Friday 21 October 2016

Here we go...

So I decided I needed a new challenge, something that makes me think, work hard and achieve. I have known for a while I am the type of person who enjoys being challenged and likes to be challenged academically as well as physical. As a dancer and now more so a dance teacher, I have been challenged physically for the majority of my life! Can I manage this turn? this rapid direction change? this sustained balance? and I have had to work hard to achieve and to work in the professional industry. I am fortunate to do what I have done but I have known I have always wanted to teach. I want to teach the 'next generation', the budding performing arts artists of tomorrow's future. Even though, I endured and successfully achieve my PGCE in Post Compulsory Education, I still feel unfulfilled. So I have asked myself, what is my next challenge? A Masters Degree it is! I am currently employed in an FE environment but only until April as I cover maternity leave. I love my job! I am fortunate to be in a job I love, and no I don't want to leave! However, you sign up for a contract and my whole career has been built on short term contracts that I sign up for and have to move on to the next thing (sometimes the end of a contract has been rather welcoming, others not so!)

I begin my MA in Professional Practice Dance Pedagogy. Apart from an unfortunate start with admin, systems not being updated and a huge lack of contact and communication, I am FINALLY enrolled! Ready to go, materials at the ready! Oh dear, what am I doing? This is going to be insanely challenging, but still I am more than positive and confident in knowing I CAN do this!

I have hit the ground running looking at Kolb's experiential learning model and my CV of which I am trying so hard to break down and annotate. When I look back at my teaching experience, I realise the amount of similar kind of teaching I do. For example, I am continuously assessing my learners formatively and I am constantly giving feedback to help them to develop and improve. I guess this is where my passion lies, I so want them to do better, I want them to improve and I guess this is why I am in the industry that I am! I also realise the broad range of learners I have taught in terms of age and experience! It's huge! But at the same time it's amazing and I love being challenged with different and new learners.

So this is just a short welcome really, 'hey there and welcome to my blog' I have a Skype call to look forward to shortly in order to check in with my lecturers and fingers crossed the work I have done so far is valid! Eek!!!! MA course, here I come!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Rebecca,
    Thanks to Helen as she linked us all through MAPP blog I could read your views..you have written very well.Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Rebecca, I have been reading all your blogs and I think from my understanding we have a lot in common re course start up. I still feel very lost, but am hearten that you seem to have got to grips with it

    ReplyDelete