nature ( hinkley 1989:7)

A section of this book looks at the child as ‘the creator or the dance maker’

In this section it talks about dance is not something that can be branded as ‘you are now a chorographer’ it is something that is done and developed over time and that there is always room to learn or do more.

Hawkins states (1964:30) ‘the creative aspect of dance should start early and be developed continually’

This section also goes on to state that helping children develop creatively at this age through dance is helping them grow as an individual and unlocking aspects of there personalitys and developing them early on that may not have been tapped into if it wasn’t for dance.

In all three literature reviews I have looked at for dance with young children, every time the focus has been on the creative not the exercise. This is something I like and would like to look further into with my own research, of course it is a form of exercise so physical and health benefits do come into it but it can offer so much more for children with the emotional developments as well,

A quote I found which emphasizes this in the book is by

Harlow and Rolf (1992:16);

It is the aim of dance education in early years to foster and develop all these natural abilities by providing opportunities for children to create or compose simple dance sequences.

References;

Harlow, M and Rolfe , I (1992) Lets Dance : a handbook for teachers.London BBC education

Hawkins, A (1964) Creating through dance.Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Prentice-hall

Hinkley C (1980)Creativity in danceAustralis – Synden Creative publishing co

literature review 2

The next literature review I will be looking at is one one the national dance education organization website;

http://www.ndeo.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=893257&module_id=55419

It discusses the standards of dance with young children.

A quote that stuck out to me straight away is ;

‘Dance embodies one of our most primal relationships to the universe. It is pre-verbal, beginning before words can be formed. It is innate in children before they possess command over language and is evoked when thoughts or emotions are too powerful for words to contain’

I found this quote to be very useful as it states the full importance of dance and that it is not just something that has to be done as a form of exercise but can be done to empower you and express yourself in ways that you may not normally feel you can.

The article then moves on to state that dance is a natural thing and children do It subconsciously as a way to express themselves and that when they begin to structure or group those movements together, that becomes dance.

The article also states ‘’ The physical benefits of dance are widely accepted, but the emotional, social and cognitive attributes have only recently begun to be appreciated.’’

I find myself agreeing with this statement and something that I would look into developing further in the future, I feel a lot in education especially in primary schools dance is put into the sports section and looked at as a way to exercise, where I feel it should be classed with the arts as it is in the professional world, as a way for children to express themselves physically and emotionally.

 Some sources within the article I also found would be useful to my inquire were by john dewey;

Dance is basic to learning. Children learn most readily from experience. John Dewey understood this when he asserted, “Action is the test of comprehension” (Dewey, 1915). To learn by “doing” and to act on knowledge is the basis of kinesthetic learning. Kinesthetic learning is becoming more widely understood through the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980), Howard Gardner (1944- ), and other cognitive theorists

At the end of the article some standards for a children’s dance class are stated I would like to use these to cross reference with the guidelines I have noted in the previous literature review to see if they co inside with each other and also the research I come up with through my inquiry.

Literature review 1

The first piece of literature I shall be reviewing was an article wrote by Tinnies a childcare company, on the benefits of dance for young children, the link to the article is below;

http://www.tinies.com/download/78_dance_young_children.pdf

When I began to read this article I found it would be particularly useful to me as it was written by someone with a similar background to me who has also found my route of enquiry of interest as well. This is Mandy Fouracre has been teaching dance for 30 years.

A quote that stuck out to me was;

‘Dance is a universal language’

I found this a particularly good quote because I feel it states that dance can be accessed by anyone and everyone, and tapping into it can be beneficial for all.

 The article also mentions some guidelines that Mandy feels are correct for when a child to start dance I have noted these guidelines below;

 · An enjoyment of music and movement

·        Confidence to attend a class without a parent or prime carer in attendance

·        Familiarisation with a more formal group structure - is the child already attending nursery or playschool for instance

·        Awareness of the need to listen and cooperate in a group learning situation

       

I would like to keep a particular note of this for when I start my inquiry to see if I or people I research into agree with these guidelines.

 

The article then moves on to state what she feels are the benfits of dance to young children from the physical, creative, personal and social development. I found this interesting as I liked the way it was broke down into grouped sections, some of the points I feel I may not agree with because I feel the children would be to young to show development of some of them skills, so again I would like to keep note of this article for when I do my research and observations to see if I see these skills or disagree with the statement.

Task 6D.

here is the link to my delicious account and the links i have posted on there, the links i have put on are both articles and websites of information, i have put both on as i feel they are all valid to me and others in expanding our knowledge, Some of the links posted are specifically focused on what i intend to be my inquiry which is dance with young children, however some are more general to do with education, dance, dance education and ethics. i hope some are of use to others and would love to hear if anyone found the useful.

http://www.delicious.com/stephl

Task 6B.

Looking at the four different methods of enquiry I feel that they are all of equal importance and that they all bring different information to the table, I feel I just need to fine tune the ways that a go about these research methods to get the best results for me.

