Surveys
I have complied 2 surveys that are directed at Teachers of Dance who work within the private sector like myself and at my target audience for who I am choosing to direct my line of inquiry around, that being students who study dance aged 11 and above.
I felt by obtaining feedback from both the teacher and the student would provide me with opinions that would support both sides of the inquiry. However by incorporating the evidence received from students I have had to employ the use of an ethical approach to my requests and ask for permission from parents of students under the age of consent. In order to do this I have sent a direct email to those concerned requesting they respond with the following statement prior to their child completing the survey via a direct online link from the email :
I, (insert parents full name), agree
and give permission for my child, (childs name), to complete the survey on
Effective Teaching as requested by Joanne Craven for use in her research for the
BAPP Degree course.
Date : Full name : (insert parent/guardians full name)
So far I have received feedback from one teacher who does not differ that much from my opinions, on the other hand I have received several responses from students of varying age groups which is extremely evident in the way they answer a question, maturely or otherwise. The responses surprise me in some ways as I had an expectation of what they may say and this is not supported by their answers to some questions.
For example one question that was
Do you feel you respond more effectively to an older or younger teacher ?
Can you explain your reasons for this answer .
Both. Younger teachers can be more relatable in terms of new music, trends, etc. but older teachers are just as good, personally, I would probably respond better to older teachers as they seem to have more authority but it depends on the person really.
An older teacher because they have more experience and knowledge.
Age doesn't matter . If the teacher relates to us and chats about other things than just dance I respond well.
These are just a few examples of response from students, personally I would of thought the reaction would be to select a younger teacher as they are closer in age; they can relate more to recent life experiences and they feel they can have a more relaxed teacher/student relationship, however from the responses above it seems that a typical student like the differentiation between student and teacher and feel an older teacher can offer them more in terms of experience, knowledge and discipline.
It is these findings I feel can direct and support my line of inquiry allowing me to build greater understanding for myself and how I can develop these findings into my daily practise.
I will continue to develop my surveys hopefully obtaining further feedback from my colleagues and students and possibly explore the possibility of liaison with teachers who work with these age groups across the arts delivering the curriculum within the state system.
Observations
I am fully aware of the importance of observation in relation to teaching and how we learn from our experiences and then re-address these into our future practise. I constantly observe not only within my own lessons and also by attendance at my staff lessons. I obviously find attendance at other teachers lessons very fulfilling and relish the chance to learn from others approach to the lesson(s) being delivered.
As teachers we are always in a position to learn and develop our skills and attributes that we bring to our classes. Observation is a practise I feel I need to become more accustomed to in relation to notating the information as this will be a requirement within a state setting of delivering dance education. Currently within my own school it is not a necessity to notate observations as evidence for future learning and development instead the information that you receive is acted upon within your subsequent delivery of lessons by memory or notes within a book rather than specific reports.
My husband currently works within the FE sector and spends his weeks completing lesson plans for delivery and has to encounter many observations by senior members of staff to assess the suitability of his lessons; the differentiation he provides to his students; the structure and development that the lesson will achieve for the students involved. From this the staff member observing will provide both written and verbal feedback and score the lesson on a scale of 1-4, 1 being outstanding. If a member of staff scores 3 or 4 they are then re-visited within a specific time frame to assess if they have improved or require further guidance and supervision. This procedure it in place to ensure all students receive the very best service from the college. This structure has now become standard practise for all teachers within the state environment and provides a framework for a good standard of education.
Focus Group
I appreciate the idea of a focus group, however feel that this is not really an accessible tool I can employ to enhance my inquiry as its doesn't lend itself well for varying reasons such as geographical location of my school; I only employ 2 members of staff; my dance teacher colleagues are spread across the North West and meeting up with them is a rare opportunity due to the demands of work and running our businesses. I appreciate that social media can provide a pathway to amend this issue however due to their work commitments and the fact that many do not have an active interest in Professional Development their enthusiasm to a focus group will no doubt be limited.
Interview
This tool also will be extremely time consuming and difficult for me to achieve as I am not in a position where I could obtain a broad spectrum of opinions to reflect upon as I operate my own business and have limited nos of staff. In all honesty I feel a survey can provide the information an interview can, the only difference being that the responses are provided without interpersonal contact and are therefore confidential and so a distance is created between the person asking and the one responding.
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