Reflecting on Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts
Pedagogic Practice
In this study area you are invited to expand your awareness of pedagogic practice in the Performing Arts. The resources offer theoretical models and professional examples intended to broaden and deepen your existing knowledge.
Pedagogic areas of exploration include:
- students as reflective practitioners
- systems of mastery & apprenticeship
- studio and workshop practice
- collaborative creation in the Performing Arts
- simulating professional practice
- creativity and practice
- developing your own Community of Practice
Pedagogy inevitably communicates a conception of learning. The understanding of how human beings learn continues to develop and in this area we invite you to explore a range of critical theories of learning styles, life-long learning and the 'learning society'. It is said that most people learn about 10% of what they read; 50% of what they see and hear and 95% of what they teach to someone else. The act of having to teach others, therefore, enhances our own learning.
At Rose Bruford College we encourage the notion that we are all participants in a Critical Learning Community - that means all students and lecturers are engaged in a mutually productive co-learning partnership. We could also call ourselves a Community of Practice (CoP). Communities of Practice, a concept developed by Wenger (see Reading Room), are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
For this reason, we encourage you to form your own small critical learning group either face-to-face or online. By discussing your pedagogic practice with or posing questions to group participants to grapple with collaboratively, you are likely to both enjoy and deepen your own learning from these resources. Your group might develop into a fully functioning Community of Practice. It doesn't matter whether the group is large or small with just a handful of enthusiasts, what is important is that you have others with whom you may share your pedagogic practice and personal learning journey. If joining or forming a group proves difficult for you, find at least one other person with whom you can regularly discuss your pedagogic practice in the light of the theories you encounter here.
In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many get through to you.
Mortimer J. A. and van Doren, C., (1940), How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading, Touchstone Books, Simon and Schuster.
You might begin your discussions by considering creativity. Look at the resources on creativity in the Reading Room. Creativity is often considered synonymous with the Arts. How does your support of student learning encourage creativity? Or you might consider the presentation by David Shirley in the Visual Resource Room. Do you agree with his thoughts on teaching in the Performing Arts? There are case studies to compare in the Case Study Room and books recommended for further reading in the Reading Room. Enjoy your discussions!
UK PSF: Areas of Activity A5 . Core Knowledge K2 & K3. Professional Values V3 & V4