            The pilot interview worked well for me as I got detailed information on the questions that I asked and I was able to expand on these questions to go deeper into my topic and onto areas I did not first think about, which also got me thinking, so in the end it turned into more of a discussion between two people than an interview.I feel a down side of this is the fact that it is a time consuming research method with vast amounts of information that I may not be able to fully evalutate to my full advantage. For example if I was to interview a large number of people to get an average answer to some of my questions, not only would the interviews themselves take up a lot of time, but also the write up to try and group together everyones answers so that I could come up with an average belief of the group I am looking at.On reflection I still intend to use this research method for my inquiry, I feel I will use it to interview teachers as these are more singular than say a group of parents, I feel I need to interview teachers also as I shall be asking them different questions to that of parents.

            At first I had been struggling to see the positives of the pilot survey, just because it had such a low responsive rate, like any questionnaire it is difficult to get people to respond if they think it is not of importance to them, in my personal opinion I also feel it had a lower response rate as mine I just sent out via the internet through emails and links to it, I never printed any out and gave it out by hand (the old fashioned way) I feel that maybe if I gave it out in person I may have got a better response as it may have had a more personal touch than just something that comes into your inbox and is easily deleted. However having said this I do feel there are lots of benefits of a survey as it’s a great way to get a large amount of research it is a fast and efficient way of getting my research questions to a large number of people.I feel to improve my way of doing this research I firstly need to fine tune my survey as having not done one before there is definatley room for improvement, I feel I need to not just ask the questions I am researching about but also gain information on the person that is answering my questions so that I can summaries then general results of my survey. I would also like to give some out by hand I would probably do this during dance classes when parents are sitting in the waiting room, so that it is the perfect time for them to take some time to fill it out when they are not pre occupied with something else.

            With the focus group I used my linkedin SIG group

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/BAPP-dance-education-4664320/about

I found this group useful over the past few weeks as its active at every hour of the day so if you can’t access a conversation at a certain time you can put your viewpoint across whenever it works for you, its been a great place to voice ideas with like minded people. However for focused research I feel it could have a down fall of the discussions going off on a tangent without me having access to in 24 hours a day the discussion could easily go off track from my research to a completely different area. To improve this if I intend to continue to use my SIG as a focus group I would list some guidelines of discussion to help keep my research on track. Or I would try and organize exact times for us all to discuss together and have a gatekeeper to make sure the conversation stays on topic.

            Out of all the research I feel I got the most information from my pilot observation, in reflection I think I feel this because the research was in my hands and my hands only so I could put my full effort into it and know that I am getting the best results that I can, it was good to sit in the environment myself and document exactly what I saw, However a downfall of this could be the people I am actually observing as even though it is me carrying out the research the children could react in different ways because I am there and they are not used to another person watching the class. A way I intend to improve this method of research is by continuing to do practicing observations so that the children become used to my presents in the classroom.

            In conclusion a feel that carrying out these pilot surveys has been a great help in forwarding me towards my research inquiry, each method has unlocked a different area for my to research which if I group all the information I gather together I will have a fully rounded research result.

           

Task 6A.

MY PILOT INTERVIEW

For my pilot interview I intend to interview teachers with a similar teaching class to me to see what there opinions are on the age groups the style and the structure of the classes.

Before starting the interview I would give them a small document stating who I am, why the interview is taking place, and a place at the bottom for us both to sign to state it will be truthful and only used for the research stated above.

Here is an example of this;
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yc5gkHoU8qqUgBFR4Yg6wK-fNnqxbQlr8STEUszIBo4/edit

I would like my interview to take place face to face, as I feel I would get more truthful answers with them not having chance to preplan and also by looking at there body language when answering the question.

As bell stated;

‘The interview is a qualitative method where you collect what people say (from your sample) and use it as evidence. Its advantage is that you “can follow up on ideas, probe responses and investigate motives and feelings” (Bell, 2005, p.157).’

I would like to list some brief questions I would plan around during my interview, more to have as an outline than an actual structure because talking to another human with different opinions topics can change and develop and go on a path you would not have though about so I would not like to have to many structural restrains;

Listed below is a few questions I would ask;

• What are the different age ranges that you teach?
• What are the learning differences you notice between each age group?
• How do you change and adapt your teaching to suit the age group?
• What level do you find more challenging to teach?
• Do you feel qualifications are beneficial to making you a better teacher?
• Do you feel you need qualifications to be a dance teacher at all?

With this interview I hope to first and foremost learn how to take an interview as that is something I have never done before face to face so I feel I shall learn something about myself from this, and also begin to learn more about the path my inquiry is beginning to take.

MY PILOT SURVEY

I have created just a general teachers survey with the link below just so that I can understand the work that goes into a survey.

 http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V5QHFBF

 MY FOCUS GROUP

The focus group I will be using I feel is the SIG group I have set up

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/BAPP-dance-education-4664320/about

Here I have already began discussions on my chosen topic I intend to further this by adding more discussions and also a few polls, so please feel free to join and get involved.

MY OBSERVATION

I plan to carry out an observation at the school I currently teach at as there are a number of classes going on other than my own. For the past six weeks I have actually been doing teacher observations as part of my i.s.t.d teacher training, templates of these observations can be found on the i.s.t.d website;

http://www.istd.org/home/

So I feel I fully understand the structure of observing a teacher, so for me to learn a new skill I would like to observe a class but fully focus on the students and how they act during a class. For this I would need to make sure I have consent from the teacher whos class it is but also the students parents as it is the children that I will be observing.

