Task 6B - Tools of Inquiry

Reader 6 introduces us to the available tools that may help us when we actually carry out the inquiry in module 3. Throughout module 2, I found it very important to remember that I am collecting evidence not ‘proving’ a theory.

There are 4 main research methods: interviews, observations including participant observation, focus groups and surveys. I intend to experiment with all 4 options, record my findings and use this information to determine which method is the most effective for my specific inquiry.

Within my inquiry, I will always have to consider the need for confidentiality. I believe that pupils and teachers are more likely to provide frank and honest answers when they know that their responses are anonymous. I will assure them that, even if any interviews are recorded, they will only be referred to as “Teacher A” or “Pupil B” for example, should their comments be included in my submitted documentation. It is also important to remain non-biased, you should not let your feelings affect any data and, when interviewing, the questions must not be “leading”. The reader also recommends the collection of data from different sources and viewpoints to ensure a well-balanced inquiry.

Method 1 – Observations

This is simply watching, recording and analysing events of interest. This is considered to be the most time consuming as it involves attending a class, taking notes and then completing further analysis. However, the results obtained provide the most information and gives a real representation of what happens. Ethics, permission and confidentiality are all vitally important when conducting observations. Videoing, writing notes even taping are all acceptable ways to fully record your observation but you must ensure that the correct forms are filled out to ensure confidentiality. Ensure you have obtained consent from any higher authority such as, the head teacher or manager, before conducting your observation.

Method 2 – Interviews

This method does what it says on the tin –you collect what people say and use it as evidence. Interviews can be conducted out in many different formats, one to one, face to face, on the telephone, via an exchange of emails, in small groups using pre prepared questions or merely having a “starter” question and seeing where the conversation goes from there. You need to consider how you phrase your questions. Closed questions are fine when you just need to establish a quick response but for the purpose of this exercise about  I would prefer to use open ended questions as they give the participant more opportunity to expand their views. They can also open up avenues to more questions that you might not have considered. It is important not to lead the participant to give the answer you think but allow them to answer freely, use starters like, ‘In your experience’.

Method 3 – Focus Groups

Focus groups are more about the interaction between the participants. Bell comments “focus groups are more likely to include members who either have similar characteristics or experience… or are known to have a professional concern about and knowledge of the issues involved.” (2005, p. 162) Due to having more people asking participants to identify themselves might help when recording information and accuracy. You need to be careful to keep the group on track as the conversation can very quickly go off at a tangent.. Strong personalities can also influence the group and make the outcome less informative A seating plan can prove quite effective in that scenario but, in any event make sure that everybody gets the opportunity to air their views and it is not monopolised by a noisy few.

Gatekeeper – head teacher or manager

Method 4 – Surveys and Questionnaires

The main purpose of these are to gather data from a large amount of people. You need to think about the sequence of questions, the wording, whether the questions make sense and are visually well presented. Each question should be relevant to your inquiry.  A letter explaining the purpose of the questionnaire and thanking all participants should be attached when sending the document in the post.

Development of inquiry questions

After chatting with my SIG I chose to link together some of my questions because I felt that there was an element of overlapping and the answers provided addressed more than one question. Consequently the revised questions are:

·         Is there a difference between teaching an academic subject and an arts subject? Please clarify your answer?

·         What skills are needed to become a good teacher? Are there any skills that a performer may possess that are transferable?

·         If recruiting a drama teacher, would you prefer to hire an ex performer with no teaching qualifications or a teacher with a degree but no performing experience?

·         Do performers go into teaching as a last resort or because they have a passion for it?

·         Do you think that performers should give up performing when they become teaching? Do you think it should be kept separate from their practice?

Any help will always be appreciated! Let me know if you think of anything I have missed that you feel may be of benefit.

Task 4C - First draft of questions

The initial question that popped into my mind when considering the transition from practitioner to teacher was,

 “Does being a talented performer necessarily make you a good teacher?”

With this in mind I thought about my existing skills and those that I would need to develop, what makes a good teacher, what makes a bad teacher and my vision of the type of teacher I aspire to be.

Most of the questions that I raised were very wide ranging with too many potential responses so I decided that I needed to be more specific and hone down the field of inquiry to provide a database that would be more useful when conducting the research during Module 3.

These are the first set of questions to which I will seek feedback from my SIG group and colleagues. Based upon the feedback I receive I will then adapt them to ensure that I cover all necessary areas and phrase the questions so there is no ambiguity when consulting the final focus group.

·         Which route did you follow to become a teacher? Traditional – B(Ed), PGCE. Alternative – Schools Direct, Teach First, Other.

·         Did you enjoy this route?

·         What made you decide to teach?

·         What makes a good drama teacher?

·         Is there a difference between teaching an academic subject and teaching an arts subject? How?

