I am just going to run through some of the key talking points that stood out to me and assisted me in my thinking about how I am to best utilise my last month on the BAPP course. It is rather scary to think that it is already December! However Paula also reminded us that this should be an exciting time when everything is coming together and you are presenting to everyone the hard work you have done and the interesting things you have found out from your inquiry.
In terms of the Critical Review, Paula said it would be fantastic for us to get a completed draft in to her by 19th-20th December just so that we can get some written feedback which, as we all know, is really useful. This panicked me slightly yet again Paula changed my thinking on as remember it is only a draft - IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT! The whole point of the drafting process it to be able to continue the development of your ideas in conjunction with your writing. Drafting and re-drafting (with feedback along the way) gives you the opportunity to add more detail to the vague information that often plagues us at the beginning of a written piece of work. Adding more detail and information; explaining further and expanding ideas; elaborating on the basic points and giving examples; are all features which occur naturally throughout a drafting process so do not be afraid of it!
In summary, your Critical Reflection is showing what you have achieved throughout the inquiry process. It shows your progression as a practitioner as well as the progression of your ideas and how you have used existing theories and concepts to support them. It should certainly challenge your thinking and, in simple terms, present WHAT YOU HAVE FOUND OUT throughout this journey. You are essentially writing up your results and explaining them. When I think about it like this, I realise that there is not so much of a need to stress as I have the resources I need to achieve just this. Yes time restraints are a slight issue but I would encourage all of us Module 3 students to just press on for this final few weeks and we will reap the rewards!
Paula also commented that our research is all about ourselves and our own development as practitioners. She said, and I quote; "we should see you in all of this".
I just think this is a fantastic reminder that at the end of the day we are doing this for ourselves and our own development as professionals. We should grasp this as an opportunity to express ourselves and present something that we are passionate about and want to carry into our future. I think this is a lovely way to motivate yourself amongst all of the stress and business. It is a way to take a step back and think about how you can incorporate more of yourself into your inquiry to make it personal and special to you.
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Paula highlighted that both Charnelle and I have strong political aspects to our inquiries. This gives us an opening to challenge people's thinking and change attitudes surrounding a certain area of our society. We are doing something that could make a difference which in itself is a wonderful and empowering thought. Indeed we both have to take a neutral tone in our inquiries however we can still say something of impact which challenges people to think in a different way or simply highlights to them the issues we have picked up on. Saying something meaningful is of great use to us and so from this, I will take the courage to attempt to express my findings in a way which makes people stop and think.
We also referenced back to Paula's Dinner Party idea (http://paulanottingham.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=dinner+party); a blog which is really worth reading. We discussed that it is not necessarily good reading when all of your points coincide. It is a good thing to have some healthy debate amongst your inquiry where you are showing differing opinions and opposing arguments. You do not have to present this in a forceful way however having a rounded viewpoint makes for particularly good reading.
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As a final point I want to talk about the Professional Artefact which is something that was rather unclear to me until recently. This strand of Module 3 is something that, as said by Paula, is still emerging. This is a creative way for us to present the ideas and results of our inquiry to a chosen audience. I think first and foremost it is useful to select what audience you are pitching your artefact to as this will influence its format, so how you present your findings. The slides on Paula's blog (referenced earlier) give some great examples of previous artefacts done by students so if you are stuck for ideas I would definitely suggest giving those a look over.
The Artefact can show the outcomes of your inquiry so what you have done, quite literally! So have you made new connections; applied for a new job or course; talked to professionals and thrown around ideas and opinions. Whatever it is you have done, talk about it. For myself, I was steering towards creating some sort of information leaflet but as advised by Paula, have decided to change tack a little and look to creating some sort of book instead. It needs to be visually creative to draw people in and keep them interested in its contents. Paula also suggested that, as well as having a hard copy, creating a digital copy of the book on a memory stick. This is something that I will be elaborating on over the next couple of weeks! Just need to get my ideas together and start creating! Of high importance, the artefact should be something special that stands out and makes people want to take notice!
Overall it was a really useful session and I enjoyed being able to talk to Charnelle and Paula about where I am up to with my Critical Review and how I can improve and develop the initial ideas I have for my artefact.
In summary, your Critical Reflection is showing what you have achieved throughout the inquiry process. It shows your progression as a practitioner as well as the progression of your ideas and how you have used existing theories and concepts to support them. It should certainly challenge your thinking and, in simple terms, present WHAT YOU HAVE FOUND OUT throughout this journey. You are essentially writing up your results and explaining them. When I think about it like this, I realise that there is not so much of a need to stress as I have the resources I need to achieve just this. Yes time restraints are a slight issue but I would encourage all of us Module 3 students to just press on for this final few weeks and we will reap the rewards!
Paula also commented that our research is all about ourselves and our own development as practitioners. She said, and I quote; "we should see you in all of this".
I just think this is a fantastic reminder that at the end of the day we are doing this for ourselves and our own development as professionals. We should grasp this as an opportunity to express ourselves and present something that we are passionate about and want to carry into our future. I think this is a lovely way to motivate yourself amongst all of the stress and business. It is a way to take a step back and think about how you can incorporate more of yourself into your inquiry to make it personal and special to you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paula highlighted that both Charnelle and I have strong political aspects to our inquiries. This gives us an opening to challenge people's thinking and change attitudes surrounding a certain area of our society. We are doing something that could make a difference which in itself is a wonderful and empowering thought. Indeed we both have to take a neutral tone in our inquiries however we can still say something of impact which challenges people to think in a different way or simply highlights to them the issues we have picked up on. Saying something meaningful is of great use to us and so from this, I will take the courage to attempt to express my findings in a way which makes people stop and think.
We also referenced back to Paula's Dinner Party idea (http://paulanottingham.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=dinner+party); a blog which is really worth reading. We discussed that it is not necessarily good reading when all of your points coincide. It is a good thing to have some healthy debate amongst your inquiry where you are showing differing opinions and opposing arguments. You do not have to present this in a forceful way however having a rounded viewpoint makes for particularly good reading.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a final point I want to talk about the Professional Artefact which is something that was rather unclear to me until recently. This strand of Module 3 is something that, as said by Paula, is still emerging. This is a creative way for us to present the ideas and results of our inquiry to a chosen audience. I think first and foremost it is useful to select what audience you are pitching your artefact to as this will influence its format, so how you present your findings. The slides on Paula's blog (referenced earlier) give some great examples of previous artefacts done by students so if you are stuck for ideas I would definitely suggest giving those a look over.
The Artefact can show the outcomes of your inquiry so what you have done, quite literally! So have you made new connections; applied for a new job or course; talked to professionals and thrown around ideas and opinions. Whatever it is you have done, talk about it. For myself, I was steering towards creating some sort of information leaflet but as advised by Paula, have decided to change tack a little and look to creating some sort of book instead. It needs to be visually creative to draw people in and keep them interested in its contents. Paula also suggested that, as well as having a hard copy, creating a digital copy of the book on a memory stick. This is something that I will be elaborating on over the next couple of weeks! Just need to get my ideas together and start creating! Of high importance, the artefact should be something special that stands out and makes people want to take notice!
Overall it was a really useful session and I enjoyed being able to talk to Charnelle and Paula about where I am up to with my Critical Review and how I can improve and develop the initial ideas I have for my artefact.
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