I have spent the week really trying to whittle down my ideas into my inquiry title. I came across a couple of links this week that interested me. They just appeared on my Facebook newsfeed. One was a video link explaining the important of arts education and how creative people who think outside the box do better and give more, whatever their profession be it business or science. The skills they learn through art and drama are key to their success. I truly believe this also and really engaged with the man being interviewed in this link below:
https://www.facebook.com/natgeotvUS/videos/10153617771436005/
I also saw a Facebook post this week that had been shared across the county thousands and thousands of times. It was a post from a desperate mother of an Autistic man. The gentleman had been to university and studied computer science but since graduating 2 years ago is still to find work. He has sent 100s of applications and always has the door closed on him. He is obviously intelligent enough to do the tasks but socially he has not been accepted as part of the work force highlighting the absolute need for support and help, potentially through drama or arts therapy. Here is the newspaper article about the Facebook post:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/autistic-mum-plea-job-appeal-11198611
Another article I read this week told of a primary school head teacher who has resigned due to the changing being made to the curriculum, setting unachievable goals for children. This links to my interest in a previous blog about how the school curriculum is changing and how the arts are being dropped. This isn't directly about drama but tells me how much the curriculum changes are effecting teachers and students and how all focus is now going on the core subjects of maths, English and Science. Here is the head masters letter to his schools parents:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/04/15/headmaster-writes-scathing-resignation-letter-attacking-governme/
Another interesting article this week was about staff happiness and how this can impact on practice. Here is the link:
http://www.earlyyearscareers.com/eyc/latest-news/staff-happiness-impact-practice/
I have also been thinking this week about dramatherapy and how children learn in different ways. The school system sometimes doesn't cater for these needs. I decided to learn a bit more about the didn't ways to learn and found this fantastic image:
http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/7-styles-of-learning.jpg
From this I think I am definitely a visual learner. When ever I have done exams I would always even visualise my revision texts books when answering a question and believe I have a bit of a photographic memory. I can't recall every word but I find it very easy to learn scripts and learn chunks of dialogue for a speech or show. And I always do it by visualising the page of text. However, I was unaware of some of these other ones mentioned and thinking about it I'm probably solitary too. I have to have silence when studying and even struggle to take things in if I can hear faint music or a television in the background. I admire people who can study like that! I also need to figure things out in my own head my own way so I tend to struggle with group study in subjects I'm not confident with. Group discussion however I love! I also lean towards kinaesthetic leaning too. I like to role play and use diagrams and to learn. So just looking at myself and analysing that, I can start to see why I struggled with certain subjects at school. I excelled at English, art, drama, pe, history....all the creative subjects basically! And I really struggled with science and maths. I just couldn't get the information into my head and now I think back to my teachers at 16 and how it was taught I see why. It's very interesting and also fascinating. I am passionate about children needing to learn in different ways to reach their true potential and am against the way children are tested in the UK. Many exam results don't reflect their knowledge. I always had on my school reports "Lucy's exam result does not reflect her class work" It got me thinking more about my inquiry and how important drama is to learn a variety of skills and how essential it is to incorporate aspects of it into all subjects.
Monday, 18 April 2016
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Knowledge
As I continue to research my topics of interest and work on my potential lines of enquiry, I keep coming back to the section on knowledge in Reader 4. I thought about the knowledge and skills needed to be a professional in my field. At work we had recently had a training on attributes that contribute to what makes a great teacher. Popular choices were:
Trust
Be inspiring
Creative
Confident
Able to multi task
Patience
Be caring
We had to list them in order of importance and it was interesting to see how different everyone's views were. It just shows that there is no set rule book to being a good teacher. You have to go with what you feel and create your own teaching style that suits you.
I think it's also essential as a teacher to be open to always learning new knowledge from your colleagues. Learning in the workplace is important. Innovative ideas to tackle new problems are always welcome. I also feel that every kid I teach teaches me something as well. Whether it's how to manage a certain behaviour or understanding a child's unique learning skills and personal traits. Every child is different and demands different skills.
"Workplace knowledge doesn't always fit into neat categories" (Reader 4)
"Knowledge of how different disciplines function, how they articulate a problem, investigate it and report on the outcomes and knowledge of the values that guide their thinking and practising provides students with a wider repertoire of learning tools, which is clearly an advantage in a complex world." (Kreber, 2009, p16)
Knowledge is also about the business and management side of running a school. You can be the most fantastic teacher but this side of the job requires a different skill set. You need to be efficient, organised, firm, decisive, be a good leader....but then you can also use your knowledge of being a teacher and bring those attributes in too as running a school requires creativity, confidence and all the other skill sets mentioned above.
