I seem to be going around in circles with my questions at the moment, I know the direction I want to go in but I cannot seem to decide what angle to approach it from. I took my questions to another very talented teacher whom I work alongside. He has years of experience within the industry and as a teacher. David has also completed this BA, very small world.
I put to him the question what kind of education is dance? His reply to this question was how would I obtain research if I did not work within a state school? This module is about researching and gathering information to support your inquiry. It is better to be able to access an array of information and inquire about something you are actively involved in.
My question is -Does Education have to be based on state schools? The Wikipedia definition for Education is
‘Education in the general sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character, or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to another.’
I believe both professional and vocational dance education can be provided by both public and private sector institutions. Knowledge is acquired through education regardless of institution.
I asked David- Where is dances place within the education system?
David reminded me not to ask a question that I already know the answer to or have a firm opinion on as this will close my research and further development. Ask questions that open doors and lead on to other questions. Just because you decide on a question it does not mean it will be the only one. I think it is important that my inquiry is not taking place to defend my profession but to deepen my understanding of it.
David- How will this topic help you in what you do? For me it is about deepening the understanding of my professional to become a better practitioner. I want to understand the benefits dance has on a child’s overall development.
I think talking to David has helped me to rethink the direction of my questions and the overall inquiry into them.
I would be interested to know your thoughts on the term Education.
Your friend has certainly thrown up some interesting ideas - it sounds like he has been very honest with his opinions too which is great...more useful than beating around the bush!
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the term 'education' - I don't see that this phrase necessarily applies only in state schools by any means. Learning, or knowledge transfer (and therefore education) can happen anywhere. Perhaps 'education' implies a more formal way of learning to most people? For the purposes of your inquiry though, I would suggest that you might be limiting the scope of your inquiry if you have no access to state schools. Is there anyway of solving this problem by volunteering or assisting in a state school? Or maybe you have enough sources working within state schools to interview etc?
I definitely think David hit on something when he said 'don't ask a question you already know the answer to' - I had exactly that same response from a friend of mine about one of my questions. I see now that is something to be very careful of - we might shoot ourselves in the foot and have nothing to discuss after a page of A4! It seems the best inquiry topics are ones that have genuine conflict and debate to be explored.