·         Does having a degree mean you are more qualified for the job?

·         What is more desirable, experience or a degree?

·         Does having more experience within the performance industry mean you will be more respected as an arts teacher?

·         Do all performers go into teaching?

·         Should performers give up performing when they start teaching? Why?

·         What preparation would you ideally have done in order to prepare for the transition? Any advice to those wishing to do so?

Ethics with my Inquiry

I intend to speak to current performers and teachers who have already transitioned into the education industry. I will need to be aware of confidentiality as well as obtaining any parental permission to observe lessons and record notes.

I also feel that arts teachers aren’t ‘traditional teachers’. They need to create a space where pupils can express themselves freely and have creative ownership over their work. This can sometimes disrupt the student/teacher dynamic e.g. always maintaining a professional relationship and teachers ensure their personal information is kept private.  

I will also need to discuss with my current colleagues and SIG for other areas or ethics that I may need to consider.

Finally line of Inquiry has been decided!

I have changed my line of inquiry numerous times – it has been one of the hardest decisions I have needed to make on this course. I have spent hours upon hours researching, making notes, finding literature, only to conclude it’s not what I want to explore further.

For the last two years, I have been working in a Primary School trying to figure out what I wanted to do in the future. I love working in a school but it has certainly opened my eyes to the negative aspects associated with teaching in the current climate where the focus is so heavily influenced by testing.

Performing has and always will be my major passion. I have taught drama on Saturdays for the last few years and enjoyed every second of it. I love setting out on a project, nurturing it, watching it blossom and bringing it altogether for the final result. I have pondered long and hard and concluded I would have more job satisfaction from drama teaching so this is now the route I intend to follow.

Consequently, I decided I will focus on the transition from a performer to a drama teacher.  I want to explore the steps that need to be taken to prepare myself and others for teacher training. I want to find out which, if any, of my existing skills are transferable and what I still have to learn.

Rainbow Career Theory

The other day, I was reading some of the other BAPPers’ blogs and came across this one by Danni Austen. I think it has a link to the line of inquiry that I am considering. I have left a link at the bottom of this blog if anyone is interested in learning more.

She writes about the “Life Career Rainbow”. This is a concept was thought up by Donald E Super, a career theorist. His main focus has been self-concept (or self-identity) and how it develops over time due to our experiences. 

Super has five life and career development stages: Growth birth-14 years old, Exploration 15-24 years old, Establishment 25-44 years old, Maintenance 45-64 years old and Decline 65+.

Danni and I have contrasting views on this as she doesn’t believe that this is relevant to a performer’s career. Most performers don’t have a career that lasts more than a couple of years (except the lucky ones!) so will need a secondary career as a means of insuring regular income between roles. From the age of about 14 – 25/30 you are pursuing performing, however this is not a career with a stable income and isn’t physical manageable forever. From about 30+ you start to think about settling down in a suitable position with a slightly more stable income. Personally, teaching is where I see my stable future.

This chart shows how you are continually working and exploring throughout your life.It also shows the developmental tasks at these different stages.

 He took the original idea that was developed in 1951 by Eli Ginzberg, an economist, who proposed that there were three main stages of development; fantasy, tentative and realistic.

http://danniausten.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/super-life-career-rainbow.html

Task 5B - Codes of Practice

The process starts with the Department for Education (DFE). They are responsible for creating laws, which are mandatory and have to be passed through Parliament, and guidelines that protect children in England. It then passes to the local councils, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire etc. Once the councils have approved the guidelines they are sent to the local authorities, e.g. HSCB, Herts Safeguarding Children Board. They then use this information/law to create a policy such as the Herts Safeguarding Toolkit to which all schools must abide. This policy is then passed to schools and other workplaces to be put into practice and they are responsible for following the procedures in their everyday work. These new rules and regulations are monitored by Ofsted as part of their inspection visit.

Childcare practice is a term used to describe those that work with children whether that be, children’s homes, schools, nurseries, child-minders etc. Before being allowed to work in an environment where you will be in contact with children a DBS check will be required as well ensuring that the proper training has been completed. The professionals working within childcare must adhere to the guidelines and policies set out by the organisation. They must also ensure correct safeguarding and report any concerns they may have regarding the welfare of the children. 

Child protection is a huge responsibility for all those who work with children.  To make sure that this is executed correctly, you need to be aware of the schools policies regarding reporting and recording suspected abuse and neglect. If a pupil reports anything that could be a cause for concern, then the school has to ensure that it is recorded correctly. If the school has a meeting with other agencies then any notes, times and dates must be documented. Schools are required to inform the parents, in advance, if any photographs will be taken of their children for child protection purposes.

Risk assessments are a crucial part of working with children and should be carried out daily to reduce the chance of injuries. Before carrying out an activity, an individual risk assessment has to take place again to eliminate potential injuries. Each year the school will also do a risk assessment on the buildings and the grounds.

