My Kolbs learning cycle

One aspect of Reader 2 I was particularly drawn to was 'Kolbs learning cycle'. Here is a diagram of how the cycle works;

*taken from (http://cdn-5.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.jpg)

I realised that I have used the cycle for many years in my professional life and my training without knowing it, as I am always reflecting and evaluating my work in order to improve.

My example of Kolbs learning cycle

Concrete experience
Solo dance for third year production of chorus Line

During our third year of training we performed in 'A Chorus Line' as part of our show Case, inviting agents to potentially sign us to their books. I was cast as 'Cassie', my dream role, in which I had to perform a solo song and also technical solo dance. So much was riding on this, I put myself under so much pressure to make everything perfect so I would be signed by a prestigious agent. The dance was extremely technical with many sequences of pirouettes into leaps and layouts; a particularly challenging routine. My choreographer suggested I filmed myself rehearsing the piece so I could see first hand what needed to be tightened and improved, so I could work on it a refine the whole piece. So this is what I did in order to evaluate myself.

Reflective Observation
I took the video footage from rehearsals and went through it with a fine tooth comb. As I was able to observe for myself my own movements, I could see what technically was strong and what needed improvement. There were certain lines that were off which I was unaware of, and my pirouettes were not as clean and sharp as they should be. All this knowledge was gained through self observation, so I was able to reflect on my performance and work out how I could make it better.

Abstract Conceptualisation
What did I learn?
1. Sometimes I put too much energy into the movements, making them look uncontrolled and sloppy.
2. During the longer pirouette sequences, my core is not fully engaged making my back arch and the line is lost.
3. Although my kicks are clean and extended, my flexibility could be improved to develop the kicks and leaps within the piece.


Active experimentation
Planning/trying out what I have learned
1. I worked on overall control by slowly going through the routine, going through each transition to make them as tight and clean as possible, ensuring every move was carried out precisely. By breaking this down and doing it repeatedly, it becomes part of your muscle memory, so when it comes to performing it, muscle memory kicks in and I am no longer going out of control.
2. I worked on my core through abdominal exercises and Pilates, strengthening my core and my back muscles so my centre was much more supported. I then continued to practice the sequences, really focusing on engaging those muscles so the lines were correct.
3. Flexibility is something I continuously work on; stretching everyday to push for greater flexibility throughout my body. I focused on my hamstrings and glutes more for the routine to really develop my kicks.

This continuously goes on throughout my career, using this cycle in everything I do; reflecting on my work, aiming to improve it, then trying it out again, therefore starting the process all over again. I feel for us to grow, we must learn to evaluate ourselves so we can work on areas of improvement.

Follow up of Skype Session

Hi all!

So I havn't blogged in a few days, but that's not to say BAPP has not been in my thoughts and in practice. I have been fathoming my way through reader 2 and ways of reflecting and using our experiences as teaching tools for ourselves in the future. I am really enjoying this as I am learning so much about myself, and the how I work in completely different ways, using different methods, depending on which area of my career I am working on. I will write a full blog on this, with snippets of journal added in..so watch this space.

  This week we had a skype meeting with Paula to discuss our intial thoughts on this section of the course, and how we found the reader 2. I always enjoy these sessions, as sometimes you can feel quite isolated as you are not doing a conventional uni course with set lectures with other students. You have to create your own network and community through the blogs and then interaction in those sessions. It's great to listen to others and bounce of their thoughts and points, furthering your understanding in ways you would not have developed alone.

We got onto talking about journal writing, and how to find the inspiration to write and get our creative juices flowing. One tool we all seemed to relate to was 'stream of conciousness'- an exercise where you simply write your thoughts continuously for a period of time (approx 5-10 minutes) without pausing, just allowing the thoughts to flow, before then going back and evaluating what you put and taking the best parts to use in your work. This is a tool I learnt at Drama school as a character ter development skill. I often use this if ever I feel I am having the dreaded 'writers block' or if my mind is overactive and I'm struggling to concentrate. It's a great excersise to use when journal writing and I highly recommend it to anyone.

