‘Getting started’ is taking more time than I’ve
imagined. Getting started with the MAPP and, at the same time, getting started
as an independent dance teacher in different projects is exciting and
overwhelming at the same time. I’m new to this programme, new to the
professional world, new to some specific modes of thinking/ learning… Right
now, ‘new’ seems to be my guideline, my companion. How do I introduce myself as
a new teacher in my country to the community? What new work placements are
there for me? How do I introduce a dance class to a community to which
contemporary dance is new to? How do I make young students in secondary school
engage in a creative process that is new to them? How do I teach dance in the
context of informal education, a new thought? Every time I seem to have an
answer to one of these many questions, a new one arises.
Last week’s Skype session intensified this
feeling of not being able to cope with everything that is new to me, not being
able to keep up. There were mostly module 2 or 3 people. The discussions
focussed mainly on reflection, and surprisingly, reflection was new to me (even
though after conscientiously reading through the handbooks, I noticed it isn’t
as new to me as I thought, anyway). I felt disconnected and it was hard to
follow the discussions. Everything seemed to be so abstract. Sometimes, someone
referred to a project which concretised the subject a bit, for a few seconds,
at least. I could not yet deliver a specific subject I wanted to be discussed
during the chat session, so I just said what I was struggling with at that
moment, which was mainly ‘how do I introduce something new to a community’. I
was advised engaging in reflection (e.g.: ask myself what would make me go to a
community dance class), which certainly was obvious to everyone else but me,
and even so, it was very helpful. Helpful not necessary for this very issue but
helpful to make me understand how we work in this programme. It made me
suddenly understand what we were talking about for the last hour. It was an awkward
introduction to a new way of thinking, working, creating, proceeding … but
successful at the end.
Before questioning the process of reflection, thinking
about different methods for reflection or how to reflect, tout court, I noticed
that I first need to purposely experience the process of reflection in order to
get started. Reading again the Introduction Handbook to Module One, it suddenly
all makes sense. Using Reflection as
a key tool for ‘Learning from experience’, but also as a starting point in order to
approach new upcoming project.
