Reviewing my questionnaires.

I am coming up to the stage where most of my participants have completed their questionnaires or interviews. I have taken time to review these and take notes ready to use in my review and I am very shocked at some of the things I have read.
One of my questions were:

'By 2020, the arts industry will be providing a third of the employment in the UK, would you support your child if they decided to take a career in dance? Again, please explain your reasoning behind your answer.'

Participant 1- yes, because it is a great way for a child who struggles to shine.

My view on this is that why is this only ok because a child who struggles may now have the chance to shine. GCSE dance is no easier than any other subject and therefore should not just be classed as a career for the children who struggle.

As I believe GCSE dance is just as important as any other GCSE some of the feedback I am receiving is shocking me as I find it difficult to see why somebody wouldn't agree. What I do like reading is peoples reasons why they agree or disagree and thinking of ways that schools could provide evidence that GCSE dance is leading to just as successful careers as to a GCSE in any other subject.

Module 3 students

Hi module 3 students,
I know a lot of us have spoken about a Skype call between us but I am thinking tomorrow lunch time around 12/1?
I feel like this could really help us all out and we can all be reassured at the things we are doing.
I know everyone is at different points and there is different topics floating about in module 3 I feel loads of us could really benefit from this.

Let me know what you all think!!

Literature review.

I am finding now that my pages of articles saved is beginning to pile up which I am happy about. Since understanding that we are not looking for an 'answer' as such but to more develop our knowledge and find out more about our inquiry topic that I have been able to use a lot more literature. I must admit, so far all my literature collected is blogs and articles but I am finding them extremely useful and interesting.
I am beginning to find patterns occurring within education and the arts and these are STEM subjects and Ebacc. Developing my knowledge into this and then seeing evidence of it affecting the art's subjects has been really helpful for my inquiry.

Hopefully over the next week I can just focus on my literature and get the review for that section written.
How is everyone else finding their literature review so far?

Practitioner tools in full swing.

All my questionnaires are done, being sent out Friday and interviews will be done and completed my Friday the 16th March. Feeling relieved and happy with the question's I have set out to be answered. I have sent out emails to the teachers involved to complete my questionnaires and I have set a personal questionnaire for Rebecca Curtis, Head of Dance at Ipswich High School. She is in a recent blog I wrote and she wrote a great blog about STEM subjects affecting GCSE dance.

STEM subjects decreasing the arts.

Last week I read this blog from the head of dance at Ipswich high school, Rebecca Curtis. I find it amazing that a teacher can be so insprinig and so passionate to push dance at this highschool to stop the amount of students decreasing in the Art's subjects.
Rebecca quotes:
'Creative Industries careers currently account for 1 in 20 jobs; contributing £84.1 billion a year to the UK economy. By 2020, these figures are expected to show that Creative Industries will be one of the top three areas of employment in this country. The children of today will be doing jobs that do not even exist yet.'
WOW!!! This was my first thought. If the art's are going to be in the top 3 areas of employment why are most schools not valueing these as a 'proper' subject?
Rebecca continues to talk about how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and mathmatics) has effected most schools and has lead to either a decrease in students or the subject being removed from the school's curriculum. As she is a very passionate teacher and has the support from the school Ipswich high school now encourage STEAM  (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathmatics) and this has lead to more students taking the subjects at GCSE as well as the other core subjects.

Personally, I feel more schools should be taking some advice from this and encouraging the students to do whatever subjects they enjoy. After all, if the arts are going to be in the top 3 areas of employment by 2020 then clearly there are jobs available for these students. 

Rebecca's Article.  

Rebecca was involved with my last blog from the comments off facebook and has been in touch to say she will answer some interview questions for my inquiry which I think is great news. 

Hope some of you find this as interesting and helpful as I did. 

Teachers opinions.

I recently put a post in a group of dance teachers on facebook which all teach GCSE dance.
I decdided to just ask their opinions on GCSE dance compared to academic subjects.

I am now blogging everyones opinions but have covered the names of these people. I didn't intend to use this in my inquiry at first, I decided to do this to see if anyone's opinions inspired me in my inquiry. After the amount of comments I received I had to share this with my other peers. 1. It might help in your inquiry but 2. It may be something you would like to try out.

Sorry for the long amount of pictures of comments to read. I am blogging it so I can refer back to this in my inquiry and show the impact GCSE dance is causing and the concerns it is raising to the teachers teaching this.