Inter discipline is when more than one discipline is being used to contextualise the knowledge.
I jotted down in my notepad too that "Identifying knowledge and skills in the workplace can be part of the questioning process of professional enquiry" (Reader 4) This is something I need to keep referring back to. I also wanted to make a note about competence and capability.
Competence - the ability to do a specific job
Capability - the scope to which a person can gain new knowledge. This is an over riding concept in WBL.
It made me think about my job and how often am I just doing the essentials and how often to I go above and beyond to gain new knowledge and really learn something new. I think many people in all careers just do their job. They feel they have done their exams, their training, they know what they are doing. They have no desire to push themselves to learn more. This got me thinking about my future and think about what knowledge and skills I need to learn. I am starting to think I might go into Dramatherapy. The skills and knowledge I need to acquire are slightly different to what I do now as some of the work will be 1-1. Also, most of the children I currently teach want to be there. They love drama. It will be challenging trying to engage children who have a variety of different social or personal issues. I think I need to work on my patience and I can be indecisive too. I also stress a lot! I take things to heart and am a real worrier at times! I'm a real perfectionist! I admire a lot of my colleagues at work and hope to gain more knowledge of how to improve these skills in the next year. I can look at other professionals in my field who I don't work with and also learn from them.
Trust
Be inspiring
Creative
Confident
Able to multi task
Patience
Be caring
We had to list them in order of importance and it was interesting to see how different everyone's views were. It just shows that there is no set rule book to being a good teacher. You have to go with what you feel and create your own teaching style that suits you.
I think it's also essential as a teacher to be open to always learning new knowledge from your colleagues. Learning in the workplace is important. Innovative ideas to tackle new problems are always welcome. I also feel that every kid I teach teaches me something as well. Whether it's how to manage a certain behaviour or understanding a child's unique learning skills and personal traits. Every child is different and demands different skills.
"Workplace knowledge doesn't always fit into neat categories" (Reader 4)
"Knowledge of how different disciplines function, how they articulate a problem, investigate it and report on the outcomes and knowledge of the values that guide their thinking and practising provides students with a wider repertoire of learning tools, which is clearly an advantage in a complex world." (Kreber, 2009, p16)
Knowledge is also about the business and management side of running a school. You can be the most fantastic teacher but this side of the job requires a different skill set. You need to be efficient, organised, firm, decisive, be a good leader....but then you can also use your knowledge of being a teacher and bring those attributes in too as running a school requires creativity, confidence and all the other skill sets mentioned above.
Inter discipline is when more than one discipline is being used to contextualise the knowledge.
I jotted down in my notepad too that "Identifying knowledge and skills in the workplace can be part of the questioning process of professional enquiry" (Reader 4) This is something I need to keep referring back to. I also wanted to make a note about competence and capability.
Competence - the ability to do a specific job
Capability - the scope to which a person can gain new knowledge. This is an over riding concept in WBL.
It made me think about my job and how often am I just doing the essentials and how often to I go above and beyond to gain new knowledge and really learn something new. I think many people in all careers just do their job. They feel they have done their exams, their training, they know what they are doing. They have no desire to push themselves to learn more. This got me thinking about my future and think about what knowledge and skills I need to learn. I am starting to think I might go into Dramatherapy. The skills and knowledge I need to acquire are slightly different to what I do now as some of the work will be 1-1. Also, most of the children I currently teach want to be there. They love drama. It will be challenging trying to engage children who have a variety of different social or personal issues. I think I need to work on my patience and I can be indecisive too. I also stress a lot! I take things to heart and am a real worrier at times! I'm a real perfectionist! I admire a lot of my colleagues at work and hope to gain more knowledge of how to improve these skills in the next year. I can look at other professionals in my field who I don't work with and also learn from them.
