Inquiry Tools-Put into Practice

I am now collating the findings of the various investigative tools employed during my inquiry. This consisted of:

• Interviews with  3 x teaching professionals, focusing on their views on learning styles and how this affects their teaching tactics
• A test class with a group of Year 9 and 10 Dance students to test the different VARK methodologies and their adaptability between these styles of learning
• A follow up focus group with the same cohort to gain feedback as to their experiences in this workshop
• A questionnaire, also for the above group, to enable some quantitative data to be gathered
• Ongoing literature investigation

Below is a video recording of the focus group I formed with my students after observing them. The lesson  investigated each of the four VARK learning methods by asking them to learn a relatively technical piece of dance, each section being taught by myself in a different way - Visually, Aurally, via Read/Write and Kinaesthetically. Additionally, this focus activity aimed to gain some insight into the level of awareness they have of the teaching styles of their various teachers learning a routine using all of the learning styles.

This session has provided an excellent practical session for me to closely examine individuals' learning styles. Key points arising:

• Read / Write method appears to only be of benefit where technical and vocabulary understanding is more advanced
• Visual aids were more relied on for a smaller number of students, but in those cases it improved overall ability to learn the dance
• Kinaesthetic methods provided the clearest and most cohesive method for the group to move forward at a similar pace
• Auditory methods, similar to Read/Write, required a certain level of technical understanding, but left room for confusion with certain individuals
• Students were very engaged with this investigation, and developed an understanding and appreciation of the notion that learning can be undertaken in a variety of ways, and that understanding their own preference can assist in a variety of learning situations

This focus group has provided me with some excellent findings which I will discuss in my critical reflection.

Note: I will be uploading specific sections of the teaching exercise onto my YouTube channel.

Thinking over my Inquiry Questions

After receiving feedback from Alan and realising I was being a little ambitious with my Inquiry questions, I have taken some time to think about my questions.  I now feel I have a good set of questions to lead my Inquiry and gain valuable knowledge.

The questions I pose;

• Can using the VARK method improve peformance in KS3 girls dance?
• Is there clear evidence using VARK can help aid the understanding of students at KS3 & KS4?
• Are dance teachers using the VARK method to it's full potential to benefit and attribute classes at KS3 & KS4?

It is obvious I am wanting to research into the use of VARK and how it can enhance student learning. I am undertaking strong research into each individual learning strategy and am doing this through my literatures.

Critical Reflection Digital Portfolio

Critical Reflection Portfolio

This module has motivated and inspired my ambition for learning.  The research and planning I have undertaken has enabled me to determine a clear pathway for my inquiry.

Firstly I recognised the possible lines of professional inquiry and brainstormed my ideas, this process made it clear I had a number of questions I needed answers for.  I decided to focus on the three lines of inquiry that had potential to develop, the first being “Should dance sit in Physical Education or Creative Arts?” (Reference A).  This question is one yet to be answered by professionals as dance can feature in both strands of the national curriculum, either in terms of artistry or in the context of physical fitness. 

The challenges I have come across whilst progressing through each stage of gaining qualified teacher status have led me to this further topic, “Why is the GTP (Graduate Teacher Programme) so hard to gain admission to in comparison with a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education)? (Reference B).  This preliminary inquiry led me to understand the complexity of each course and the necessary entry requirements.  With this information it became clear to me I needed more scope for investigation, prompting the following question, “Does having experience in performing make you a better teacher?” (Reference C).  I started to think about what skills and experience most strongly attribute my teaching career and commented accordingly on my blog (Reference D).  After discussing this with fellow industry professionals I soon realised that this subject, whilst full of opportunities for discussion, may not give me the scope to reach the sort of solid conclusion I would hope for.   I found myself digressing from these inquiries and venturing more towards the concept of student learning.  This then brought me to the conclusion that I wanted to delve more into how students learn with specific reference to dance education (Reference E).

I now felt a positive connection with my line of inquiry and posed the question “How do children learn to their full potential within dance education?”  I feel confident this topic will develop my professional knowledge and understanding, leading to greater success in my future career (Reference F).  I began to research and blog on the various options students have at key stages three and four when deciding on which exam route to take (Reference G).  This topic in turn led me to think about methods of learning and I referred back to module one and the findings of the VARK method (Reference H). 

I created a special interest group and survey for my students to participate in.  Using these pilot methods I was able to research their thoughts on good teaching practice (Reference I). This proved to me the potential of my line of inquiry and the importance of understanding student learning.

Looking further into my inquiry the importance of ethics became evident.  I identified specifically how this manifests in my professional workplace (Reference J) and how I currently put ethics into practice.  I was able to follow my own business code of conduct when conducting pilot surveys, giving me the confidence when it comes to planning my student/colleague interviews, I will continue to embrace my vital ethical values.

