TASK 2D

Task 2D: Inquiry

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

-       Finding ways to engage students of all abilities harmoniously in a creative environment: Traditional subjects such as Maths and English often disengage students who feel they are not good at these subjects. However this does not mean students who excel in these subject areas cannot too excel within the creative arts, more specifically in my case Drama. Drama is one of the few subjects that doesn’t set students in groups based on ‘ability’. However terms such as ‘Gifted and Talented’ and ‘More able’ often creates a divide in how all students are taught to approach specific tasks or whom they work with in group activities.

-       Can extra curricular activities break these barriers?: Drama and sports clubs can offer a way to break these barriers with students. This may help offer an alternative approach to the individual learning of each student and how to work alongside different groups of people. I have a keen interest to know what impact not having to follow the national curriculum can have from a teaching perspective. How far does it open up what you can do? Or is the curriculum structure necessary for effective learning?

What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or the anger?

-       The limitations of my job. Being a technician, classroom involvement is sporadic at best. Luckily I have the opportunity to do outreach work with a primary school. However, my job role lacks clarity and I feel that can sometimes be exploited in order for me to take on extra work that should not strictly be within my remit.

-       At times I feel that the individual importance of each student and their personal growth is overlooked as a consequence of needing to meet government targets in curriculum league tables. I’m often frustrated that we are told to promote our 6^th form to our Year 11 students as it has an impact on funding. This to me does not always represent the best interests of every student and adds weight to the argument that we are perhaps nothing more than an ‘exam factory’. Students achievements and development are measured by more than just academic success. However this is sometimes difficult to remember when the school overall is driven by the unfortunate culture of statistics

-       Sadly, many of my colleagues share these frustrations, the amount of paperwork that accompanies jumping through particular OFSTED hoops as well as weekly meeting cycles make it very difficult to be able to try and enrich students away from a classroom environment.

What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire that also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

- I love being able to build relationships with the students. My day-to-day role as a technician would be very dull without interaction with our students. In short they are the lifeblood of our school and the purpose behind what we do as a staff collectively. Being able to listen to them, help them through problems they may be having or even just sharing some light hearted banter is a really special element to my job that provides the sort of job satisfaction that cannot be provided by a financial incentive.    

-       Working with my primary school students is also a huge reward within my job. I enjoy bringing out confidence in students and also learning through their own creativity. Many of the productions I do with my primary students stem from their own initial ideas as I feel it is rewarding for them to see their own ideas develop.

-       An old teacher of mine is somebody I learnt a lot of this from. Barriers to learning were often unknowingly knocked down by his approach and people skills. I’d like to think that like him I can be a member of staff who encourages students to search for ways in which to be happy within their learning

What do you feel you don’t understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked he same questions as you?

- After five years in a job it may be a strange thing to say but I am still not entirely certain of my own job role within the school. Yes I am a performing arts technician yet when I tell most people that they assume I am a lighting technician. As I work in five separate departments in addition to being responsible for sound and audio for whole school events, it does make it difficult to narrow down exactly what my job entails.