Looking back at Module 2 there has been a
lot of reflecting on my current
to day practice. I have been observing classes I already teach and
inquiring how to make them better aswell as asking myself questions as to why I
do certain things.
I started by thinking that I wanted my
inquiry to be about the relevance of Drama in our education but looking closer
and more specifically at my work, and what I do, I have decided to investigate
the topic of ‘boundaries’. Boundaries are a universal topic and apply to many
practices not just drama teaching.
We started by developing lines for our
professional enquiry, looking at practitioners around us, asking them questions
and creating S.I.G groups. We then developed our questions and decided on an
award title, these exercises taught me that your opinion and own experience
only tell you so much on a topic. It is surprising to see how views change
depending on circumstance. Gaining as many views as possible gives you a much
clearer insight and therefore encourages you to research further using
literature, the press and the internet.
I have learnt that it’s hard to be unbiased
as we are passionate about our chosen subjects, and in pursuing research I have
to word my questions carefully in order to not ask leading questions.
We then moved on to looking at ethics,
focusing on ethics in the workplace and what the codes of practice are. After
reading the task reader I looked at my own professionalism and tried to see
what improvements I could make. I also had to ensure that I was ethical when
conducting the enquiry by not making people feel they had to take part and
always respecting their view. Reading about Ethics taught me a lot about how
‘teachers’ are perceived and we have a job that holds a lot of responsibility.
We must respect that and keep the students trust. A safe learning environment
is of the upmost importance. I also saw ethics change from school to school and
compared ethics in a Saturday school to a secondary school. I observed how
rules differ and priorities change, as does my role as a teacher.
I then moved on to looking at the tools we
could use for our professional enquiry. They were; Survey, interview, focus
group and observation. I conducted pilots of each and then decided which tool
was best for my line of inquiry. I reflected on which was the most truthful and
less biased method, who’s voice was heard and which technique used less time to
gain the most information and opinions. I decided as a teacher researching
teaching techniques to run a focus group with other teachers, hand out a survey
to parents and observe students in class. My pilot observations taught me lots
about my inquiry and I could improve certain techniques used in teaching, which
I will carry forward to Module 3.
In summary during this module I spent a lot
of time gaining information from others. I looked at different methods of
inquiry and tried to perfect the art of writing questions in an ethical,
unbiased way. In reflection I feel the research I conducted generated a broad
but very honest view on boundaries and why they are set in schools.
