5b Ethics in the workplace

Having researched various codes, frameworks and practises of ethics in a professional community I was pleased to see that many of preconceived thoughts were reflected in my findings. Companies have frameworks which are followed by all echelons of management and employees ensuring safe and just working environments. A high standard of morals is to be adhered to by all. Decision making is a key factor as the outcome may effect not only you but others indirectly. The following link is to a site which gives examples and reasoning behind good decision making...

http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/leader_model/development/media/Targeted%20Lessons/workplace_ethics.htm

From what I gather there's a code of practise for both how a company portrays and handles itself and also a code of practise for how the individuals treat each other. This can be applied to the performing arts business on both a performance based and teaching capacity. If performing in a show your management has a duty as do you as a professional to uphold values and morals both towards colleagues and how the company is seen as a collective. The same applies if one is in a teaching environment. Personally I think that in certain areas in the dance profession the codes are very slack and if repeated in a different professional environment the guilty party would be dealt with harshly. 

http://www.rocketswag.com/ethics/moral-value/work-ethics/List-Of-Work-Ethics.html 

  This site lists a few of what ethics it considers important. I've copied the list below for ease....

Honesty

Integrity

Perseverance

Respect

Privacy

Cyber ethics like maintaining privacy, not spamming and having email etiquette

Constructive criticism

Appreciation

Reporting

The more we move forward with technology the more we have to pay attention to the ethics of cyberspace. I hadn't considered this action before but it's relevant as it's all around us today and will only develop in the future. It's not so prevalent in the dance industry, or maybe I'm over looking an aspect?

While researching I came across a site which catered specifically for the ethics in the exercise and fitness industry reflecting on the core values of rights, relationships, responsibilities and standards. In my opinion much of what is mentioned can be directly applied to dance teaching either at schools or colleges.

When considering ethics in the workplace professional standards must be high. Respect yourself and others. Good decision making abilities are necessary and will always be tested. To some it's common sense but as I'm discovering upbringing and background play a huge part but I believe that having intense dance training will probably give you good discipline and a high professional code of practise. 

5a - ethics

With my current manner of work, which is teaching all manner of age groups up to 18, there are two forms of ethical codes to uphold. The first being your own personal code. The manner in which you present yourself must be maintained at all times in and around the workplace. You are a role model to  students, parents and guardians and also to work colleagues and must execute a high level of professionalism.

PERSONAL CODE

* be respectful
* polite
* diplomatic  (in dealing with both students and parents or guardians)
* show no favouritism ( everyone gets a fair chance)
* do not bully
* be responsible, reliable and trustworthy
* be organised
*show continuous support
*encouragement and positivity

The second ethical code applies to the safeguarding and welfare of the children left in your charge. You're responsible for the students physical and mental well being. Knowledge of first-aid is essential, for obvious reasons. A safe working environment with knowledge of fire exits and escapes is vital. Appropriate clothing and footwear should be checked, again for safety reasons. Undoubtedly the students will be active so liquids must be available especially during the summer.
Student on student bullying must not be tolerated and constantly surveyed. A welfare officer may need to be contacted if  a child has unexplained bruises or appears unhappy or withdrawn as all may not be well in their home environment. A current problem due to technology is the ease of which pictures and videos can be taken so permission is needed for such practises.

As you can see there are many things to consider and follow when it comes to ethical codes and practises.  A correct approach is needed in all aspects and will be necessary  when dealing with my inquiry questions if I decide to ask students, parents or work colleagues. It all must be conducted properly.

Task 4c

I managed to grab my friend for a 10 minute interview posing some of my original questions to her. As a professional she both performed and taught so I could ask performance and teacher based questions. For quickness I decided to audio record the interview but she was unwilling to give me permission to post it directly on here. Therefore I've taken to writing some of the answers up.....

 

 

Does having good performance experience give you an advantage over other teachers?