Research on Drama in the curriculum
In the last week it has come to my attention how quickly drama is falling off the national curriculum. I am incredibly passionate about the benefits drama lessons can have on any individual from any background but as I researched I found an abundance of articles informing me about the seriousness of the problem. Below are articles I found particularly helpful in educating me as to what was going on in schools:
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jan/07/drama-subject-government-education
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/oct/30/defence-school-drama-arts-curriculum-ebacc
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/17/arts-and-culture-systematically-removed-from-uk-education-system
I few points of interest came up. As you can see from the dates, this issue has been going on for years, however, seems to be only declining instead of resolving. I reflected on my own practice with regards to 'not enough sign ups' in extra curricular activities. I teach at a drama school but we also do some extra curricular work at nearby schools. In my opinion, parents are sometimes anxious to sign their child up for drama if their child isn't confident. As a parent you would probably limit your child to one or two extra curricular activities depending on how much money you have or how important you feel they are. Many parents probably don't want to pay and send their child to something the child isn't initially keen on. Therefore, drama isn't hitting the key children who need it. Children who suffer with low confidence or low self esteem. Also, I think some parents are too focused on core school subjects. I was also intrigued to read that there seems to be an overwhelming feeling that drama is for middle class, white children. The articles really stress how much drama in schools is struggling and decisions are being made by the powers above who probably have no personal interest in the subject therefore can't see the benefits. I found an article
http://www.kdstudio.com/2012/09/24/six-lessons-learned-in-acting-classes-that-can-benefit-your-entire-life/ I could relate to stating some of the many benefits of drama lessons. Some key points were:
CONFIDENCE
PUBLIC SPEAKING
TEAM WORK
POISE
CONVERSATION
UNDERSTANDING VIEWPOINTS
I also think:
SELF ESTEEM
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS
ROLE PLAYING REAL LIFE SITUATIONS HELPS SOLVE PROBLEMS
LEARNING TO NOT FEAR FAILURE
LEARNING THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING HARD
BEING ABLE TO IMPROVISE ON THE SPOT
ACCEPTING OTHERS WHATEVER THEIR BACKGROUND
I could go on and on!
I found an interesting article AGAINST having drama on the curriculum! Paul Roseby, head of the National Youth Theatre, questions the relevance in the article below claiming GCSE drama is not the right way to teach the subject:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/take-drama-off-gcse-curriculum-insists-national-youth-theatre-boss-9831791.html
I kind of agree with him after reading this week that GCSE drama is no longer going to include theatre trips! Which means a student can pass the exam without ever having seen any live shows! All their research will be from youtube! The article is below:
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2016/school-theatre-trips-under-threat-as-gcse-drama-drops-live-show-requirement/
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jan/07/drama-subject-government-education
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/oct/30/defence-school-drama-arts-curriculum-ebacc
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/17/arts-and-culture-systematically-removed-from-uk-education-system
I few points of interest came up. As you can see from the dates, this issue has been going on for years, however, seems to be only declining instead of resolving. I reflected on my own practice with regards to 'not enough sign ups' in extra curricular activities. I teach at a drama school but we also do some extra curricular work at nearby schools. In my opinion, parents are sometimes anxious to sign their child up for drama if their child isn't confident. As a parent you would probably limit your child to one or two extra curricular activities depending on how much money you have or how important you feel they are. Many parents probably don't want to pay and send their child to something the child isn't initially keen on. Therefore, drama isn't hitting the key children who need it. Children who suffer with low confidence or low self esteem. Also, I think some parents are too focused on core school subjects. I was also intrigued to read that there seems to be an overwhelming feeling that drama is for middle class, white children. The articles really stress how much drama in schools is struggling and decisions are being made by the powers above who probably have no personal interest in the subject therefore can't see the benefits. I found an article
http://www.kdstudio.com/2012/09/24/six-lessons-learned-in-acting-classes-that-can-benefit-your-entire-life/ I could relate to stating some of the many benefits of drama lessons. Some key points were:
CONFIDENCE
PUBLIC SPEAKING
TEAM WORK
POISE
CONVERSATION
UNDERSTANDING VIEWPOINTS
I also think:
SELF ESTEEM
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS
ROLE PLAYING REAL LIFE SITUATIONS HELPS SOLVE PROBLEMS
LEARNING TO NOT FEAR FAILURE
LEARNING THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING HARD
BEING ABLE TO IMPROVISE ON THE SPOT
ACCEPTING OTHERS WHATEVER THEIR BACKGROUND
I could go on and on!
