Jen Cooper - BA Professional Practice Blog

I'm currently pulling my hair out.  I have the knowledge that in little over two weeks our work needs to be submitted and we will have reached the end of this course (presentations in January aside).  I am currently procrastinating on my Research Report and tweaking and trying to make it the best I can but somehow feel like the tweaking will never stop - I'm always picking something out and then finding I have to re-write a whole new chunk of work.  My word count is slowly creeping up and frankly I think I need to learn to stop and accept that what I've done is hopefully good enough.  I still have a lot of work to do on the Artefact and the constant changing of my report is stopping me from getting done what I need to on that and I'm in a constant sense of panic that time is slowly creeping towards the 10th. Is anyone feeling the same? 

Drafts are in for the final chapter of this course and I have a sense of relief that the majority of work is done and hopefully now it will just be a case of fine tuning my report and getting the artefact done. I honestly can't believe how quickly time has gone from the start of the course to now and how much, when I reflect back I have learnt and developed in myself and my practise. From learning new theories to the broad range of information I've discovered in the literature and my inquiry I have a big mix of relief that I'm almost done and won't have deadlines hanging over my head and a little bit of saddness that its all finished although, I will continue to develop and be the best I can in my practise long after this course is over. Either way with a few more weeks to go and an artefact that needs creating for now its time to get my head down and get creating!

Todays discussion was about data - how you interpret it and what to do with it.  How we interpret our data is how we make sense of what we've done.  We need to make the connections between our data, our professional practice and of course the literature. We were told we do not need to produce a final perfect product, it doesn't have to be neat and tidy, its how we articulate our points thats important.  Helen said to look through the lens of our professional practice and see what's interesting to us.  We will draw our own conclusions from our research and it won't be linear, it can be quite messy.  The importance of not leaving data sets out was mentioned, making sure we triangulate our data with the literature and our own experience.  The shopping ingredient analogy was used     * When we shop for ingredients to make a recipe = gathering data     * When you get home and put the ingredients in front of you = its just the ingredients/ raw data     * Mixing and cooking th

Today we had a module 3 focus call with Helen, where each student got to talk about their chosen inquiry topic, what they were doing and how far they'd got this term. It was really nice to hear from other students and how they've been getting on and despite my ramblings it was nice to share how I've been doing and know that I'm on the right track.  Helen enphasised the importance of keeping a reflective journal this term - to reflect on the process of interviews and data collection. How do we feel interviews/ focus groups went, how did the experience feel, what did we learn? In doing so now, will help us towards the end of the term. Helen also emphasised the importance of questioning our assumptions. With regards to the literature review this term we need to go deeper within our field using fewer scholars. Module 2's literature review was a lot broader.  A really informative call that has made me feel positive about the term ahead. 

In the last 7 days I've completed 5 interviews and one focus group, and what a learning curve its been.  I found in my first interview I was trying desperately hard not to ask leading questions to get more from my participant but by the last interview I hardly had to say anything and learnt just by nodding my head and saying 'thats great, can you tell me more about 'X'' I didn't really have to do much at all! Some of the information I got from my participants was as expected and in line with a lot of the literature I found.  However, a number of stories I heard gave me a whole host of new information from a perspective I hadn't even thought about. I was lucky enough to interview 5 teachers with a combined experience of over 80 years which meant a lot of information. Thankfully another module 3 student recommended a wonderful program - otter.ai - that transcribed the conversations (with just a little bit of tweaking needed) which has been a huge time saver. 

 Yesterday I had my first tutorial of the term with Sam.  I keep saying it but going into M3 seems so less daunting than the other two modules.  I think because of all the planning we did in M2 we kind of know what's coming but I'm hoping that I don't suddenly find myself in a huge panic mid-term as I'm very aware of how much work there is ahead.  Feeling relaxed puts me slightly on edge and as a result I've been manically trying to make sure I've stayed on top of my schedule we made in M2 - sending invites to my potential interviewees and focus group participants.  As Sam said - we have to have some flexibility in our schedules as things won't always go according to plan and I have to remember that going into this module.  Some useful information I took away when talking about the literature review and report were to ensure you justify every bit of your research proposal. Make broad ideas more focussed. Acknowledge what went before and what comes after but

Last night was the first welcome back zoom of the term and it was lovely to see faces new and old.  Going in as a module 3 student felt very different to going in as as M1 and M2 and I felt much more confident and comfortable.   Take aways from the call were as follows: Calls NOT marked as 'discussions' should be recorded and put on Unihub for those unable to attend the live call. Read your Course handbook and Module handbook to get you familiar with what's ahead. Use the blogs.  To catch up on missed zooms and help you with your module.  By exploring blogs from people further ahead in the course to you will help.  There is also help out there so reach out. Teresa is the new Academic assistant and will be able to help you navigate your way around Unihub and other resources. Your supervisor is also there to help. 

Next week the new term starts and I commence my third and final module on this BAPP journey.  Reflecting on my journey so far I am proud of how far I have come but still very aware of how much there is ahead of me. After what feels like a huge break since the end of module 2 I am worried I have forgotten how to think 'academically' and in preparation this week I have been looking over my previous module work and reading the M3 handbook.  Going into this term my children are still home schooling which brings extra challenges but as they have been doing so since I started this course I am hoping they are in the flow of independent working as much as possible and I will be able to focus on my own school work (not them sneaking onto YouTube during zoom lessons!).  We all have our own challenges and to those starting back on this new term whether M1, M2 or M3 wishing you the best of luck and a wonderful term ahead.  

Today I submitted all my work for Module 2 and to say what a relief it feels would be an understatement. This module has felt pretty full on but with the reward at the end of feeling like I've really achieved something.  Academically I feel like I've come a long way since module one with my understanding of academic language and how to put together a proposal and literature review. I've also gained knowledge in my professional practice and am excited to see what happens in module three next term!  Until then wishing all the modules on BAPP a relaxing break.  September seems such a long way off but I'm pretty sure it will be here before we know it!

  For me, this module has very much been about connecting the dots - from using areas of learning in module one to - map my focus in module two to - linking that focus to the literature to - linking some literature to my methods for my inquiry to - using this to help form my proposal to - linking this to complete my MORE form.  You get the gist! They all link to one another!  Theories that emerged through my research in module two had already appeared in my research in module one and I've found it genuinely fascinating how they all seem to interlink! Reflecting on this module as a whole has made me realise just how much I've discovered and learnt over the last 10 weeks.  I've taken my learning in M1 to a greater depth and by studying the literature and creating a literature review my knowledge in my chosen area (benefits of dance) has increased and channeled through into my practice.  I'm now excited to see where the inquiry takes me in module 3 (providing I pass module

The MORE form is something all Module 2's need to complete in order for the Middlesex University Ethics board to decide if our chosen inquiry topic and methods in which we intend to carry out our research are ethically sound and can go ahead. A huge deal as without approval we can't continue onto Module 3.   The daunting task of completing this form was made all the much easier by making notes on a video perviously recorded during an old BAPP call and then later watching the zoom call Helen held for current module 2 students (which I am so thankful was recorded as it meant I didn't need to get up in the middle of the night where I am (7 hour time difference) to join). I also had parts of my proposal in place which definitely helped as much of it was a copy and paste exercise.  Whilst making my way through the form lots of little extra questions popped up depending on how I had answered the previous question which sometimes led to the need to upload a form as a word doc - su