  However I use this tool in a kinetic way, when trying to find inspiration for choreography. I put on the chosen piece of music for the dance and just improvise and let the music take over, allowing my body to move freely. I often film myself doing this,so I can go back and evaluate it afterwards, looking at movements that worked well and begin to create phrases of structured choreography from
them, until I have a if sighed piece. Because the stimulus was the music and I allowed my body to flow, in often means the choreography flows much better than I would have gone in 'cold' and not used this tool.

Human intuition is a very powerful thing and in a world full of schudules and multi tasking, it's great to just let us be... Allowing gut instinct and sub sonciousness unlock or creativity and true potential!

Reflection on Pierre Bourdieu's Cultural Capital

So this is the first blog in a few days, things have been so hectic and busy I have been chasing my tail...

After catching with some work, I did some further reading recommended by my tutor Paula Nottingham. I took a look at the suggested extract from an article about Cultural capital.

  Her question was- How does cultural capital play a part of thinking for understanding how people work with Web 2.0?

   This article provoked so many thoughts about how people work in the performance industry, particularly with Web 2.0 and how much we as professionals are affected by this.
  The first point was that 'Bordieu argued that capital formed the foundation of social life and dictated one's position within the social order' (http://routledgesoc.com/category/profile-tags/cultural-capital)
At first I wasn't sure if I agreed with this, particularly in the performance arts. But after thinking through of past experiences I can see how this is relatable to our industry. The more capital you have the more opportunities you have to go to watch shows; the more shows you are able to see, the bigger insight into the active world of theatre, the greater the chance to mix in higher social circles of directors, producers and agents, creating networks that will have a positive effect on your career, with possibilities of castings, auditions and jobs.
  Regarding Web 2.0 this capital would usually mean more followers on social media e.g twitter or Instagram, which automatically means you are more marketable to a director or producer. These social sites are so influential, that the more followers someone has is seen as more opportunities for advertising. I have heard it said by many casting directors that if a job is between two people, they will go with the one with most followers for that reason. Therefore more capital can not only dictate one social life, but also their professional life.

   The second paragraph was even more provoking for me, and I strongly agreed with the points raised. 'Sharing similar forms of cultural capital with others—the same taste in movies, for example, or a degree from an Ivy League School—creates a sense of collective identity and group position (“people like us”).'( http://routledgesoc.com/category/profile-tags/cultural-capital) During my career, I have been interviewed for teaching roles based on my college training via Web 2.0 LinkdIn. My training is included in my profile, and when a school principal was looking for new teachers, she approached me initially as we went to the same college. I feel people naturally go for this collective identity, as most like to belong and be able to relate to people, so look for similarities within themselves. This is institutionalised cultural capital, giving you a higher social standing based on factors such as education, qualifications or experiences.
   It reminds me how important it is to keep my online profiles up to date, including all credits and qualifications and this could be the difference between getting a job or not!

All quotes taken from article (http://routledgesoc.com/category/profile-tags/cultural-capital)

Task- You Tube Video

My First Vlog!

So this freaked me out a little bit... I have never posted on YouTube before, and thought it would be this complicated process that I would never understand and it would take me an age to post my video. Not true at all... its surprisingly easy and straight forward, taking just a few clicks to be out there for all to see.
   Here is my first video post, just introducing myself to this media, I guess just putting a face to my blog. Short and sweet, but I will be posting more as the module progresses with snippets from my life and work to back up the chatter on the blog.

Another Web 2.0 tool to tick off my list!

Flickr Album... A snippet of my career!

So I have just been fathoming through the world of Flickr, something that is completely new to me and I am still a total rookie with this. But.... I think I have cracked how to do a photo stream, and I am showing you a few pictures taken throughout my career as a further insight into me and what I do! Here is the link to my Flickr photos, have a browse and feel free to leave comments.