 

Yes, of course in certain scenarios. If you're employed to teach freestyle to future professionals then the experience you have in preparing those students is invaluable. To be able to add comments and advice you've gained along the way will only heighten the knowledge and awareness of the students. Also it's a great way of having instant respect. However, if you were a teacher of a particular ballet syllabus I believe good teaching qualifications would be far more advantageous. The teaching qualification would give you the necessary techniques to aide the class in all aspects of their training. Mind you...neither guarantees you'd be a good teacher!

 

 

Do colleges prepare you thoroughly for 'the business'?

 

Absolutely not. Well they might be better nowadays but 15 years ago they fell very short. I learnt more from my first job from my colleagues than I was taught at college. How comes? I felt all my teachers were too out of touch from the current climate. There was no real connection from the outside world. You have to remember that the 'business' isn't just about dancing. You have to look after yourself, find accommodation, do your taxes. They should definitely have a lesson on being self-employed. Is it different now? From what I hear the average age of teachers has lowered considerably and many of my friends teach and perform so the students will and should be better prepared. They hold mock audition workshops as because they themselves are still involved with the process can advise on do's and don'ts.

 

 

Do colleges and their teachers offer false hopes to students?

 

Unfortunately yes. But how would you stop it? As there are so many more colleges than 15 years ago, mostly due to commercial expansion, they feel a need to fill their quota therefore accepting students who most likely will never reach a good enough standard to get work. They should have a moral obligation to be honest but I'm afraid that's not part of the modern world. Greed and dis-honesty are rife. You would never put yourself out of business for the sake of someone's dreams??!!

Taking that into account..should there be a trading standards for colleges? That's wishful thinking and a nice idea. If a college and it's teachers aren't up to scratch they get shut down? Or given time to improve? There has to be a set standard for that to work and with dance there is no standard. The jobs create the standard. The business relies on self-realisation that you're not up to standard resulting in a career change. Exactly..couldn't have that been avoided? The waste of time, effort, money and crushed dreams? I see your point but who are we to stand in the way of someone's dreams. As a teacher you have the responsibility to somewhere along the line conduct a conversation with that certain person talking about possible career paths. Teaching dance isn't just teaching steps.

 

 

I still don't know which path to take with regards to my inquiry but conducting the interviews and asking opinions is very helpful. Questions have developed and new ones arisen. I've found being very specific helps as dance and teaching covers a wide spectrum. Details, details, details. More interviews are planned with the idea of narrowing down a topic with an acute line of inquiry.

 

 

 

 



DEEP SPACE INQUIRY

MODULE 2    
 TASK 4a

It seems we're on a mission to delve far deeper than any man/woman has gone before. To explore a line of professional inquiry to gain knowledge through experience, reflection and research.....lots of research. 

My first series of questions are based around the performance side of the business dealing with the musical theatre industry.

PERFORMANCE BASED  (MUSICAL THEATRE)

~ Is the place of specialist dancers in a modern day musical at an end?

~ Are you better off being an actor/singer/dancer rather than a dancer/singer/actor? 

~ Will training at a drama college rather than a performing arts college enhance your chances of being more financially viable?

~ If performing in the West End is supposedly the pinnacle, how comes the wages fail to support the claim?

~ Over the last 30 years what's the difference in increase of ticket prices compared to wages?

~ Are auditions the most important aspect of the process? Is there such a thing as an audition specialist?

~ Apart from the obvious, is it possible to fathom out the reasons for being successful or unsuccessful at an audition?

~ Do colleges prepare you thoroughly for 'the business'? Have colleges outlooks changed considerably over the last 20 years?

~ There has been a massive increase in colleges over the last 10/15 years. There's been a massive increase in pupils too. Has there been a massive increase of jobs? Or indeed a massive increase in standards?

~ Should there be a 'trading standards' for colleges?

~ Are colleges and their teachers giving false hopes?

~ Are Equity as useless as I think they are??!!

As my time is predominately taken up by coaching these days my next series of questions are on and around teaching and the links between dancing and sports.

