Updates on inquiry progress and sharing discoveries

image source: https://www.lumus360.co.uk/360blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/360-feedback-process.jpg

  FEEDBACK

The feedback I received from Module 2, together with a very helpful discussion with Adesola, has helped me realise that the original questions I wanted to ask for my research needed some adjustment.

ORIGINAL INQUIRY QUESTIONS

I began with the questions:

• “What methods are dance teachers implementing for their pupils with ASD and are there any additional strategies they could put in place to enhance the dance learning experience for people with ASD?”

• “Do people/parents of people with ASD feel that dance has helped them/their child in any way in their lives and what has their past dance experience been like?”

• “Would dance teachers who are not specialist in the field of autism be interested in attending local courses/workshops on this subject that might provide teaching strategies they can implement in their existing classes?” 
                                      

PURPOSE OF MY RESEARCH 

                                

The purpose of my research is threefold :

1. to gather as much information as I can about the different approaches people are using to the teaching of dance for the autistic range.

2. to see if there are any methodologies that experts in the field of dance teaching for people with ASD implement that are new to me and that I can adopt to enhance my own teaching.

3. to develop this further to devise my own syllabus for the autistic range of dance students.

 INQUIRY FOCUS

I have now realised that, although my intention is the same, the time constraints of the inquiry will necessitate my focusing more on one aspect of my research. This was a difficult decision for me. In making my choice I found the following Youtube video helpful. It emphasises the importance of adding context to help you focus your inquiry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXNztCLYgxc


I have therefore decided,for the inquiry, to concentrate my efforts on mapping out some of the different teaching approaches for people with ASD. 

NEW INQUIRY QUESTION

My main inquiry question will now be:

“ What are some of the approaches currently being used for teaching dance to people on the autistic range?”

The literature I have read to date has already shown me that there are many different teaching approaches and I obviously can’t include them all, so, for the purpose of my research, I will compare the methodologies implemented by two organisations in the UK that specialise in the provision of dance for people with autism and by one autism expert in the USA. These are :

1. An inclusive theatre performance course approach

2. A holistic approach

3. An autism movement therapy approach

 I will then use literature to support or contrast their methods and show how they developed.

Throughout my inquiry I will be drawing on my own past and present teaching experience and comparing the methods I use with those of the teachers I am interviewing. My ultimate aim is to further enhance my own teaching by the additional knowledge that I gain through watching and reading about dance teaching for people on the autistic spectrum.

FURTHER RESEARCH POSSIBILITIES

After the BAPP course I would like to explore this further, possibly by doing an MA, and at this point I hope to use the information I have gathered in my inquiry as a base to develop my own syllabus for teaching students on the autistic range.

My pilot questionnaire, which was distributed amongst dance teachers and examiners, to ascertain if there was a need for courses about teaching dance to people on the autism spectrum, indicated that teachers would welcome this. I realise that a limited distribution can only ever be indicative and cannot yield sufficient information and so I have decided not to pursue this aspect for my inquiry. This is something I will look at in more detail after the BAPP course.

COLLEAGUES' INPUT

I inserted comment boxes into the questionnaires and these have provided me with some very useful information about people's experience of teaching their pupils on the autistic range so I will refer to this in my research rather than gathering statistical data. I will also get input from my SIG about their teaching experience as some of them teach pupils on the autistic spectrum.

ETHICS

It was thought that talking to the pupils about their dance experience was not appropriate for ethical reasons because they are vulnerable adults. This made me look again at the ethics concerning my research. I found the following website helpful:

https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/research/files/2012/05/Ethics-Output-Guidance-Vulnerable-Adults-RO-GOV-11.pdf


I have decided I will not question the pupils about their dance learning experience. Instead, I will ask their teachers about any differences they have noticed in their pupils since they began teaching them. I feel this is important as it will help me to get a feel for the long term effectiveness of the teaching methods they are using and to decide, which, if any, of them to try out in my own teaching.

 Although I will be an outsider observing the sessions, the prior teaching experience that I bring to the inquiry could influence the way I view the work I observe so I have to ensure that I maintain objectivity throughout my research.

The above website states:
       
 "Where an adult is incapable of giving consent, researchers should, without compromising the rights of the individual, consult with those who have a duty of care towards that person. This may include family and/or statutory carers."

This made me realise that, as well as getting my signed consent from the organisations to conduct my research, which will involve my observing vulnerable adults, I needed to get permission to talk about the past teaching experience of those individuals. After discussing this point with my professional contacts at the organisations it has been agreed that they will obtain this permission prior to my visiting.

I intend to make my presence as unobtrusive as possible in the observations and to be prepared to leave the room if necessary.

SUB QUESTIONS

Adesola mentioned that other sub questions may arise as my research unfolds and I agree with this. I think that the research will be an organic process and different areas of study may present themselves along the route. I also think that there is a danger of getting side tracked by additional questions that may arise, so it is important to acknowledge them and pursue them if they are particularly pertinent to the inquiry, but also to stay focused on my main question because of the limited time available. 

One such sub question has already arisen since my chat with Adesola .It was prompted by reading the following article below that was put up on Lianne's blog about Skinner Release Technique; this dance technique "aims, not to relax the body, rather to prepare the body to be available to any image or creative idea- releasing imagination."

http://www.communitydance.org.uk/DB/animated-library/in-its-purest-form.html?ed=14067

 I started to think about the imaginative process involved in improvisation and this provoked the question :

"How do people on the autistic range respond to improvisation?"

It will be interesting to discover if improvisation is used in the dance teaching at the organisations in which I am carrying out my research. If so, then this question might be useful to consider.

RESEARCH TOOLS AND  QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

When I piloted my inquiry tools for Module 2 I reached the conclusion that I would conduct my research using classroom observations and interviews. Having read Reader 7 and reread Reader 6 I am now looking at ways that I might analyse the information that I collect. I would be interested to hear what methods of analysis others on BAPP who are using these tools are planning to implement. 

I came across the following prose by Alder when I was doing some googling about research methods. It made me reflect upon the insider researcher standpoint. I am not conducting my observations in my own workplace so I will be an outsider researcher for these. I am, however, making comparisons with my own work so my teaching experience is bound to affect my judgement in some way. It is easy to bring your own feelings, preferences and prejudices into the research. It reminded me of the importance of trying to be open minded in my attitudes to the research and of endeavouring to maintain objectivity. It is inevitable, however, that who we are and the way we think and feel will influence what we read, what we research and the conclusions we draw .As Adler states:

“Read it with sorrow and you will feel hate.
Read it with anger and you will feel vengeful.
Read it with paranoia and you will feel confusion.
Read it with empathy and you will feel compassion.
Read it with love and you will feel flattery.
Read it with hope and you will feel positive.
Read it with humor and you will feel joy.
Read it with God and you will feel the truth.
Read it without bias and you will feel peace.
Don't read it at all and you will not feel a thing.” 

― Shannon L. Alder