Skype Session Saturday 17th September 2016 1st Skype Session of Module 3 Session led by: Paula Nottingham

Skype Session Saturday 17th September 2016
1st Skype Session of Module 3
Session led by: Paula Nottingham

Participants:

• Laura Hopkinson
• Lizzie Bell
• Tom Hullyer
• Megan Louch
• Charnelle La Touche
• Adesola Akinleye

This was the first group Skype session before Module 3 Term commencing Monday 26th September!
Before the session this morning I felt slightly anxious as I had a couple months off performing during my summer holidays. I made a very conscious effort to do degree research and preparation amongst a hectic performance schedule, however I didn't know if I had done enough. Throughout every module of the BAPP course I have felt this way due to the course being DISTANCE LEARNING, however I have learnt to be confident and believe that I have done enough!

We firstly introduced ourselves (name, module, background). There were a mixture of students from different modules and professions. Adesola suggested to discuss any successful methods or resources used throughout Modules 1 & 2, which could prove useful to the Skype session participants.
Tom explained that there is a huge amount of ideas and topics we can explore and research into therefore its very easy to get lost in your research. Charnelle discussed that she had to dedicate time to sit down, focus on tasks outstanding, highlighting the importance of each piece of literature. Therefore we identified that ORGANISATION IS KEY!
It's very easy to spiral out of control and get lost within your research and brainstorming, however Adesola gave us a very useful tip,

'Pay attention to what needs to be handed in at the end of the module and then work back from there'

Upon reflection from Module 2 and starting my final module, Adesola's advice is incredibly important. By reminding myself of my finished, submitted portfolio, it will automatically make me focus on certain literature and research that is resourceful to inquiry.

Last week I purchased the book, 'How to Research' (Blaxter, Hughes and Tight, 2001). I have used the ebook (accessed on the Unihub Reading List) throughout both Modules 1 & 2, however decided to buy the book as I am away from home often and cannot access a computer or the web. This piece of literature has proved to be incredibly resourceful, as it has kept my mind focused and motivated to properly structure my inquiry and learn about different practitioner's methods and techniques. I expressed the uniqueness of this book within the Skype session, hopefully encouraging more students to explore this fantastic source.

One of the participants within the Skype session touched on the challenge of getting lost in finding her inquiry topic, asking for any advice from Module 3 students. I said that I started by brainstorming then listing my Top 10 topics/ideas, then whittled it down to 4. I then began to briefly research into the 4 chosen topics. By doing so I found that I was favouring a certain subject over the others thus choosing my final Inquiry topic.

I shared to the group a practitioner I had explored within commencing my Inquiry Research relating with finding an Inquiry topic that you feel passionate about. They asked questions such as,

'Would you get up in the morning to research about this topic?'
'Would you stay in on a friday night to explore this topic?'

I strongly agree with this practitioner's beliefs as you need the motivation and genuine interest within your chosen Inquiry topic.

This Skype session highlighted the importance of communication and socialising with my peers, whether it be part of the BAPP community or another Special Interest Group (SIG). By doing this I will learn so much from other people's experiences. What methods/strategies worked for them? What would they have done differently? What challenges have they faced? All of the responses of these questions will broaden my understanding and overall knowledge regarding my industry and Professional Inquiry.

I hope this blog will help any students out that were unable to attend the Skype session today, giving them a useful insight into the topics we have discussed!