Having now almost completed the BAPP course I have now come to realise how misconceived I was at the start of the course in relation to how much work would b involved an how much longer full academic writing can take when compared with what I had previously experienced. Before this course I felt that two days was ample time to complete a 2000 word referenced essay as this is what I achieved when doing the written work required for the NQF Level 6 Diploma obtained at Performing Arts College. I have learnt to always try to allow extra time than what you think a piece of academic writing is going to take you as it probably will take longer than you anticipate.
The first term of the BAPP course involved a number of small tasks that were set in order to develop our research, analytical, reflection and writing skills which were necessary experience to prepare us for the writing of our project proposal and the conduction and writing of the research project. These tasks were also a gentle start to learning the time management skills necessary for the later work. Term two at the time felt like being thrown in the deep end of research and academic writing on a larger scale as I had not experienced these before (with the exception of the short task in term one) however looking back it was far better to undertake this steep learning curve at this stage of the degree rather than having to undertake this learning while doing the final research project. However through this I have learnt about a number of different styles of research, how to undertake research (both primary and secondary) within my professional practice and of I can development my teaching skills through research and through looking ‘outside the box’ from the syllabi that I teach and the way that I was taught to teach it within the teaching course provided by the ISTD. Although I found the blogging created a sense of community within myself and my peers throughout the course, enabling us to help each other with problems and provide feedback, I found that I struggled trying to fit this in with the demand of writing my final project, I had to make the decision of what was more important getting the project finished or keeping a regular track of what my peers were doing as I could not fit both in.
I have learnt academically within this project on how to write in a professional academic manor but also how to analyse my own learning in a way that is more than ‘ok in that pirouette my weight was to far back which is why I fell off’. The analysing of the research and deducing the meaning of this is not a skill that I have previously struggled with as this is the type of personality that I have (a tendency to over think things) however the final project in particular I have learned to be more direct with my analysis and to be critical with what I have written in order to fit within a specific word limit. Although the thought of writing a 12,000 word report in the beginning I found quite daunting when I began to write the report I found that I was basically writing 6 shorter essays which were not any longer than those that I had written before. Once I got writing I found that I easily reached the 12,000 word limit and when quite far over this therefore I had to develop my editing skills leaving only the most important relevant information within my report, a skill that I had not previously had to use as this was the first project I had undertaken with a word limit.I have also learnt a number of personal lessons while undertaking this degree course, the most prominent not to take on too much as although I would have considered myself an organised person having to work full time, teaching, do a degree, plan a wedding/ get married, undertook my own dance exams as well as the day to days of life, I found myself not being the prepared person that I always had been. I had to quickly learn to really prioritise my tasks and make sacrifices in areas so that I could achieve what I deemed most important.
My project has had a tangible effect on my professional practice and given me further thought of how I can help the students personally which will help them in life and will remove a barrier that is preventing their success in dance. The project has also shown my employer a different way of working and she witnessed the effect that this project had on the students. This course has ultimately nurtured and provide me with new academic skill and shown me ways of looking at my own professional project and how I can improve myself as a teacher going beyond reading articles provided by the ISTD, the dancing times and going to seminars at ‘move it’ but by actually changing my own teaching practice to see what works, ultimately improving the dance skill and enjoyment of my students but also developing them as people not just as dancers.
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