6B- Pilot Survey

Like I said in my previous blog, I had already made a survey a while ago. I noticed that everybody in my SIG groups had been using the online survey creator, ' Survey Monkey' . I had completed a few peoples surveys before I made my own and most of them seemed very straight forward and easy to answer. They also gave me an idea of the sort off questions I should and maybe shouldn't ask when making my own survey.
 I think Survey Monkey is a great way to make a survey as it explains very well how to put the survey together, gives you a variety of ways to choose you would like the questions to be answered (for example, multiple choose, yes/no etc.) and also analyses all the results for you. One of the cons of Survey Monkey is that without upgrading (to where you are required to pay), you can only ask 10 questions. Now, this could be a problem as you might want to ask more than just 10 questions so maybe you would want to think about upgrading for the actual inquiry although something to think about is surveys shouldn't really be too long as people will not take there time to complete if there is pages and pages of questions so depending on how in depth you want to go with the survey, having a limit of questions could actually be a good thing.

I found discussing with members of my SIG  group that the surveys that were more to the point and simple questions were the ones that we actually completed. Some surveys asked far too many in depth questions and with just one look at I didn't even bother to complete the survey because it required too much time that I didn't have. The survey needs to be user friendly but still a good length with valuable questions In order to provide you with the correct data.

When Melanie Brown was completing my survey she said that one of the questions that only allowed for one answer needed to be changed. The question was, ' What do you think is more important in a teacher? ' and the answers were Qualifications or Experience. Mel believed both were important and I can see now that my answer box should have been different to just being able to choose one answer.

The good things about Surveys are they are quick and easy ways for people to get involved and you can analyse and see certain patterns emerging. Although sending a survey to someone to complete doesn't always guarantee you a response. Talking to Hannah Stewart, and she also mentions this on her blog, was that she come across a journal discussing the difference between online and paper surveys. I hadn't thought about this until Hannah brought it up but its really interesting. With a paper survey you probably have more chance of receiving a completed survey back if you hand it to them as they will complete it straight away were as online you have to pester people more. Also if you send a group message out to people asking to complete your survey I think many of them will ignore it. I experienced this when I posted a notice on a Facebook group, about 2 people responded, were as when I emailed them directly asking them to take some time to complete my survey I got a lot more responses.

One other thing I am going to think about is who I aim my survey towards. The pilot survey I made was to be completed by students, reflecting on there past experiences from teachers they have been taught by but I think making a survey to be completed by teachers as well  would also be very beneficial as it is coming from a different side.

Overall I like the idea  of a survey as if enough people take part  in completing it you can gather a lot of information.

6a- Tools of Professional Inquiry.

Surveys, Interviews, Observations and Focus Groups are all ways in which we can collect data in order to help us complete our Inquiry.

We have to plan pilot Interviews etc, as part of the next set of tasks.

I began part of this task quite a while ago as a lot of people in my SIG group were posting surveys on the Facebook page that was set up for BAAP students, so I decided to make one myself.

Here is a link to it in case any body hasn't seen it. If you haven't completed it I would be very grateful if you could take some time to do this.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B63R9C5

I feel like for my Inquiry of what makes a good teacher, all of the above tools will be relevant and helpful to me.

5C- Ethics in a professional context.

5D- Ethical Dimensions for my proposed Inquiry.

When carrying out an Inquiry there are many ethical issues that you have to be aware of. It is essential when humans are involved that you apply and adhere to ethical standards.

Below are the ways I plan to be ethical when conducting my inquiry.

• It is critical for my Inquiry that I get a consent form and permission for every child under the age of 18 from their parent/guardian. Any one who is over the age of 18 must sign the form themselves.

• The data collected for the Inquiry must only be used for that purpose only and then should be destroyed afterwards as it is of no use.

• Questions asked must be relevant to the Inquiry. It must be valid and reliable.

• In some cases the participants may want to be kept anonymous so it is Imperative that if you agree with this there names remain unknown.

• All data should be kept safe so that only you can access it. So for example if the information is kept on a computer it should be password protected.

• Everyone involved should know the objections and purpose of the Inquiry.

• At all times during the inquiry the environment should be safe so that no harm is caused to any one taking part.

• My results must be thoroughly researched and not biased.

5B!

Task 5b requires you to look at the codes of practice which steer the ethical framework in the work place this time using research from professional sources .