In the link below I have made myself a table to fill out during my observation.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/137_0XR8pwFQYRcx1AorK_LBIrY471SAU2X_sqR-JgNg/edit

 

I hope you will take some time to complete my survey and give me any comments for improvement to the rest of my research methods.

 Steph.

 

Task 5D

 

At the moment I feel I am still fine tuning the wording of my question of inquiry, however at the moment it stands at;

‘How beneficial is dance class to children between the ages of two and five for physical and mental well being?’

 With this question the ethics around research involving children need to be address, which is slightly different to that of researching adults and parental consent is a must!

When looking around this topic I found some guidelines on research involving children;

 

Research involving children and young people should only be conducted where:

·         the research question posed is important to the health and well-being of children.

However, a research procedure which is not intended directly to benefit the child

subject is not necessarily either unethical or illegal. Such research includes

observing and measuring normal development and the use of ‘healthy volunteers’

in controlled experiments;

·         the participation of children is indispensable because information available from

research on other individuals cannot answer the question posed in relation to

children;

·         the study method is appropriate for children;

·         the circumstances in which the research is conducted provide for the physical,

emotional and psychological safety of the child.

• All proposals involving research on children should be submitted to a research ethics

committee for approval.

 

1 Anne Greig and Jane Taylor: Doing Research with Children (Sage Publications) 1999 p.148

 

Aswell as making sure my research has a positive outcome for the children involved I have also listed some bullet points below that I also think are ethically important when I am carrying out my research.

• To inform the parents and children of the research that I am doing (I intend to do this via letter or email)
• Gain information from the parents on there opinions of the research and the limitations of the research. (I intend to do this via questionnaire)
• Make sure the research environment is a safe one. (I intend to do this by carrying out a risk assessment of the studio that is in use)
• To inform all teachers I will be observing of my research ( I intend to do this through interviews before I start the research)

 I feel that this is just the begin of the ethics that I will need to develop and work by during my inquiry and I intend to develop this more over the coming weeks through my blog and my SIG group

 http://www.linkedin.com/groups/BAPP-dance-education-4664320/about

 Your opinions and ideas would be much appreciated.

Task 5C.

Looking at the topic of ethics I feel the key thing that I have learnt is that ethics are personal! There is a basic ethical framework that everyone should come across and understand but that can easily be adapted or changed to suit the surroundings or peoples personalities. What one person could hold as something highly ethical someone else could simple disregard, or not hold it as highly.

 A quote I found by former supreme court justice Potter Stuart;

Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.
  Ethics can be changed or viewed differently because of the motivation behind it;

 Consequentialist: could be acceptable for a greater good

Deontologist: always wrong

Virtue Ethicist: moral behaviour & character as important as action.

 So again this goes back to my point that ethics goes back to the person itself and justifying the action behind it.

 
           From talking to co workers, my employers and fellow students I have learnt that when I undergo my professional inquiry I need to not only think of my own professional ethics but also try to adhere to other peoples that I am inquiring of.

            The British Educational Research Association (BERA) have a suggested research responsibilities list which I have read through and can be found on there website;

http://www.bera.ac.uk/publications/ethical-guidelines

Looking at these guidelines I have noted that it is my responsibility as the researcher to keep all my research truthful and on point to the topic that I am researching into, keeping it legitimate and honest in my findings and not going of the path of the research that I am doing as to not personally effect the people that I am researching into. Also to keep as much documentation on my research as possible, So that there is as much proof as possible that I am researching in an ethically correct way and for the best interests of the people that I am researching.

            That is for a general professional inquiry for the inquiry I am looking into I would be researching into children so I feel more ethical points need to be address, I need to make sure I have the full consent of the parents and the safety of the children I am researching is highly noted and respected at all times.

                        In conclusion I have learnt that professional ethics is no written word, it is a feeling you have personally. The difference between right and wrong and following that feeling to achieve truthful research.

Task 5B.

After discussing codes of conduct and ethics with one of my bosses who owns her own studio the main key thing she said was;

 

-To be a team player.

 

Again this refers back to what I stated in a previous task of everyone having similar values and upholding them within the community or surrounds.

 

At the moment she is not at the studio as much as she would like to be so is rellying on us teachers to uphold her codes of conduct and ethical values to keep the place running to her standard.

She left a note to all the teachers at the school just with some bullet points to keep in mind, I thought I would list some of them below as in a way they are her code of conduct and what she believes to be good ethics in running her school;

 

 

• Give every new started a registration and information form.
• All classes offer a free trial.
• Keep an eye on the general clean and tidiness of the studio and report anything that needs replacing or fixing.
• Remember first impressions last so try and speak to new starters and make them feel welcome.
• When leaving please make sure all electric is turned off and everything is locked away.

 

Some simple points but again I feel something that if they are not carried out can jeopardize the appearance and run of the business, with everyone upholding these everything should run smoothly so again this comes back down to, Everyone being a team player.