Module 3 skype call.

I have come away from last nights skype call feeling reliecved. After reading module 3 handbook I went into panic mode and just couldn't piece together where to start! After the skype call I felt more relaxed and now know to trust myself, there is no right or wrong!

Questionares, interviews and talks-
This became my biggest fear as I explained in the group, everytime I think of a question I am not sure I will get the right answer.
This is where Adesola said: You are not looking for an answer. It is how you analyse your data and the questions that leads you to.
The other girls in the group said this was a worry of theirs too but now we now, if it feels right it will be right.

Literature-
 My question in this section was: Am I ok with using most of my literature from articles, blogs, ETC?
I found out most peoples literature is the same, it is points of views we are reading from other people. It is also where I seem to be finding the percentages from to see the rise/fall of dance (which is helpful for my inquiry). Lauren again mentioned that she found her book really helpful, it also provided her with the history and some facts she never knew. So, that is my next job. FIND A BOOK.

Overall, I came away with a clear mind and today I feel refreshed and ready to move forward in my inquiry. Again Lauren (thankyou) she said: I find it like a jigsaw, theres lots of pieces and its about learning to piece them together.

Dance education.

"Dance remains one of the most popular art forms

amongst young people. Surveys show that dance is

the second most popular physical activity following

football, and is a very attractive cultural form through

which young people of all learning abilities can express

their own identities and cultures. Dance enables

young people to gain artistic skills and discipline, as

well as developing their ability in physical interaction,

team working, problem solving, observing, evaluating,

verbal and non-verbal communication. Through dance

young people collaborate with other art forms, and

make connections with design in space, musicality

and creativity. Dance can improve self-esteem and

confidence; it can widen aspiration and help tackle

obesity and other health issues."

Above is a section of an article that I have taken from Dance education, a guide for governors and trustees.
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/ACE172%20Dance%20Education%20for%20Governors%20and%20Trustees%20-%20WEB_0.pdf

I think that for anyone taking the teacher route in dance may want to read this. The article focus's on explaining what dance can do for a student which is shown clearly in the section above. If dance can make such an impact on a student then I still cannot understand why it is a compulsary subject.

Instead of me going into futher detail on the article I would like to know my peers thoughts?
Do you agree dance should be compulsary or do you think differently?
Also, does anyone think dance isn't getting the value it deserves? aferall, it isn't even an option in some schools!

Module 3

I have just got round to finishing reading the handbook and making my first set of notes. I don't know if because it is linked very closely to our work in module 2 but I feel I understand this handbook more than any of the others.

I feel very ready for this last term and determined to get my head down and complete module 3 before moving on to one more year of education. PGDE. I have just received a place for Liverpool John Moor university to complete my PGDE and my QTS (YAY).

My biggest concern is how quickly time is going. Juggling this course, my skills test revision, my job, my volunteering and my teaching sometimes can be overwhelming. However, I am very confident than in a years time all this work and time spent in education will be worth it.

Im ready to complete the last bit of the journey, (probably the most stressful) but I am sure when we get to the finish line we will all be relieved.
Good luck to my fellow M3 students.
Lets keep going.

GCSE dance from a GCSE students point of view.

Reading up on this article for an interview I have in a few days and I have come across this article which seems to have so much in common with my proposal.

'A students view to why art subjects matter'
https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2016/jan/31/career-arts-gcse-dance-stop-the-stem-subject-snobbery

This article made me smile so much and remember my time in school whilst taking GCSE dance. It is mad how much I can relate and understand how it feels when yet another person says 'dance is easy' or 'why are you not taking a proper subject?'.
I have said it before and I will say it again. A GCSE is a GCSE no matter on the subject.

It is great to see a students point of view, and her peers point of view and parents all in one article.
It is clear that GCSE dance is as important to this student as any other GCSE she is taking.

The student says:
'To study arts subjects, you have to take risks, push yourself emotionally, expressively and creatively in every lesson, you have to persevere and be interpretive, passionate and collaborative. I’ve worked harder in these subjects than I’ve ever worked in my life'.

No matter what the subject be, if a student can be this passionate and work so hard towards a GCSE then nobody else should care what GCSE she will be receiving. Dance teaches people so much more than just how to move.

 I can't wait to see what type of feedback I receive off my own students once they have had interviews with me.