Debbie Marper-Gibson

Sometimes my MA journey feels like I'm in a gigantic game of Join the Dots or Word Search. At other times like I'm stuck in an episode of Vera or Silent Witness. Reading Adesola's blog this week on Frameworks and Emergence was one of these times. I found myself bumping into words I had never heard and had to do some smart detective work to find out what I was reading about and trying to understand! However having watched the two video's and digging about on the internet I'm beginning to find an understanding. Connectivism and the Fear of it One of the questions asked in the interview with Steven Downes was Why are parents and teachers so afraid of connectivism? As a mature learner that grew up with my learning being achieved either through books or in practical dance lessons I found it difficult to trust the internet and the networks on it.  How did I know the person writing the blog or page on a network site could be trusted? How did I know the biog on their ...

I've been thinking a lot this week about how and why we want to acquire knowledge and what it gives us in return. If we engage with a stimulus we naturally want to know more about it and yet sometimes we just scratch the surface and learn enough to get by. I attended a professional development course in the nineties to upgrade my ISTD dance qualifications. The course lecturer had a sports background. He was comparing different methods of teaching and learning. This was the first time that I heard of different theories of teaching and learning. I found the lecture extremely interesting and thought how I could change some of my professional practice. It made me realise that each learner learns in a different way and one size does not fit all . Sadly, there were several teachers on the course who resented having to take the course and did not see why attending a lecture such as this could improve and change their teaching methods.  The thought was that they had been working successful...

One Dance UK recently set up a social campaign for dancers all around the globe to share the reason they dance ( www.onedanceuk.org ) It is very interesting to read. Every Tuesday different dancers from every dance genre quote why, they dance. There were two recently that struck a chord with me.  The ability to be free, to let go of any worries when in the moment. The ability to listen any kind of music and automatically think of how I would move and express myself (Charlotte Vause) Dance is the glue that holds my life together. It has been there like a red line that connected everything; my passion, my dreams and my goals. When I dance, I feel free from everything else. I get lost in the moment. (Svan Buchholz) When my first husband died in 1998. I went back to teaching classes after two weeks. many people thought that was too soon, but just standing at the barre going through the exercises that had been my constant companions for many years was a comfort. As Svan sa...

“The term LINES alludes to all that is visible in the phenomenal world. There is nothing that is made or formed without a line. Straight and Circle encompass all that we see. Whatever can be seen is formed by a line. In mathematics it is a straight or curved continuous extent of length without breadth. Lines are in our fingerprints, the shapes of our bodies, constellations, geometry. It implies genealogical connection, progeny and spoken word. It marks the starting point and a finish. It addresses direction, communication, and design. A line of thought. A boundary or eternity. A melodic line. The equator. From vibration or dot to dot it is the visible organization of what we see.” — Alonzo King I was recently introduced to a company that I had not met with before.  Alonzo Kings LINES company. It was a beautiful piece called Writing Ground. I immediately wanted to know more about the company. On finding their website  https://linesballet.org I found the above quote ...