I found an interesting article AGAINST having drama on the curriculum! Paul Roseby, head of the National Youth Theatre, questions the relevance in the article below claiming GCSE drama is not the right way to teach the subject:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/take-drama-off-gcse-curriculum-insists-national-youth-theatre-boss-9831791.html
I kind of agree with him after reading this week that GCSE drama is no longer going to include theatre trips! Which means a student can pass the exam without ever having seen any live shows! All their research will be from youtube! The article is below:
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2016/school-theatre-trips-under-threat-as-gcse-drama-drops-live-show-requirement/
Monday, 21 March 2016
Making connections and making decisions
I have spent the evening making connections with people on my course and really taking the time to go on other peoples blogs and leave comments. On reflection I haven't done this enough so far. It felt great to engage with others on the course and read their lines of enquiry. I found it incredibly interesting. I also connected with people whose topics are similar to mind which is great. I used Summon for the first time as well this evening after reading about it on another students blog :-) I have continued my research into my chosen topic and have found that I am struggling to find any negative articles about Dramatherapy and the importance of incorporating drama into the school curriculum. I will continue to research as I realise how important it is to get a balanced view and not just create a biased enquiry. I have also been questioning my chosen titles and although I feel passionate about Dramatherapy, the importance of drama on the curriculum and the benefits of drama for all, I don't know how to focus in on just one of these topics! I also have other potential questions:
Why is escapism through drama important for the 21st Century internet generation?
How can drama help high achieving children with the pressures and fear of failure?
How can drama help children with the challenges they face at school?
Why is it essential that more drama should be on the school curriculum?
How accessible is Dramatherapy?
How can Dramatherapy help with the pressures Generation Y face?
Why is using creative drama so effective for social and behavioural issues within children?
Why is improvisation an effective tool to challenge children's fear of failure?
I HAVE TOO MANY QUESTIONS! How do I choose?
Why is escapism through drama important for the 21st Century internet generation?
How can drama help high achieving children with the pressures and fear of failure?
How can drama help children with the challenges they face at school?
Why is it essential that more drama should be on the school curriculum?
How accessible is Dramatherapy?
How can Dramatherapy help with the pressures Generation Y face?
Why is using creative drama so effective for social and behavioural issues within children?
Why is improvisation an effective tool to challenge children's fear of failure?
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Enquiry investigations
I have spent the last week looking into my enquiry topic and finding out more information about dramatherapy, which is a subject I am thinking of pursuing after my BA. Firstly I wanted to find a clear example of what Dramatherapy is:
"Drama therapy (written dramatherapy in the UK) is the use of theatre techniques to facilitate personal growth and promote mental health. Dramatherapy is used in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, mental health centers, prisons, and businesses."
I found a private practitioner in London and her website was very interesting:
http://www.drama-therapist.com/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/4592?opendocument&part=3
"It is impossible when working with children of any age and in any capacity not to notice how important drama and play are to their every day life. Drama and play are a crucial part of healthy human development, and it is for this reason that Dramatherapy can be an effective form of intervention to help troubled children and young people.
When children and young people are faced with difficulties it may be hard for them to express their feelings in a verbal way, but through the creative mediums of drama, play, story, art, music and movement, Dramatherapy can help them to be understood and can promote their emotional and social wellbeing. Dramatherapy can be used for:
This is what I want to base my enquiry on. This is what I am interested and passionate about. And it is something that I want to do after my BA so the enquiry will aid my future studies. I looked into the main dramatherapy site in the UK to gain an insight into the courses and events going on:
https://badth.org.uk/home
A quote I liked from the website was:
"It is a method of working and playing that uses action methods to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, insight and growth."
I looked at a contact that I know in Singapore. The drama school I work at has regular contact with Caroline as she regularly refers students to us. Here is some information about her background and the website link for where she works. I have been to visit the centre and the work that they do is fantastic.
http://www.kaleidoscope.com.sg/#!carolineessame/cvqf
I found a fantastic website whilst I was researching:
http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/
"It is an innovative, international refereed ejournal that provides a forum for practitioners and researchers across the spectrum of drama in educational settings. We encourage, gather and publish research based articles from established and new writers to promote knowledge, understanding and dialogue about drama in learning settings."