I went onto the C.D.E.T website which I found from looking at students Blogs who were basing there inquiry on a similar subject to me. I had never been on this site before and I found it so helpful and interesting.
They have a recommend Code of Professional Conduct and Practice that is to guide teachers on issues of good practice.
Here is a link to the page http://www.cdet.org.uk/teaching-and-qualifications/code-of-conduct/

It is all very interesting and extremely important to read if you are a teacher or looking to become a teacher but there are a few things that stood out to me.

' Not accept a teaching post or undertake work for which he or she is not competent or qualified.'

The reason I have highlighted this is because a couple of weeks ago I was approached by a friend who was offering me work for some children's Zumba parties. It was very good pay and regular work. They told me the work was there for me if I wanted it. What they did not understand or think about was how ethically wrong it would be if I was to accept this job as I have never taught a Zumba class in my life. They assumed as I was a dancer I would have enough experience to take on this roll but you have to have a certificate to say you are a qualified Zumba teacher in order to teach a class. I know am looking into taking the course so that in the future I can get this work but it would have been ethically wrong for me to have accepted this work at this present time.

'Ensure that students are not discriminated against on the grounds of sex, race, colour, religion, age, disability, national or social origin or other status. '

I mentioned race and discrimination in my previous blog and I think this is  a very serious subject to be aware of.

One thing that is mentioned on the C.D.E.T  website is a teachers teaching name. I never would have thought that this was an issue that should be raised but now I see why this must be. The name must not be misleading or a name that they are not entitled to.

Also something I never mentioned was the use of copy right. As a teacher you must be in accordance to the law with regards to copyright and recordings.

The C.D.E.T  explains in detail health and safety issues to consider.

• heating levels and ventilation
• suitable flooring appropriate to the technique taught
• secure area for changing
• understand his/her responsibility in case of medical emergency
• ensure that all fire regulations are adhered to

As a teacher it is essential that you are a role model to your students. It is a Teachers job to demonstrate the correct behaviour, teach the importance of punctuality, implement self-discipline into their pupils and ensure each child's needs are met through rigorous planning.

The RAD website also has a code of conduct which I found very helpful. There are four main points they talk about.

Integrity- Respecting the confidentially of students. You must respect anything that a student/parent confides in you. It is also imperative to deal honestly with money/information somebody shares with you and to make sure private and personal interests do not conflict with professional duties.

Competence- As a teacher you must maintain up to date knowledge in what you are teaching. Lessons must be planned and not just put together during the class.

Professionalism- You must work in a positive and co-operative manner. It is also important to engage in reflective practice.

Compliance- Health and safety of every child is essential. Any body working with children must have an up to date CRB and must be aware of  child protection and data protection.


This task has enabled me to have a much better understanding, ethically, of what is required from me as a professional teacher.

5A- Ethics in your work place.

5a- Ethics in your work place/ Professional community which is familiar to you.

In this task we are asked to consider the ethics that might apply in our community of practice relying on our own thoughts wholly.

I am looking at what makes a good teacher so my place of practice will be a class room/studio.
There are many codes of practice in a teaching environment, here are the thoughts that came to my mind without reference to any documents or discussion.

• I am responsible for the health and safety of each individual child. I must be completely aware of all the hazards in the room and report any problems that may arise.

• I must be aware were all the fire exits are located and what the procedure is in case of an emergency.

• Must have a valid CRB check.

• It is important to treat every child with respect. The language used with the children must be chosen very carefully.

• I must not share any information about a child with anybody else in/out of the environment I am in. Addresses/ telephone numbers and even information a child/parent may have spoken to me about individually must be kept private.

• You must not be racist or discriminating towards any child.

• I must have the correct knowledge and qualifications in the subject area I am teaching.

• It is important to be dressed appropriately for the classroom and look professional as I will be representing either myself or the company I work for.

4D- My Award Title Proposal.

4d! My Award Title Proposal.

As well as still hoping to perform I am slowly looking towards becoming a teacher. Not having much experience in this but having a drive and passion to becoming a teacher I think an Inquiry to what makes a good teacher will benefit my future career and also help others improve there teaching skills

I have decided that my Award Title should be either.

Ba Honours Professional Practice In Dance

OR

Ba Honours Professional Practice In Performing Arts

Both of these reflect my previous training, reflect the learning process of this course and will be relevant to my future career.