I identified three pieces of literature, all with varying viewpoints which offered information I intend on using for my forthcoming inquiry.  They also provided me with statements and facts I would like to investigate further, expanding the detail of my final inquiry (Reference K).

To conclude I propose an award title (Reference L) which reflects my knowledge and expertise enabling me to progress with my future career ambitions.

The entire planning process has proved extremely motivational.  I look forward to the continuation of my professional learning.

                               

Reference A- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/4a-back-to-start-developing-my-line-of.html

Reference B- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/4a-back-to-start-developing-my-line-of.html

Reference C- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/4a-back-to-start-developing-my-line-of.html

Reference D- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/4a-back-to-start-developing-my-line-of.html

Reference E- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/thoughts-on-my-inquiry.html

Reference F- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/thoughts-on-my-inquiry.html

Reference G- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/12/btec-or-gcse.html

Reference H- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2012/01/understanding-vark.html

Reference I- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/12/students-have-their-say.html

Reference J- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/ethics-into-practice.html

Reference K- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2012/01/literature-for-thought.html
Reference L- http://emmahughes7.blogspot.com/2011/11/proposed-award-title.html

Understanding VARK

When researching various learning methods Flemings' VARK stood out to me as being the most informative when it comes to student learning.  Having this knowledge allows the student to develop in the learning process.  I took this excerpt from Wikipedia,

"Learning Style Inventory
The Learning Style Inventory (LSI) is connected with Kolb’s model and is used to determine a student’s learning style.^[3] The LSI assesses an individual’s preferences and needs regarding the learning process. It does the following: (1) allows students to designate how they like to learn and indicates how consistent their responses are, (2) provides computerized results which show the student’s preferred learning style, (3) provides a foundation upon which teachers can build in interacting with students, (4) provides possible strategies for accommodating learning styles, (5) provides for student involvement in the learning process; 6) provides a class summary so students with similar learning styles can be grouped together."

I found this particular information clear and brought me to the understanding of the links with VARK and students and how it can benefit my teaching.  This also made me think about how I could research this knowledge from the students, with a survey.
Thinking back to module one we were asked to think about our own learning styles and what we regard ourself as.  I put myself as a kinesthetic learner as this method of active participation allows me to take in the information to my full potential. 

Literature for Thought

With my inquiry plan coming together I have invested in useful literatures which will be of high importance in my research.  I have started to look further into the VARK learning styles and have come across this article,



'Marcy. V.(2001), “Adult Learning Styles: How the VARK©learning style inventory can be used to improve student learning.”Perspective on Physician Assistant Education, Journal of the Association of Physician Assistant Programs Vol 12, No 2, Spring 2001.' 


This particular article talks about inventories being done to investigate learning methods of students using VARK. I was interest in the results they got from students as I would like to compare these when I come to questioning student, so I am able to create more evidence to back u my inquiry.
The results were as follows, 



'Fifty students were invited to participate in the intervention and eighteen of these students actually took and submitted their VARK© inventory results. Of these eighteen students, thirteen of the students fell into the multimodal category, four fell into the read/write category and one person fell into the kinesthetic category (figure 2). None of the students fell into the visual or aural learning preferences; however, all of the categories were represented in various combinations in the multimodal category.'


With this topic being of high relevance in my inquiry I was interested to see what Vanessa Marcy had found out about VARK and put the information to good use.

http://www.vark-learn.com/documents/VanessaMarcy.pdf

I am interested in literatures that discuss good teaching practice and I have located an article on line from the United States which has sparked my passion for investigating 'What Makes a Good Teacher'.  The article is headed with this quote, 


"Study after study shows the most single most important factor determining the quality of the education a child receives is the quality of his teacher."


Written in short paragraphs all with headings related to teaching practice, made this piece interesting and easy to read.

 'Great teachers have clear, written-out objectives. Effective teachers have lesson plans that give students a clear idea of what they will be learning, what the assignments are and what the grading policy is.'


Each of the comments in this article backed up my beliefs on quality teaching and act as evidence for my inquiry on which methods will benefit student learning.  This article also opened my eyes to other laws that have been put in place in the United States, such as the 'No Child Left Behind' law, this has given me the impetus to look further into laws in place in the UK and look at which ones are of high importance for children's learning.  
The public were able to comment on this article and one comment stood out to me as a parent was 'questioning high qualified teachers' and whether qualifications mean 'good teacher'.  This intrigues me and I would like to research more in my inquiry to what qualifications teachers have to have to teach dance in schools and how important qualifications are?

http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/79-what-makes-a-great-teacher.gs

I also came across an article in The Telegraph which was of interest.  Katharine Birbalsingh investigates the teaching system and discusses ofsted which is of such high importance now as schools aim for 'outstanding' status.  


'Training institutions are charged with the task of shaping teachers who will be "outstanding" or "good", according to Ofsted criteria.'


