Campus Session 2 Module 3 BAPP WBS3760

31st October 2012

Hendon CampusSchool of Media and Performing Arts

(Paula and Adesola)

Literature – including literature about your process – can be used all the way through your inquiry and the critical review as a way of expanding your knowledge and understanding of what you are finding out about.

Final Module 3 Assessment – 3 main parts

Part 1: The Critical ReviewIt is primarily written but can contain visual or audio visual elements showing the process of investigating a topic (practitioner research) with analysis that has implications for your practice.

Part 2: The Professional Artefacta product or a work in progress that is created - it can be a document, an event, or an activity - it can be something that informs others in your community of practice or workplace - the artefact should emerge from the inquiry

Part 3: The Oral Presentation (more later)an in person/ audio-visual demonstration that shows that you have progressed in your ability to show knowledge and understanding that is based on your ‘inquiry’

Where are you now? Evaluate…

Where are you now in your process? You could be in several places at once now!

Know where you are… mapping progress

Week 5: Campus Session 2 (more on analysis for Week 4 feedback task, how to start drafting, tips on the professional artefact)Week 6: Continue blogging and oral formative feedbackWeek 7: Send 1 page description explaining plans for your professional artefact for written formative feedback. Week 8: Campus Session 3 (putting it all together)Week 9 (26/11/12): Send to adviser draft sections of your Critical Review (Introduction, Evaluation, Analysis and Critical Reflection) for written feedback.

Feedback from peers and tutors

****Reminder - this is a process that cannot be done just at the end of the study period

Writing with style and purposesome tips about writing up the inquiry

Think about structuring the writing…

The Elements of Style (1959) Strunk and White

Chapter II Elementary Principles of Compositions

A basic structural design underlies every kind of writing. The writer will in part follow this design, in part deviate from it, according to his (sic) skills, his (sic) needs, and the unexpected events that accompany the act of composition. Writing to be effective, must follow closely the thoughts of the writer, but not necessarily in the order in which those thoughts occur.

Shape the writing according to your needs to explain what you are doing. Your early drafts might seem more like a collage that you need to put together so that others can follow your work.

Effective Writing

Editing the draft is a process through which you can develop a sense of what you are trying to say and to develop writing that is more effective with fewer words.

Strunk and White example on the issue of wordiness (1959, p. 19)

Macbeth was very ambitious. This led him to wish to become king of Scotland. The witches told him that this wish of his would come true. The kind of Scotland at this time was Duncan. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth murdered Duncan. He was thus enabled to succeed Duncan. He was thus enabled to succeed Duncan as king, (51 words)

Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth achieved his ambition and realized the prediction of the witches by murdering Duncan and becoming king of Scotland in his place, (26 words)

Effective Writing Exercise

Read out a sample of writing from Berger –

Reading out is a good way of slowing down to understand the literature that you are using to inform your inquiry and also helps when you are writing to check on the content to make sure you are saying what you want to say.

The writing should be clear in stating your point of view

Discussion

Effective Writing ExerciseJohn Berger (1977) Ways of Seeing, British Broadcasting Service, p. 10.

Images were first made to conjure up the appearances of something that was absent. Gradually it became evident that an image could outlast what it represented; it then showed how something or somebody had once looked – and thus by implication how the subject had been seen by other people. Later still the specific vision of the image-maker was also recognised as part of the records. An image became a record of how X had seen Y. This was the result of an increasing consciousness of individuality, accompanying and increasing awareness of history. It would be rash to try to date this last development precisely. But certainly in Europe such consciousness has existed since the beginning of the

Renaissance.  

 

Effective Writing Exercise

Reading aloud what has been written is a good way to understand it. This can be done with your own writing…

Berger’s argument is quite specific… what is it? See if you can say it in your own words… this is what you need to do for your Critical Review

Ideas about this do not always come out in an orderly fashion – your job is to reorder them (like Strunk and White suggest) to make sense of the argument.

In you own drafting and editing processes – reordering and ‘shaping’ the text strives to make it more meaningful and more concise. Use citation (Harvard style) within your text from the beginning of your Critical Review. 