(Published by National Drama - the UKs leading professional association for drama teachers and
theatre educators)
I found this article particularly interesting:
http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Ása-Helga-Ragnarsdóttir-and-Rannveig-Björk-Þorkelsdóttir.pdf
Many students who took part in the investigation as to whether incorporating drama into the curriculum would help flourished. Many who were usually quiet and shy or struggled to remember things in class found learning through drama a lot easier. This also brings into play the importance of different learning methods: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic. In schools it must be so difficult to cater for every child's needs in a class of 30, especially when there are targets to hit. Many children are not reaching their full potential as they don't suit the learning technique used. I know that at school I learnt very much visually and would rarely retain information through a teacher just speaking at me. I wonder if I could incorporate this somehow into my study. I do feel though that my subject is still too broad and I need to somehow focus in on one topic.
"Drama therapy (written dramatherapy in the UK) is the use of theatre techniques to facilitate personal growth and promote mental health. Dramatherapy is used in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, mental health centers, prisons, and businesses."
I found a private practitioner in London and her website was very interesting:
http://www.drama-therapist.com/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/4592?opendocument&part=3
"It is impossible when working with children of any age and in any capacity not to notice how important drama and play are to their every day life. Drama and play are a crucial part of healthy human development, and it is for this reason that Dramatherapy can be an effective form of intervention to help troubled children and young people.
When children and young people are faced with difficulties it may be hard for them to express their feelings in a verbal way, but through the creative mediums of drama, play, story, art, music and movement, Dramatherapy can help them to be understood and can promote their emotional and social wellbeing. Dramatherapy can be used for:
- Emotional Issues such as trauma, abuse, loss or bereavement, attachment issues, bullying, changes in home life such as foster care and adoption
- Behavioural Issues such as violent behaviour towards others, anger issues, bullying, swearing, destruction of property, stealing, self harm
- Learning Difficulties - mild, moderate, severe, profound and complex including those on the Autistic Spectrum
- Speech & Communication Difficulties including non verbal and elective mute individuals
- Social Issues such as the need to improve empathy, listening skills, ability in working with other children, interaction with others, expressing feelings
- Mental Health Issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts and eating disorders amongst others"
This is what I want to base my enquiry on. This is what I am interested and passionate about. And it is something that I want to do after my BA so the enquiry will aid my future studies. I looked into the main dramatherapy site in the UK to gain an insight into the courses and events going on:
https://badth.org.uk/home
A quote I liked from the website was:
"It is a method of working and playing that uses action methods to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, insight and growth."
I looked at a contact that I know in Singapore. The drama school I work at has regular contact with Caroline as she regularly refers students to us. Here is some information about her background and the website link for where she works. I have been to visit the centre and the work that they do is fantastic.
http://www.kaleidoscope.com.sg/#!carolineessame/cvqf
I found a fantastic website whilst I was researching:
http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/
"It is an innovative, international refereed ejournal that provides a forum for practitioners and researchers across the spectrum of drama in educational settings. We encourage, gather and publish research based articles from established and new writers to promote knowledge, understanding and dialogue about drama in learning settings."
(Published by National Drama - the UKs leading professional association for drama teachers and
theatre educators)
I found this article particularly interesting:
http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Ása-Helga-Ragnarsdóttir-and-Rannveig-Björk-Þorkelsdóttir.pdf
Many students who took part in the investigation as to whether incorporating drama into the curriculum would help flourished. Many who were usually quiet and shy or struggled to remember things in class found learning through drama a lot easier. This also brings into play the importance of different learning methods: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic. In schools it must be so difficult to cater for every child's needs in a class of 30, especially when there are targets to hit. Many children are not reaching their full potential as they don't suit the learning technique used. I know that at school I learnt very much visually and would rarely retain information through a teacher just speaking at me. I wonder if I could incorporate this somehow into my study. I do feel though that my subject is still too broad and I need to somehow focus in on one topic.
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
My inquiry update
Having spoken to some colleagues this week I am starting to feel really good about my inquiry topic. The aspect that really excites me though is how excited they are about it! I had messages flying back and forth when I first told them about it. They had lots of ideas and contributions to make. This is important to me as the basis of my inquiry is the workplace. If the people in my workplace were not on board or encouraging toward my inquiry it would be very difficult. I met a colleague this week and we had a discussion about certain topics and areas of interest. She was so supportive and insightful as to what she thought would work out here in Singapore.
The main statement I came up with was this:
Why is using creative drama so effective for social and behavioural issues within children?
The questions of interest I came up with were as follows:
Why is improvisation an effective tool to challenge your fear of failure?
Why do children find it easier to connect emotionally with a character?
Why is escapism through drama important for the 21st Century internet generation?
