Sheahan's MA Professional Practice Blog

I am so grateful for technology. Even though I could not be present for the conversation, I can still partake in the rich ideas discussed via the video recording.  Although life circumstances have dictated that I will defer my studies for a term, seeing my colleagues online was inspiring and motivating. Thank you for your willingness to put forth your ideas - honest and curious. It helped bring courage for my own investigation as I keep my toe in the door of academia during this shift in my life.  The discussion has brought forth great ideas, more to consider, and an opportunity for reflection.  Brainstorming whom I can potentially talk to in my interview process, what research I may look into as I dive into dreaming about how art influences life, and more specifically, how dance influences and shapes our choices in life, keeps my own curiosity and creativity alive.   Even the vocabulary - shapes - speaks to how a dancer might explore with their physical ...

Hello Fellow MAPP Module Ones, I am at the point where I am going to submit my AOL Essay and am formulating my Portfolio...yet, I have a few remaining questions and am reaching out to you my colleagues for advice. I believe I have overthought and confused myself. I will try to be as clear as possible, and would really appreciate your comments. Formatting our submissions:  I note in the handbook it states to hand in the document in .doc or .docx.  email supervisor for draft work to be .doc or .docx However, I also have some written notes to submit the final documents to Turnitin in .pdf. to preserve formatting.  Can someone please clarify for me? Where to submit exactly?: On our MA Professional Practice in Dance Technique Pedagogy UniHub page I see two folders:  submissions RPL November 16th, 2020: RPL overview and AOL submissions December 11, 2020: Module One Are we to submit our AOL Final essay (in whichever format) to this RPL November folder through Turnitin for ...

Reflection is a central theme within our first module, and I must express my deepest gratitude for this process. Reflecting on my life's work, how it shaped me, my resilience as an artist (especially in these times of uncertainty for our industry), and recognizing my experiential learnings has been a fulfilling task. Definitely daunting at times, and a few tears shed when I felt lost and did not know which way to go, but now that the drafts are in, I have time to appreciate the journey thus far. I must send gratitude to the people who provide for us on this journey. Thank you to the amazing LET and AWL teams for their guidance and helpful online materials. If you have not already done so, book a tutorial for your essay with the creative arts team. I know I have far to go before my academic writing and referencing become proficient, yet I have a sense of relief knowing help is there when I need it from many sources. Helen, our always pleasant and insightful leader, has a way of fram...

My interpretation and key points/moments for reflection... Reflection on how we as teachers are transactional with our lessons made me reflect on Kolb's cycle (Moon, pg 114). That idea that learning is cyclical in a sense: My dance pedagogical practice embraces methodologies of learning passed on from my own mentors. Through our interpretation and embodiment of the information becomes knowledge, which we then, as teachers, observing our current situation and the bodies in front of us in the classroom, adapt these methodologies using our gained experiences along with new research and developed teaching modalities and attempt to pass this on to our students in a way that is usable and relatable to them.  Depending on the student's frame of mind and emotional state, they will take, receive, or discard what we pass on. Depending on their lens, the same way we as learning bodies did, perhaps continue the cycle? Somehow all interconnected. Each of our experiences shape the way we use...

Chidi Anagonye is a philosophizing character on the American Netflix series The Good Place.   As he is explaining some of the philosophical concepts to Elenor she gets lost in the information and language. I have to say, after spending my life in the dance studio communicating with children, I feel a bit like Elenor right now reading about ethics, aesthetics, Aristotle, Plato, Kant, and Hegel.  I do sense, as I mull all this over and find out how it relates to theories in my own professional practice,  that clarity in some sense is just on the horizon. Yet, as I converse with my husband and children about the topics we are discovering and delving into, I had a giggle at the analogy of my situation and Eleanor's.  Back to investigating. :)

So many valuable points, that I wish our conservation could have continued in person, yet appreciate this form of discussion works better for all our lives and time zones.  Thank you for your vulnerability Adam. Your story resonates with so many right now. Brené Brown's Rising Strong is helping me understand its ok to fail and fall, and character is built in those slow motion moments as we try to pick ourselves back up. You are not alone. The ideas of identification and streotyping are things I have been thinking of reflecting on as it also influenced my path, leading me to understand teaching is a true passion and somewhere where I can make a positive change. Thank you for your honesty and that piece of conversation, Maria and Susan. I was a curvy dancer and not an esthetic fit for dance.  Having been told I would never fit into company costumes, would have to be twice as lean as anyone else in order to balance the stage, have a breast reduction, or that my weight on the sca...

What a great way to start off my Friday morning!  Thank you, everyone, for turning on your cameras. To see so many fellow artists from around the world encouraged me for the months ahead, and how I may be able to learn from you all. I am missing personal interactions, so it was wonderful to glimpse my new colleagues' real-time animated faces.  I just figured out how to get the Follow button on my sidebar . After more research I believe I have fixed the problem. To follow, click Subscribe and then it should give the follow option. I hope it works this time. Now I am going to explore, read more, and learn about what is to come from those who have foraged ahead and blogged about it. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone. Enjoy your weekends :)