Wednesday 19 October 2011

A development of Task 4a

I have now thought about the questions I asked myself in my last “blog”. In the light of feedback I have had from other people I am currently working with and Stephanie Thomas I have decided that I would like to enquire into the part which theatre can play in education.
I was unable to obtain the agreement of the principal of the dance school, to support my enquiry (into the market for expansion of her school into a new area). So I had to abandon that idea.
Fortunately I now have the agreement of my present employer “Image Musical Theatre Company” to support an enquiry into the contribution that theatre can provide in education.
Subject to agreement of the University and to being able to form a SIG, I want to enquire into the history, the current initiatives and the future potential contribution which performance arts and the theatre in particular can make to enhance the effectiveness of education. I may have to limit the scope of the enquiry to fit the timetable for the course.
The enquiry is directly relevant to my current job, so I hope to be able to bring some personal experience to the work.
The outcome of the enquiry is to provide an objective answer to the question –
“Can the use of performing arts be further developed to improve the process of education”.
The initial questions, which have come to mind, and which the enquiry will hopefully answer are-
* What are the traditional roles which theatre has played?
* What current approaches are available?
* How widely are they used?
* What options are available in order to enhance and develop the contribution which theatre can make?
* Who might take forward the process of developing the contribution?
* How would the process be funded?
* Can focus group meetings help to define the business model?
* Can a market survey help to define the best way to take forward the business development?
* What would be the best/most effective way to advertise the new approaches?
* Would it be possible to create ongoing links to schools as a way of spreading information about the value of the new approaches?
* What is the availability of suitable performers to teach/perform?
* What are the implications for the teaching of performing arts?
* What are the major issues and potential show stoppers?
* What are the risks to be taken into account in coming to a business decision?

I am sure that many other questions will arise along the way and the scope of the work will have to be limited by the resources available to complete the enquiry.

If I receive positive feedback on this enquiry and SIG support I can make a start on the meat of the work involved in defining and planning the enquiry.

1 comment:

  1. Dear Verity, sounds like you are off to a meaty start with your questions. I think the ethical tasks should help you understand and explore the questions further. What did you think of what people said about the campus session last week? We talked about ethics there. Part of ethics is looking at the assumptions you are making about your subject (area of questions).
    Keep up the good work please feel free to contact me as you move further into the module.
    Adesola

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