If anyone knows how to display your pictures on your blog without going onto the link I would really love to know how to do this... Thanks in advance!


https://www.flickr.com/gp/135253087@N08/a03d6Y

Task 1B Continued… Ethical Considerations

What do we want the world to see?

   This topic has sparked many conversations between colleagues, peers and other professionals… What should you post on your social media?

   It’s happened to us all; an embarrassing photo appears on our newsfeed, considerately posted by a friend who is probably laughing their heads off at your expense. Now I am all for having a giggle and posting funny photos and great holiday snaps for your friends and family to enjoy and share memories, but who sees these photos and are you portraying a professional and employable image?

     It is so important, in my opinion to keep my profile private, so only people who I choose can see my private accounts, even then I monitor what goes on there and what I say. Also as a teacher I feel it is crucial that teachers do not ‘friend’ students, as this completely breaks a professional barrier. An interesting article says ‘Teachers are probably the most vulnerable group in danger from violations of boundary crossing between one’s personal and professional lives’ (Kuehn, 2010, p. 86)

   I have endless Facebook friend requests from students who I teach on a daily basis, and whilst you might feel like you are being ignorant, it is imperative, I feel, to decline. Once those boundaries are crossed, it opens a window of potential disasters. No matter how much you monitor your profile… a sneaky tag from an embarrassing picture, can quickly make your employability and professional etiquette rapidly decline.

 

As I explained in the previous post, my facebook and twitter accounts have helped me in my career on several occasions. For that reason I created a professional account for both medias, so I may use these forums and groups, keeping my private and social life completely separate, appearing employable and professional at all times.

  What may be funny to our friends, may be an off put to an employer…. Always think about what you post!

Task 1B Continued… An Ever changing Web 2.0

If Web 2.0 is continuously changing and evolving, must we as professionals change as well?

   After going through the reader, this particular section on an evolving Web 2.0 really got me thinking. Ulrich et al mentions ‘one of the key aspects of a Web 2.0 model is that these services are constantly evolving and that each platform is progressively developed and replaced’ (Ulrich et al (2008)). This is most relevant to me in terms of social media. 

   I used to be stuck in my ‘Facebook ways’ not wanting to move on to any other form of networking, until I realised just how much I was missing and all the opportunities I had been unaware of.Now to connect through Facebook you must be friends, however twitter allows you to follow people you do not know and see what they are posting. I soon realised my peers were going to auditions and castings after seeing posts on twitter from directors and choreographers. My account was set up the next day and it has helped me no end in staying in the loop within the industry. In order to remain pro active you must be prepared to evolve and change in order to grow. I am constantly seeking new blogs to follow, and new sites and forums to join to help the evolution of my career, as opportunities can be just a click away!

   

    This leads me on to communities developed within Web 2.0 and the importance of connectivity. Now Mark Zuckerburg, the founder of facebook, has claimed ‘connectivity is a basic human right’ (Sheerlaw 2014). Now this is a strong claim to make in my opinion, but after breaking it down, I noticed just how much my life depends on connectivity, particularly through Web 2.0, and how much it would be altered if I did not have access to these networks.

    I have joined many online communities which have helped me get jobs, find classes, given audition tips and advice, not to mention make many contacts within the industry. Take ‘The Hustle’ for example, a large facebook community group for performance arts professionals. People post about jobs, auditions, new classes to attend and also general info about the industry and what is hot and what is not. I have used this forum to find out about castings which lead me to a UK tour contract, attended master classes with top industry professionals after seeing them post, and also been put in contact with a physio to help with a previous injury. Without this community all these things would have not been so accessible and I may not have been so successful in my career. Also ‘Stage school teachers UK’, another group forum, has put me in touch with many schools around the country and provided many employers for teaching dance and musical theatre.

With over 500 million Facebook users and 289 million twitter users worldwide, it would appear clear to see that connecting through social networks could help our professional development in one way or another.