Ensuring the child that their voice has been heard is essential, as it shows them that someone is listening to them when they are experiencing something difficult or potentially distressing. Advocacy services such as The National Youth Advocacy Services are also there to provide support for the children and to ensure that their voices are being heard.

When a child or a young person is expressing concerns it is important to listen carefully to what they need to say. Once they have finished, you should reassure them that they have done the right thing by telling an adult and inform them of what action will be taken. It is important that the child tells you in their own words what has happened and do not push for any further information. It is imperative to inform the child that this information cannot remain confidential and they may need to talk to other adults about what has happened. 

The Data Protection Act 1998 states that all professionals working within a setting will treat each child’s file as confidential, however the information can be shared with the parents/guardians of that child. Parents should only be allowed to see their own child’s file, school books, and progress but never any other. Other agencies or receiving schools will have access to the files, and parents/guardians should be made aware of this information. 

Protecting children’s’ or young people’s files is extremely important and there are many forms of protection in place to ensure they are kept confidential. In my setting, we have locked filing cabinets which contain all of the children’s files. These are kept in the school office. The school office is always occupied and, in the unlikely event that it isn’t, the door is locked to prevent anyone from gaining entry.  Another way of protecting the information is to ensure that any data held on computer files is protected by way of a secure password that is subject to a mandatory change every 6 weeks.

At the start of each academic year my setting sends a letter to all the parents asking if there are any changes to the information they previously supplied. This includes emergency contact details, allergies, address. This is done to ensure that the school files are always up to date.  

There are many policies and procedures in place to try and protect children and young people; they also help the practitioners that work with them. These policies are designed to provide a safer working environment for the children or young person but also to protect the adult from any allegation of wrongdoing 

The policies and procedures for a safer working environment include:

Working in an open and transparent way; this mainly helps to protect the professionals from any allegations. If you need to take a child out of the room for any reason inform a member of staff where you are going and what you are doing; that would be working in an open way. It also means not to be left alone with the children. If necessary leave the doors and the blinds open so it is clear what is going on. Another approach to working in open way is to explain to staff why you are working in a particular manner. 

Listening to children and young people is incredibly important as they might reveal something to suggest they are being harmed or abused. You should always record what they are saying accurately whilst informing them they have done the right thing. Providing support and reassurance is vital, as this will often be a traumatic and difficult time for them. 

Physical contact is something that most practitioners are concerned about as it is different in every setting. Younger children are affectionate and will often give you a hug or want to hold your hand. Ensure that you are acting sensibly and not instigating the physical contact. If you are alone, try not to have any physical contact with the child or young person. There are some circumstances where more physical contact will be need especially if dealing with special needs and you have to attend to their personal care. If you are unsure of anything just refer to your settings policy and ensure you are abiding by the guidelines at all times. 

Duty of care is something that all professionals working with children or young people have. We try to provide a safe learning environment and always act responsibility. Children have a huge amount of trust in us as members of authority and we should remember to always listen and comfort them about any concerns they may be experiencing 

As teachers or support staff, we will all be in a position of power and trust. The children will look to you as a member of authority for guidance and support. It is important to always listen to what they have to say and treat it with respect. If they have any issues they are concerned about it is important they have enough trust in you that they can talk to you about it. 

Sharing concerns/ recording and reporting incidents; this plays an extremely important part in safeguarding children and young people. If a child discloses to you that they are being harmed or abused it is important to record this information accurately and report it to the DSP. If you have any concerns about a child due to something they had said or you’ve seen then it is important to share these concerns with other members of staff or the DSP. 

As a professional working within a school, propriety and behaviour are extremely important as we could be seen as role models. Whilst working with the children, we should always act responsibly, sensibly and appropriately. We should set out clear examples of accepted behaviour by own interactions with others and show the children what is expected of them.  Every child and young person has the right to privacy and respect; this includes Intimate personal care, changing clothes. There will be some circumstances where a member of staff may need to step in to assist; adults need to be aware about their own behaviour. Adults should make sure the supervision is appropriate to the ages and the individual needs of the children. 

Off site visits are a big part of school learning however they can present a huge number of new potential dangers. A complete risk assessment needs to take place, before the trip can take place, to assess all the potential risks and how best to reduce/eliminate them. A few of the things you will need to take into consideration are; transport, adult to child ratio, planned activities and parental consent. The facilities are also a huge factor as if travelling with a disabled child then special requirements may need to be taken. 

Photography and video are being used more and more in schools. If you wish take photographs or videos of the children, to use in their learning journals or on the school website then permission slips should be sent out to all parents/guardians to give consent or not. If a parent/guardian denies consent it is important that you abide by this and make sure they are not included in any of the photographs.