Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Module Two has been a learning curve, both personally and professionally as I developed questions, looked into possible lines of inquiry and began thinking more seriously about my future practice.

I began with very little idea of what I wanted to investigate (APPENDIX A) as I had focused on performance through much of Module One. After gaining more insight into an alternative professional route I realised I would need to think more on my future practice rather than my past experience (APPENDIX B), so I looked back on aspects of Module One with a different mindset.

Using tools from both Modules, such as my journal and newly formed Special Interest Group (APPENDIX C) I considered various aspects of my professional practice to determine which areas both interested or excited me, and were relevant to my intended future practice. (APPENDIX D)

Developing Lines of Professional Inquiry

The work in this module allowed me to build on learning from Module One to investigate areas of interest. (APPENDIX E) I considered aspects of my intended future practice, through discussion with my professional network and through subjects raised in my Special Interest Group (APPENDIX F) and realised that one of the subjects that most sparked my curiosity was the popularity of new theatre. (APPENDIX G).

During this section of the Module I worked on ways to bring together different strands of new theatre that interested me (APPENDIX H), began gathering several literature sources that would aid me in the direction my inquiry was going (APPENDIX I), and set up an account on the tagging site Delicious. (APPENDIX J)

Professional Ethics

This section of the module (APPENDIX K) led me to consider the ways in which ethics and ethical practice seem to be embedded in the conduct of those working in theatre without needing an official Charter. (APPENDIX L).

Looking at the ethics of my personal practice was also interesting and this section of the Module helped me gain a clearer idea of the ethical dimensions of my proposed inquiry subject. I became much more aware of ethical conduct and issues that may arise when personal ethics may conflict with the ethos of an organisation. (APPENDIX M)

Tools of Professional Inquiry

I was fairly certain, before this section that my main Inquiry research tool would be Interviews. Looking at different tools of inquiry opened up other avenues to consider. (APPENDIX N) I weighed up the pros and cons of each of the suggested tools in the Reader, and decided to incorporate aspects of Surveys into my research as these can have a wider reach than individual interviews. (APPENDIX O)

I was able, at this point, to begin thinking about professional practice and inquiry in relation to my place of work as I began an internship at a producing theatre, which specialises in new writing. (APPENDIX P)

Conclusion

After looking into ethical practice in relation to my inquiry, I honestly felt a little bit stuck (APPENDIX Q), as I couldn't see a way to conduct the inquiry I wanted to while adhering to ethical considerations.

Making use once more of my journal, previous blogs, and my newly expanded professional network I decided to change the focus slightly and incorporate audience engagement as an element of the overall project rather than the main focus, and use elements of social media to further expand my scope. (APPENDIX R)

I am excited about beginning my research and investigating new theatre. I feel that the ground work I have done in this Module, through planning and reflection, will enable me to confidently move forward with my Inquiry, which will hopefully yield some interesting outcomes. (APPENDIX S)

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