TEACHING   (LOOKING FORWARD)

~  Has being a professional dancer helped me become a better coach? Which aspect of my career aided the most....training to be a dancer, performing or teaching dance?

~ Would sportsman/woman benefit from ballet? I'm trying to improve students balance and agility, would ballet be a serious option? Or some other form of dance?

~ Does having performance experience give you an advantage over other teachers?

~ Will eating a healthy balanced diet from a young age give you an advantage over other people? Will it help your growth pattern, strength and conditioning?

~ When's a good age to start preparing students mentally for rejection?

I've tagged some subjects that might be helpful to create links to common ground. Please feel free to comment and invite me to your SIG's!! Also if anyone is thinking of starting a Facebook SIG and we have questions in common I'd appreciate a little invite to that too.

I'm off to shove a video camera in my friends faces and find out some answers!!

Current networks

At first I thought I was fairly limited when it came to my professional network and the tools I utilise but on reflection I have a good platform to be able to expand upon. I realised that it's not all social media based, although that's coming into its own, but many of the tools have been in place for quite some time. Much like a the dance industry being a family hockey has a specialist following that we refer to being a family too. Over the years of being a player I have made many friends from other clubs and naturally my own club too. I still play every Saturday and so over the season visit clubs throughout Kent, Sussex and Surrey meeting up with my friends to set the hockey world to right. Since the beginning of my coaching career I've noticed that my network has grown due to the fact I'm forced, in a nice way, to interact with other coaches, parents and of course the players from many other clubs. As coaches we work closely together forming a 'special' bond and almost have a family within a family. We support and help each other as much as possible.

The tools I use......

Post match socialising,
Post coaching socialising,
Attending hockey events,
Specialist coaching days,
E-mail,
Facebook,
Twitter, texting and phone calls.

The majority of clubs have websites, Facebook and Twitter pages that keep there members and any other interested parties up to date on fixtures, results and forthcoming events etc.
Here's the link to my club.......http://www.owhc-hockey.co.uk

From a coaching perspective I use email mostly to forward session plans to assistant coaches so they're prepared for the coming weeks sessions.  I'm a member of a company called Sportplan who have a website on which I can create templates and draw up intricate plans before forwarding them on......http://www.sportplan.net
There is also a forum on the site in which you can discuss with other members hockey related questions gaining more information for yourself. Sportplan are highly recommended and backed by England hockey who are fundamental in the development of young players and coaches throughout the land. The England hockey website is awash with information, job vacancies, player vacancies and all upcoming international and domestic events. I follow them on both Facebook and Twitter as they have pages on both. I have often visited the job vacancy page to see what, if any, coaching jobs are available......http://www.englandhockey.co.uk/jobs.asp?section=29&sectionTitle

Although there are adverts for coaches I wasn't sure if there were many coaches that advertised themselves. After a google search it appears that it's mostly a case of putting yourself forward after seeing the advert. Would it be beneficial to advertise myself as a coach with a specialist page on Facebook and Twitter? Or to create my own website? This is something I'm going to research as it's possible that as I build my coaching cv and network I'll be able to utilise fully.

This brings me on to what I see as my ideal network. I'd like a network where I'm surrounded by many other coaches of all standards from which I can gain experience and knowledge. We work together so to be able to call upon a friends help is a useful tool to have. It would be of much benefit to be in contact with a physiotherapist and professional fitness coaches as these are becoming more essential to the well being of players of all ages. Fortunately enough I'm friends with an osteopath and a fitness coach so it's a good start but I plan to build up my network.
It would be useful to know people who runs sports centres as pitch hire is important. Having an investor or sponsor could be key. Equipment isn't cheap and doesn't last forever. Finding some funding to put towards your own coaching days and workshops would be very helpful. I'm fortunate enough to have my club associated with a school who I also coach for so pitch hire is fairly easy...but more options would always be welcome.

Upon reflection I have a good start but writing this has made me want to press forward hopefully expanding my network. There's always room for development and I'm keen to create a good professional name for myself. What next I ask myself...

