Reflection and Learning
This is a post I wrote last week that I thought I had published (whoops) so here it is now with another to follow soon.
I've been thinking a lot about learning and my reflection this week. I found a lot to think about whilst reading through J.A Moon's book about reflective and experiential learning. She states that " We all reflect and all learning is based on experience." This is a particular quote that has stuck with me, as whilst I know we all reflect it is not something I take the chance to do on a regular basis. It has been nice to start to do this as part of the MA and the developments for me that will come from this are vast. I have already begun to see a different awareness in how I am communicating, what I am teaching and the learning both myself and the students undertake.
Throughout the classes I have taught this week I have been trying to get my students to reflect and find their own way of moving as well as giving material I have taught them their own style. This is something I've always tried to do when training young people. To instill an idea of them developing as their own dancer and not a 'clone' is really important. This led me to think about how they are learning and ponder the idea of how I as the teacher judge this.
This links back to the theory in J.A.Moon's writing that a judgement of what someone has learnt, or what they take as meaningful, can not be made by someone else. This is why it is so important to reflect. Getting the students to reflect on what they are 'learning' gives me an insight into how they are developing, rather than just judging their technique or ability to perform the material I have given.
In terms of my own learning, this will be a constant that I will come back to and in turn find out more about as I reflect on experiences and read more that opens up further ideas. At the moment my thoughts feel cluttered with different ideas on this, as the weeks go on I hope to bring some of these thoughts together and make sense of them.
I've been thinking a lot about learning and my reflection this week. I found a lot to think about whilst reading through J.A Moon's book about reflective and experiential learning. She states that " We all reflect and all learning is based on experience." This is a particular quote that has stuck with me, as whilst I know we all reflect it is not something I take the chance to do on a regular basis. It has been nice to start to do this as part of the MA and the developments for me that will come from this are vast. I have already begun to see a different awareness in how I am communicating, what I am teaching and the learning both myself and the students undertake.
Throughout the classes I have taught this week I have been trying to get my students to reflect and find their own way of moving as well as giving material I have taught them their own style. This is something I've always tried to do when training young people. To instill an idea of them developing as their own dancer and not a 'clone' is really important. This led me to think about how they are learning and ponder the idea of how I as the teacher judge this.
This links back to the theory in J.A.Moon's writing that a judgement of what someone has learnt, or what they take as meaningful, can not be made by someone else. This is why it is so important to reflect. Getting the students to reflect on what they are 'learning' gives me an insight into how they are developing, rather than just judging their technique or ability to perform the material I have given.
In terms of my own learning, this will be a constant that I will come back to and in turn find out more about as I reflect on experiences and read more that opens up further ideas. At the moment my thoughts feel cluttered with different ideas on this, as the weeks go on I hope to bring some of these thoughts together and make sense of them.
You are the second person I've heard blogging about Moon's book! That's definitely going to be the next book I read. Like you, I'm finding my thoughts are scattered and hoping they gel soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Emma, so good to read your blog. Especially the bit, where you say that getting the students to reflect, gives you an insight into how they are developing, I found very interesting. Ive been thinking a lot lately, how often the feed back or corrections we give, are only one way (mostly from the teachers perspective) and I wonder how we could turn the feed back more into a dialogue and if then we could accompany students better, in where they are in their learning process and give them the chance to be in charge of their own learning and grow as dancers and artists from the "inside out", rather than trying to fit into some ready made shape?
DeleteHi Agata, thank you for your comments. I absolutely agree with you that there is a better way to take students through the learning process, the words 'accompany them' fit really well. I think the start of it really is letting them know they are training to be their own dancer. As I said in the blog post this is something I constantly reiterate to my students about finding their own voice. I really feel we are more facilitators of the movement and what they are learning and that the main goal is that development of voice. It's just finding a way to bring that out I guess. I think it's going to be a big question I will continue to reflect on.
DeleteThank you for your comment as well Hannah, starting to read through Moon's book has definitely given me more to think about but in a good way. I feel it is making me look at how i learn and in turn sort some of my thoughts. I'm sure we will all start to see the way forward soon but good to hear how others are feeling. Good luck.
Deletebasic question Emma, have you read this online , via library or hard copy? I am struggling with getting hold of copies.
ReplyDelete