How drama creates a safe space for children to express and explore themselves
The life skills creative drama teaches not just for the performer
I looked to some blogs for guidance to see if I was on the right track and also emailed Paula for advise. I found Adesola's blog extremely helpful:
http://adesolaa.blogspot.sg/2016/02/module-two-on-line-session-good-and.html
Paula advised me that educational research can be based on children but on BAPP it needs to focus on my own practice. What is it about my practice that I want to find out about? I think I need to rethink my title as it doesn't seem to focus in on one specific issue. It is too broad. I'm interested in the social development of children and how drama assists that. I'm interested in how drama therapy is helping many children to deal with social issues. I'm interested in how the arts can benefit everyone whatever your job. I can see how the reflective practices and learning strategies I have researched will help me with my inquiry but I'm struggling to focus on one particular topic and I feel the pressure of time!
The main statement I came up with was this:
Why is using creative drama so effective for social and behavioural issues within children?
The questions of interest I came up with were as follows:
Why is improvisation an effective tool to challenge your fear of failure?
Why do children find it easier to connect emotionally with a character?
Why is escapism through drama important for the 21st Century internet generation?
How drama creates a safe space for children to express and explore themselves
The life skills creative drama teaches not just for the performer
I looked to some blogs for guidance to see if I was on the right track and also emailed Paula for advise. I found Adesola's blog extremely helpful:
http://adesolaa.blogspot.sg/2016/02/module-two-on-line-session-good-and.html
Paula advised me that educational research can be based on children but on BAPP it needs to focus on my own practice. What is it about my practice that I want to find out about? I think I need to rethink my title as it doesn't seem to focus in on one specific issue. It is too broad. I'm interested in the social development of children and how drama assists that. I'm interested in how drama therapy is helping many children to deal with social issues. I'm interested in how the arts can benefit everyone whatever your job. I can see how the reflective practices and learning strategies I have researched will help me with my inquiry but I'm struggling to focus on one particular topic and I feel the pressure of time!
Argyris and Schon
I found the article on Argyris and Schon (http://infed.org/mobi/chris-argyris-theories-of-action-double-loop-learning-and-organizational-learning/) a very interesting read. Especially the links to other theories I have already looked at. Again, I found it easier to understand by making notes. I have come to favour this technique when studying as a tool that personally helps me take in the information.
Chris Argyris influenced thinking about the relationship of people and organisations, organisational learning and action research.
With Donald Schon he developed single loop and double loop learning systems.
His research explored the impact of formal organisational structures on individuals and how they adapted and responded to them.
He explored the behaviour of senior executives in organisations.
"Argyris led us to see subtle patterns of reasoning which underlay our behaviour, and how these patterns got us into trouble. It became clear that with proper training I could become much more aware of my mental models and how they operated." (Senge 1990:182-3)
He explores the behaviours and beliefs that are necessary if organisations are to develop and learn.
Argyris and Schon argue that people have mental maps with how they react in certain situations. This is in the way they plan, implement and review their actions.
"When someone is asked how he would behave under certain circumstances, the answer he usually gives is his espoused theory of action for that situation. This is the theory of action he communicates to others. However, the theory that actually governs his actions is this theory-in-use." (Argyris and Schon 1974:6-7)
The words we use to convey what we do, or what we would like others to think we do, is called espoused theory.
It makes us question whether inner feelings become expressed into actions. What we say and what we do in our actions may be different.
Espoused theory and theory in use creates a dynamic for dialogue and reflection.
Theory in use is confirmed when there is a match between intention and outcome. They may however not match and work against the persons values.
Argyris and Schon suggest 2 responses to this mismatch. These can be seen in the notion of single and double loop learning.
SINGLE LOOP LEARNING
If something goes wrong you look for another strategy. Goals and plans are operationalised rather than questioned. Strategies and goals are taken for granted.
"Emphasis is on techniques and making techniques more efficient" (Usher and Bryant 1989:87)
DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING
Strategies are questioned and scrutinised. It may lead to a whole new approach and shift in strategies.
The example of the thermostat explained this to me simply. Single loop learning is like when a room gets too hot and so you simply turn the heat off. The task is easy. The thermostat can receive information and take action. Double loop learning detects the error and changes and examines underlying issues. In my mind the difference is simple. Quick fix versus sorting the problem for the long term.
Double loop learning questions the underlying and is more risky yet ideas and policies are confronted.