Relating to me

2D Inquiry!

Ive been a performer and tried my hand at teaching dance but my love was always for hockey. So with my degree I plan on becoming a PE teacher specialising in hockey coaching. Hopefully I can still be involved with the school's dance and drama department as I'd like the opportunity to help with the productions. I believe my experience would be beneficial to individuals and as a collective ensemble. I'm currently a level 2 coach running a school 1XI team in Kent, involved with coaching the Kent county squads and also the Southern county squad which is run by England hockey. Much of my reflection is centred around how I can change my methods and what I could introduce to improve my sessions. The actual practise of reflection comes quite naturally as it was a large part of my dancing career and is currently a major topic of coaching. We constantly are receiving feedback from others but most importantly are taught to question our own methods. What do I think went well? Could I have changed anything to better suit the athletes? (reflection-in-action!) My journal is full of entries questioning ideas or looking forward to a session where I've experimented and then reflected upon the outcome.

I'm not sure if it exists in dance teacher training but to become a hockey coach you must be aware of your role and responsibilities towards the group you coach. A safeguarding and protecting children course and a first-aid course must be passed as part of the qualification. Understanding the necessary code of behaviour towards children is taken very seriously as their safety and well-being is in your hands. As a coach your behaviour must be considered professional at all times towards the children but you also have to watch the behaviour of child on child. Equal opportunity is a highly stressed method of coaching and integral to the enjoyment of children of all abilities in any sport or dance etc.
Watching out for bullying is a main concern. Unfortunately there are two types. Inter-group bullying, as in child on child, or coach to child bullying. The latter can be difficult to spot as most coaches want to push the group or individuals to fulfil their potential.
When does it stop being encouragement and start becoming bullying? I think it's a fine line because if you see someone with a talent for something you like to bring that forward and develop it. The method in which you achieve this is what is important. Constantly shouting and singling the person out is not the way. You have to find the coaching technique which they will respond to positively. This may take time but with the help of reflective thinking it can be achieved. Did they respond well to targets I set them? If I made them demonstrate an exercise did that play to their ego and make them work a little harder?
I've witnessed what I've considered to be good styles of coaching both one-on-one and as an entire group but I've also seen bullying. Bullying has such a negative effect on the recipient even if it's not intended, just merely the coaches passion. Can it be mis-construed? Of course but you only have to look at the effect it has on the individual to decide for yourself. Being aware of your actions towards  the group and individuals is a vital component in coaching/teaching.

My coaching jobs enable me to work with different coaches on a regular basis thus helping me observe various methods and learn from some very experienced coaches. My admiration of certain individuals is reflected in my methods of coaching. I use certain explanations for techniques which I think relevant and then add my own 'spice' to it. Unfortunately I haven't asked permission to mention other coaches names and they don't have links I can post but hopefully in the future. I'll have to find out if there's a coaches union or forum where they swap ideas. If not....could I be the founder??

I love coaching hockey. It's not a job to me. To see the improvement in the athletes over the period of time I'm with them is a very enjoyable experience. Hopefully my passion for the game will reflect through my coaching installing self-belief and a willingness to succeed in the groups I work with.

My reflective history!

Without knowing it I have used reflective practise for the majority of my professional life. Whether it be while I was an active performer or more currently as a teacher, reflection is a tool I use to help me learn and improve on a day to day basis. Having been set the tasks and through keeping my journal I was able to look back over my career noticing what an important and necessary practise reflection to be. Reflection became relevant to my particular professional practise as a skill to help you adapt instantly, thus helping you at that specific point in time, or reflecting after the event to analyse for future improvement.