Thinking it through group exercisesPART 1: In groups of two – listen to your partner’s accounts of their Introduction to their Critical Review

Write down what your partner is saying – concentrating on the main points and the aspects of what they say that are significant – note the sue of critical thinking (reference to field of knowledge and expertise) – how has your their work with others? ask questions for clarification and detail. Doing this oral exercise will mean that you have started to draft your critical review through an oral process.

Continue to refine this using the context of your Introduction.

Introduction - relevant to the context of the inquiry and how it relates to your workplace or community of practice, you could also include your background, the rationale (aims – what you wanted to get out of the topic and objectives – what you achieved) about your inquiry, define terms that you are using (this is important as the vocabulary that you use needs to be clear to the reader), and what is important about your findings. It should lead the reader to the Evaluation section…

Thinking it through group exercises

PART 2: • In groups of two – listen to your partner’s accounts of their Evaluation

of the Inquiry Process to their Critical Review• Write down what your partner is saying – concentrating on the main

points and the aspects of what they say that are significant

Doing this oral exercise will mean that you have started to draft your critical review through an oral process.

Evaluation of the Inquiry Process - practitioner research tools used (observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups), the literature review, the ethical implications and other activities undertaken as a part of the process (e.g. performances, workshops, trying out new strategies, etc.). This should also include literature about your process. Were there any limitations in your inquiry?

Formative Feedback p. 12 in the Handbook

Have you tried this verbally or in written form?

•Week 4: Send adviser 1-2 paragraphs as a sample of your inquiry analysis. Formative feedback will be given on the structure, the quality of the arguments and the quality of the supporting evidence discussed.

We will do something today to help…

Data – findings from your inquiry (evidence)

Experience –relating your insider-researcher understanding

Literature – expertise from others and from a collected body of knowledge in your field and beyond

Think of analysis as a triangle of data to develop meaning that you can tell others using your own point of view

(Adesola with Paula added)

Group Exercise 2 – Discussing Findings Feedback exercise about analysing your practitioner research What is meant by analysis – take an example from your emerging findings to analyses to make sure you understand the process

Explain one example from your ‘emerging findings’ (what people have told your about your topic in your practitioner research)

Have a go at analysing this ‘finding’ – tell others in the group what you think this finding means as a way of understanding your topic - use your experience (your interpretation of something that is common or exceptional) and your literature to add more depth of understanding to your analysis.

Write down some key elements of your thinking to use for your adviser for written feedback. Use the triangle to see if you have the elements needed for critical thinking – weighing up the arguments and evidence for and against (Cottrell, 2008)

Use this feedback to draft your ideas for analysis as a sample for the third section of the Critical Review. You could also discuss this verbally with them…

 

Part 1: A Critical Review

• Introduction - relevant to the context of the inquiry and how it relates to your workplace or community of practice

• Evaluation of the Inquiry Process - practitioner research tools used (observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups), the literature review, the ethical implications and other activities undertaken as a part of the process (e.g. performances, workshops, trying out new strategies, etc.)

• Analysis: your findings (what you found out from the data you gathered) and your analysis of the findings compared to your literature and earlier perceptions of the topic, conclusion of this stage, what implications/benefits/impact did your inquiry have? Did you conduct any activities/events/interventions that used what you found out in your practice?, and possible further inquiry topics…

• Critical Reflection - a critical self-analysis of the learning journey based on your learning journal

BREAK

 

Professional ArtefactIdeas from Adesola

Group activities  

See individual blogs – for information…

PlenaryPoints to take away from this session?

Writing/communicating about your inquiry is directly linked to your experiences and telling people about the knowledge and understanding you have gained – is a way to start the writing.

Continue using your blog for yourself and others in the BAPP (Arts) community of practice.

Make yourself personal action points for inquiry activity – put them where you can see them

Please use the suggested topics below as blog topics p. : 8-9 Module Handbook

• Updates on inquiry progress and sharing discoveries

• Reviews of campus sessions

• BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Arts) 3760 – Professional Inquiry Module Handbook

• Commentary on discussions with your peers and SIGs

• Reflections on working collaboratively using social media

• A conversation with professional externals to the BAPP (Arts) network – put up their thoughts or have them comment

• Thoughts about your artefact – what is it and who is your audience – is it a product or a work in progress?

• An evaluation of your processes for doing the inquiry i.e. the tools you have used