Chris Argyris states that double loop learning is essential for organisations.
I thought about this in relation to my work place. We have many different courses and programmes for students. An example would be trying to fix a course that just isn't working. Maybe the initial concept and drawing board idea hasn't translated like we thought it would. A lot of the time with classes and ideas it is trial and error. Kids can surprise you with what they engage in and what they don't. Once you have set up a class or workshop it's very difficult to admit that it just isn't working and that another way would be better. Especially if parents have paid and teachers have planned lessons. However, it's also not productive or beneficial to continue on the same topic if it isn't engaging the kids. Some lesson plans are written a month in advance and you can tell after one lesson on a new story or topic whether the kids are engaged or not. If they aren't then why do we feel we have to stick to the terms lesson plan. Why can't we hold our hands up and say "Ok kids, forgot what we did last week we're going to do something new!" Probably because we don't want the students or parents to think we aren't organised or in control. After all, they don't pay for trail and error. Or maybe that's what we as teachers think. Sometimes surely it is better to say "That didn't work, let's re plan and change our focus." This is how I personally can relate it to my current workplace.
"Double loop learning is difficult and all but impossible in situations in which much is at stake. This creates a dilemma as these are the very organisational situations in which double loop learning is needed." (Edmondson and Moingeon 1999:160)
"If my behaviour is driven by my note acting to seem incompetent, this may lead to me hiding things from myself and others, in order to avoid feelings of incompetence." (Anderson 1997)
As I have stated in a pervious blog, I think this is very true for my workplace. People aren't willing to show that they are struggling or that they may have made an error. Everyone is super keen to impress
all the time. This is good as it encourages a real sense of drive but it can also become unhealthy and unproductive to not share your concerns.
There are 2 models that enhance and inhabit double loop learning. When models 1 and 2 are broken down, the characteristics that jump out as relevant to my workplace are:
MODEL 1
Discouraging inquiry. "Let's not talk about the past, that's over" when really we should talk about what went wrong in order to learn from our mistakes.
Treating ones own views as obviously correct.
Little public testing of ideas to avoid embarrassment.
MODEL 2
Open communication. There is definitely a lack of this in my workplace!
Internal commitment to the company. Many people at my work think of their own benefits before the company's.
Need to share control.
Argyris and Schon are a contrast to Senge's systems and structures. They focus more strongly on individual and group interactions.
I found the following quote an interesting read as I very much favoured Kolb's Cycle in Module 1.
"Unlike Kolb's learning cycle, where one had, so to speak, to make a mistake and reflect upon it - that is, learn by trial and error - it is now possible thanks to Argyris and Schon's conceptualisation, to learn by simply reflecting critically upon the theory-in-action. In other words, it is no longer
necessary to go through the entire learning circle in order to develop the theory further. It is sufficient to readjust the theory through double loop learning." (Finger and Asun 2000:45-6)
In conclusion, surely different approaches work better for different issues? I had a problem at work last year and I used Kolb's cycle to assist my reflection. It helped enormously and in that example I needed to carry out all the steps. I do love the idea of double loop learning though as a way to get to the route of the problem. It frees things up and allows change to take place. I also understand the difficulties in doing that though in the workplace. It is something I had never heard of before this blog and something that I will definitely consider in business as I clearly see the benefits. It kind of feels like the 'I know this is what I should do' option!
Chris Argyris influenced thinking about the relationship of people and organisations, organisational learning and action research.
With Donald Schon he developed single loop and double loop learning systems.
His research explored the impact of formal organisational structures on individuals and how they adapted and responded to them.
He explored the behaviour of senior executives in organisations.
"Argyris led us to see subtle patterns of reasoning which underlay our behaviour, and how these patterns got us into trouble. It became clear that with proper training I could become much more aware of my mental models and how they operated." (Senge 1990:182-3)
He explores the behaviours and beliefs that are necessary if organisations are to develop and learn.
Argyris and Schon argue that people have mental maps with how they react in certain situations. This is in the way they plan, implement and review their actions.
"When someone is asked how he would behave under certain circumstances, the answer he usually gives is his espoused theory of action for that situation. This is the theory of action he communicates to others. However, the theory that actually governs his actions is this theory-in-use." (Argyris and Schon 1974:6-7)
The words we use to convey what we do, or what we would like others to think we do, is called espoused theory.