Although I can relate critical reflective thinking to being a performer, having trained for years it was a necessary method to be critical and want to always seek improvement, on this occasion I'm going to use my teaching as an example as I consider it more revelant as it's current and what I'm working towards. When, during teaching, does reflective thought occur? Donald Schön (1987)  wrote about reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. This is an explanation from reader 2:

0. Reflection-in-action is often fostered in artists who respond to what is happening as it happens, (if you are dancing across the floor and something is not working you change the steps as you are moving) it tends to be a ‘hands-on’ way of working. Reflection-on-action is often fostered in academics who respond to what is happening by going away to conceptualise it and look back at it. Dewey also makes this temporal distinction, looking at how the time impacts on how you engage with new ideas, ‘Present’ or ‘future’ being two distinct and different ways to engage with experience. (Jackson, 1998; Dewey, 1934). 
   
   

 It has only just become apparent that I utilise both methods during my teaching practise. Being able to reflect and adapt while conducting a session enables you to gauge if your students are, shall we say, keeping pace. Have I made it too difficult for them? Is it too easy for them? Are they enjoying it? Shall I make it more fun? Are they working hard enough? I am constantly asking myself questions to help better the class and eventually the students knowledge and skill set. This is reflection-in-action. Why do I ask those questions though? I could, and have conducted a lesson where I've had an original plan and stuck to it. On completion of the lesson I'd consider if things could be improved for next time. Did the students struggle with particular parts? Or was something organic happening and due to the plan was it cut short? Why didn't I let them explore with it more?  The practise of reflecting after the event is reflection-on-action. Robert Kottcamp believes one is harder than the other:

       The distinction... between future and present acknowledges Schon’s (1983) important differentiation between reflection-on- action (reflection on past event) and reflection-in-action (reflection in the midst of an ongoing action). The latter type is the more difficult to achieve, but the more powerful for improvement of practise because it results in “on-line” experiments to adjust and improve one’s professional actions. It is more difficult to achieve because the actor must simultaneously attend to performing the action and observe and analyse his or her action, as if from an external perspective. Further, in reflection-in-action the actor is the sole collector of data on the event.

Reflection-on-action is accomplished “off-line” at a time when full attention can be given to analysis and planning for the future without the imperative for immediate action... (Kottcamp, 1990)

For people in the arts I don't believe this to be the case. We can use both methods for equal measure. Over time, using ones experience, we can notice if a lesson needs changing or an exercise needs it's level of difficulty heightened or lowered to best suit the situation at hand. Even if it was a success there are still questions to be answered and lessons to be learnt. What did I learn from having to change the course of the lesson? Could I have adapted it in a different way? Is there a different way to adapt it? Both methods of reflection can be utilised fully in my professional practise but I believe it's something that can not be taught. It all comes from analysing and evaluating yourself and the methods which you use resulting in experience.

 As we are well aware everyone is different so everyone will learn differently. Students will respond in varied ways when taught by different methods/techniques. Howard Gardner talked about the idea of Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic learners (VAK). This theory becomes relevant when teaching a physical art or sport. Some students need to see the exercise to learn it (visual), others to hear it to learn it (auditory) and others need to physically do it to learn it (kinaesthetic). Whilst teaching I try to use all three ways to benefit as many as the students as possible. When comfortable in my teaching technique I was able to study the students themselves noticing which particular students responded both positively and negatively to the various methods.
Having studied Kolb's learning cycle I couldn't help noticing the similarities in the two theories. People will enter the reflection process at different stages, as clearly shown in Kolb's cycle. It will be the way that suits them best, their preferred learning method. Some people start to learn when they are involved in a concrete

experience, (doing something), some people can do something but start to learn about it when they are watching the people around them doing it (Reflective observation), some people need to “work it out in their head first” (Abstract conceptualisation) and some people start to learn when they start trying out ideas

(active experimentation). It stands to reason that if we learn from the VAK method of teaching that it would be applied to the way we identify and learn from reflection of our experiences.

Critical reflection is a way of educating oneself by keeping a rational thought process. Dealing with the facts enables you to analyse and evaluate on an experience discovering the values which you hold strongest. The world is constantly changing. How do we know if we likeloathe something if we never reflect upon it rationally? How will will ever better ourselves? Reflection is a way of keeping up in both our personal and professional lives.