During this module I have considered where my interests lie in my professional practice and I have discovered the means to develop these interests and questions into a professional inquiry. Through engagement with my peers and colleagues I have refined my ideas and developed a set of questions that I can use to fuel my inquiry.
During the first part of the module, developing lines of professional enquiry, I was encouraged to engage in professional networks through the use of special interest groups (SIGs) and the method I found most useful when using SIGs was the BAPP facebook page APPENDIX A. I found it very interesting and useful to discuss different topics with my peers and through exchanging ideas I feel I was able to help others define their inquiry questions just as they were able to help me. My First blog was entitled “developing questions in my professional practice” APPENDIX B. During this blog I discussed my original thoughts and questions surrounding my chosen topic of inquiry which is celebrity casting in musical theatre. I found blogging about my thoughts and getting feedback and comments from others extremely useful as I think it helps to shape a well-rounded argument when you have input from many different sources. I also took these discussions into my work place where I found that my colleagues had equally varying opinions on the subject, this is how I knew I had chosen a topic that was important to the theatre industry, it generated a lot of debate and there were many questions to be answered. After reading Mark Iles’ blog APPENDIX C my attention was drawn to an article he posted a link to which sums up a lot of my thoughts on the subject of celebrity casting APPENDIX D
Then I started to look at professional ethics and I feel that this is where I have learned the most from this module. Prior to my study I had not considered that there was an ethical framework involved in my work in musical theatre. As discussed in my blog post entitled “ethics in the workplace- theatre” APPENDIX E, I discovered that in fact “ethics” can be defined as the way we work, the way we treat our fellow professionals and the way we present ourselves on stage. I then decided to look at theoretical ethics and how that applies to my work in theatre and more specifically with regards to my inquiry in my blog entitled “Theoretical ethics in professional enquiry” APPENDIX F. Although I had not considered it before I now realise that ethics are an extremely important consideration when conducting a professional inquiry. Without an ethical structure behind your investigations the inquiry can have no academic merit and ethical considerations ensure the protection of any and all that participate in the inquiry. I also found a very interesting article entitled “A 1945 Code of Ethics for Theatre Workers Surfaces” APPENDIX G, which I found fascinating and helped me connect my thoughts on ethics to my professional practice.
The final part of the module was entitled “tools of professional inquiry”. During this final element of the module, I learned about differing tools for professional inquiry and what there benefits and limitations were. I posted a blog entitled “the merits and limitations of differing tools of inquiry” APPENDIX H where I discussed the problems that may be faced when using each of the tools (observation, interview, focus groups, and questionnaires) and then took these into consideration when deciding which tools to use for my professional inquiry and why I should use them.
I believe that this module has created a bridge in knowledge between the first module, where I learned critically reflect and use the technological tools at my disposal, and the final module, my professional inquiry. Using the knowledge gained in this module I now feel able to progress to my professional inquiry with confidence and ability and I hope I can use the tools I have gained effectively.
Appendix A: BAPP Facebook SIG: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BA-Professional-Practice-Arts-Middlesex-University/145821545478191 (accessed 3rd May 2011)
Appendix B: Sandy’s Blog: http://sandymoffat.blogspot.com/2011/03/developing-questions-in-my-professional.html (Accessed 3rd May 2011)
Appendix C: Mark Iles’ Blog: http://markgraemeiles.blogspot.com/ (Accessed 3rd May 2011)
Appendix D: “a younger theatre”: http://www.ayoungertheatre.com/in-turn-safety-curtain/ (Accessed 3rd May 2011)
Appendix E: Sandy’s Blog: http://sandymoffat.blogspot.com/2011/04/ethics-in-workplace-theatre.html (Accessed 3rd May 2011)
Appendix F: Sandy’s Blog: http://sandymoffat.blogspot.com/2011/04/theoretical-ethics-in-professional.html (Accessed 3rd May 2011)
Appendix G: LA stage times: http://www.lastagetimes.com/2009/08/a-1945-code-of-ethics-for-theatre-workers-surfaces/
Appendix H: Sandy’s Blog: http://sandymoffat.blogspot.com/2011/04/merits-and-limitations-of-differing.html (Accessed 3rd May 2011)
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