It makes us question whether inner feelings become expressed into actions. What we say and what we do in our actions may be different.
Espoused theory and theory in use creates a dynamic for dialogue and reflection.
Theory in use is confirmed when there is a match between intention and outcome. They may however not match and work against the persons values.
Argyris and Schon suggest 2 responses to this mismatch. These can be seen in the notion of single and double loop learning.
SINGLE LOOP LEARNING
If something goes wrong you look for another strategy. Goals and plans are operationalised rather than questioned. Strategies and goals are taken for granted.
"Emphasis is on techniques and making techniques more efficient" (Usher and Bryant 1989:87)
DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING
Strategies are questioned and scrutinised. It may lead to a whole new approach and shift in strategies.
The example of the thermostat explained this to me simply. Single loop learning is like when a room gets too hot and so you simply turn the heat off. The task is easy. The thermostat can receive information and take action. Double loop learning detects the error and changes and examines underlying issues. In my mind the difference is simple. Quick fix versus sorting the problem for the long term.
Double loop learning questions the underlying and is more risky yet ideas and policies are confronted.
Chris Argyris states that double loop learning is essential for organisations.
I thought about this in relation to my work place. We have many different courses and programmes for students. An example would be trying to fix a course that just isn't working. Maybe the initial concept and drawing board idea hasn't translated like we thought it would. A lot of the time with classes and ideas it is trial and error. Kids can surprise you with what they engage in and what they don't. Once you have set up a class or workshop it's very difficult to admit that it just isn't working and that another way would be better. Especially if parents have paid and teachers have planned lessons. However, it's also not productive or beneficial to continue on the same topic if it isn't engaging the kids. Some lesson plans are written a month in advance and you can tell after one lesson on a new story or topic whether the kids are engaged or not. If they aren't then why do we feel we have to stick to the terms lesson plan. Why can't we hold our hands up and say "Ok kids, forgot what we did last week we're going to do something new!" Probably because we don't want the students or parents to think we aren't organised or in control. After all, they don't pay for trail and error. Or maybe that's what we as teachers think. Sometimes surely it is better to say "That didn't work, let's re plan and change our focus." This is how I personally can relate it to my current workplace.
"Double loop learning is difficult and all but impossible in situations in which much is at stake. This creates a dilemma as these are the very organisational situations in which double loop learning is needed." (Edmondson and Moingeon 1999:160)
"If my behaviour is driven by my note acting to seem incompetent, this may lead to me hiding things from myself and others, in order to avoid feelings of incompetence." (Anderson 1997)
As I have stated in a pervious blog, I think this is very true for my workplace. People aren't willing to show that they are struggling or that they may have made an error. Everyone is super keen to impress
all the time. This is good as it encourages a real sense of drive but it can also become unhealthy and unproductive to not share your concerns.
There are 2 models that enhance and inhabit double loop learning. When models 1 and 2 are broken down, the characteristics that jump out as relevant to my workplace are:
MODEL 1
Discouraging inquiry. "Let's not talk about the past, that's over" when really we should talk about what went wrong in order to learn from our mistakes.
Treating ones own views as obviously correct.
Little public testing of ideas to avoid embarrassment.
MODEL 2
Open communication. There is definitely a lack of this in my workplace!
Internal commitment to the company. Many people at my work think of their own benefits before the company's.
Need to share control.
Argyris and Schon are a contrast to Senge's systems and structures. They focus more strongly on individual and group interactions.
I found the following quote an interesting read as I very much favoured Kolb's Cycle in Module 1.
"Unlike Kolb's learning cycle, where one had, so to speak, to make a mistake and reflect upon it - that is, learn by trial and error - it is now possible thanks to Argyris and Schon's conceptualisation, to learn by simply reflecting critically upon the theory-in-action. In other words, it is no longer
necessary to go through the entire learning circle in order to develop the theory further. It is sufficient to readjust the theory through double loop learning." (Finger and Asun 2000:45-6)
In conclusion, surely different approaches work better for different issues? I had a problem at work last year and I used Kolb's cycle to assist my reflection. It helped enormously and in that example I needed to carry out all the steps. I do love the idea of double loop learning though as a way to get to the route of the problem. It frees things up and allows change to take place. I also understand the difficulties in doing that though in the workplace. It is something I had never heard of before this blog and something that I will definitely consider in business as I clearly see the benefits. It kind of feels like the 'I know this is what I should do' option!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)