I intend to look further into this article and look at ofsted expectations to back up my thoughts for my inquiry.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/8294154/What-makes-a-good-teacher.html 

Students Have their Say

With the various survey tools given in the reader I have been able to experiment with them and understand what pilots work best for me and which tools will enhance my research.
When it comes to researching how children feel about learning, I found the best way to do this is to talk and ask questions to my own students. I have the advantage of working closely with my students at my dance school and I was able to set up a SIG group and have a discussion with them on what they believed made a good teacher.

They were very quick to talk about teachers they had taken a dislike to and felt they had no connection with.  This had happened because the teacher showed no interest in them and was constantly looking at their phone throughout the lesson.  They also talked about how they found demonstration advantageous, where a teacher is able to show them a step they are struggling with or for example I was working on a dance with them for their exam and I was able to portray the dance ego it's full potential.  Being able to do this was good for the students to have an image in their heads of how the dance needed to look.

Many dancers will benefit from visual learners and having a demonstration video or live performance will enhance their learning tremendously achieving higher attainment overall. 

From this discussion I learnt how gaining respect from your students is of high importance without it they will not see you as a role model.

I used the website Survey Monkey to create a survey for my students so I had results on paper.  I found the survey I created needed to go into more depth and involve more on different ways children learn, so I have researched more into children's learning styles.

The BBC website had a very simple and informative way of describing the four learning styles;

Learning styles
Psychologists have categorised learning styles in lots of ways, but here's one way of looking at things, with four styles to choose from:

1. Visual learner

• Needs and likes to visualise things
• Learns through images - can remember the pictures on a page
• Enjoys art and drawing
• Reads maps, charts and diagrams well
• Interested in machines and inventions
• Plays with Lego and other construction toys, and likes jigsaw puzzles.
• Can be a daydreamer in class.

2. Kinaesthetic learner

• Processes knowledge through physical sensations
• Highly active, not able to sit still long
• Communicates using body language and gestures
• Shows you rather than tells you
• Wants to touch and feel the world around them
• May be good at mimicking others
• Enjoys sports or other activities where they can keep moving.

3. Auditory learner

• thinks in words and verbalises concepts
• spells words accurately and easily, as they can hear the different sounds - so tends to learn phonetically rather than through 'look and say' techniques.
• Can be a good reader, though some prefer the spoken word
• Has excellent memory for names, dates and trivia
• Likes word games
• Enjoys using tape recorders and often musically talented
• Usually able to learn their times tables with relative ease.

4. Logical learner

• Thinks conceptually, likes to explore patterns and relationships
• Enjoys puzzles and seeing how things work
• Constantly questions and wonders
• Likes routine and consistency
• Capable of highly abstract forms of logical thinking at early age
• Does mental arithmetic easily
• Enjoys strategy games, computers and experiments with a purpose
• Creates own designs to build with blocks/Lego
• Not so good at the more 'creative' side.

It is also important to be aware of your own style - it might conflict with your child's.

Have a look at the four learning styles and see what yours is (or are - you may favour a mixture) - and then assess your child's style. How does your child vary from you and how can you use your strengths and theirs in a complementary way to help them learn at home?

I found the comment at the end very interesting as it is something I have never thought about, how my learning style may conflict my students.  I will take this int consideration from now on if i find myself struggling with a particular students behaviour or focus.

Know what you teach!

I have recently taken on role as Cover Supervisor at my secondary school, this role involves covering a variety of subjects from maths to textiles etc when qualified teachers are unwell, this is a role many schools are creating as it saves money as they employ someone and pay them lower than bringing in supply... This is a challenging job as I find myself in situations where I  don't know the topic, therefore I am sometimes unable to provide the correct information to the students.  I usually have all necessary information for the class but this can sometimes leave me in deep water, this has lowered my confidence but also ensured me that you must know your teaching subject inside out to be able to provide high quality teaching.

Over the past month I have been placed in P.E as our head of department broke her leg and they asked if I would take on her timetable.  I felt privileged that my line manager had the confidence and faith in me to take on this role.  I have learnt how important it is to have a full lesson plan especially with a subject I am less known to.

I have always thought about lessons before teaching but until being thrown into a lesson unaware, I found out the not so nice outcome of an unprepared p.e lesson.

The particular lesson I am thinking of was a Tag Rugby lesson, I hadn't seen the plan and I found myself on the field with 30 year 9 students.

I started with the warm up I had used previously but this seemed to be over in minutes has I had under estimated how quick they would pick it up so my time management was terrible.

I went onto setting up teams but this turned into chaos and the class went down hill from there.

The students focus had completely gone and there was no sense of control or authority from myself as a teacher.

I learnt from this that my lack of planning and knowledge lead the students to misbehaving, losing focus and not gaining the learning outcome of the lesson.

As a teacher your main priority for each lesson and scheme of work is for the students to come out at the end having enjoyed it and achieved their grading level.  You will not achieve this without detailed planning and confidence in your topic.