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Task C, Kolb's Learning Cycle

Reflect on an instance when you have concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation. Describe instances and explain how it was part of the cycle. Explain what happened to get to that point in the cycle and what it led to.
Kolb’s theory describes a model for managing learning. It suggests a continuous process by which students can develop their own learning. Kolb describes learning cycle made up of four elements: Concrete (doing, feeling), Observation (watching, assimilating) Abstract conceptualisation (thinking, considering) and active experimentation (transforming, adapting). He acknowledges that a learner can join the cycle at any point. I think the really interesting parts of the process are: abstract thinking and testing in active experimentation elements. It is through these parts of the process that I have grasped an experience and transformed it, adding my own meaning and understanding. For me it is when knowledge and experience interchange in importance determined by the situation in which I am applying my learning.
In 2008 I was cast for a role in a Theatre in Education production ‘Last Order’s’. The production was about the dangers of alcohol abuse and its impact upon individual responsibility and sexual behaviour. I auditioned for the role of Cassie a 15 year old, troubled teenager. Cassie organises a party for her friends and as a result of being plied with alcohol is forced into sexual activity with a seventeen year old male. At twenty two I had left behind my early teens and had to improvise the role of Cassie based upon my recent knowledge. The Director’s briefing notes and script helped me bring my own experience to the character well enough to secure the role.
I had to build upon the concrete experience I was recalling for a number of reasons. Firstly the Drama was being presented to groups of fifteen and sixteen year olds in school settings around the south of England and secondly each production was to be supported by ‘forum theatre’ and ‘hot seating’ in order to help the audience’s own learning about the issues.
Initially I studied characters in the TV drama ‘Waterloo Road’ concentrating on the fourteen and fifteen year olds specifically analysing: how they dressed, the headbands, earrings and the manner they wore their school ties: their style of speech, catch phrases and dialect: their behaviour towards each other and the adults in the programme.
I also visited my local park to watch teenagers interacting with each other, listening carefully to how they used humour, body language and voice to project their image. These activities were my character observation, redeveloping my experience and understanding of the life of a teenager.
I spent time thinking about Cassie and how to layer the thoughts and feelings I had been considering, onto her character. Cassie in the script was larger than life, uncaring, a bit of a bitch. She encouraged everyone to live for the moment. I had to consider how to present her vulnerability, insecurities and her desire to be accepted. The observation stage helped me to consider how to develop the role, how to expose Cassie’s resentment and insecurity when she was criticised by other teenagers. I was also asked to make sure that the audience sympathised with the character. This challenged me to develop two characteristics: Cassie’s brashness and her vulnerability whilst also making her realistic enough to be accepted by other teenagers.
I believe that the process I went through helped me to portray Cassie successfully. I was able to reveal her aggressive, devil may care attitude, whilst also showing her inexperience and conveying how she had been led into a situation which she couldn’t control. It was evident during the after show workshops that the students could empathise and understand how Cassie had behaved as she had and the danger she was in. After each production I was able to use the feedback and questions from the teenagers to refine how I presented ‘Cassie’ in the next show. I was demonstrating that I could combine my knowledge and experience to refine my performance.
It also became evident that some students understanding of the issues related to alcohol abuse and sexual activity developed faster than others. In these situations I began to adapt the role of Cassie within the drama and the workshops. I used a range of strategies: rhetorical questioning, intonation and different levels of explanation, to help the teenagers explore and understand the issues we were presenting. These strategies would change according to different groups of students and also within groups in the same school. This was the company and me personally grasping the experience and transforming it into meaning for ourselves and the students.
I had taken Cassie’s character, personalised my understanding of it and after adding my own perspective to it, I had applied it to different school situations. Further more I had started to understand how to modify, accentuate and exaggerate different elements of my learning in order to help the learning of others.

KOLB'S Learning Cycle

I must say I am rather confused with this section of the work! I could not attend the day at Middlesex Uni so I decided to look through all you lovely people's blogs to see if it helped me understanbd the process better, after looking through, it made it easier but still is confusing for me. I decided to try and write my own cycle with what I was learning.
1) Concrete
I looked at other peoples blogs and the module handbook to try and undertsnad KOLB'S cycle.
2)Reflective
I knew how the basic 4 steps of KOLB's cycle after reading through these blogs and I know the process I need to follow.

However when I got to the next section (Abstract) I didnt know what to put as I couldnt see any differece between the reflective section and the Abstract Conseptualisation section. I then realised that this could perhaps be because I am only really doing section two myself which is refelction and watching, I have not done a task so I have not put it into practice. Am i on the right lines here? could anyone correct me or explain it to me any better? I am under the impression we take on thing we have learnt, for example I might take a recent rehersal process I have done and split the process into the four sections, or take the my teachers essay I did and split that into the sections...is that right? Help is needed I am very confused! or confuzzled as I like to say!

Question for all the Work Based Learning People!

Hi everyone, I wondered if anyone could shed any light on this for me?....I am confused as to what a "hard copy" of the work means! I presumed this meant a printed out copy that would need to be posted to the university, am I correct or in week 6 is all the work emailed in? I am just trying to get organised in advance as I am leaving for Taiwan soon for six months so I have to arrange someone to post my work off for me once I have emailed it to them if this is the case!!! if anyone could get back to me about this that would be great! cheers x

My General Intrests

One of the things I love to do the most is read. Many people say dancing is an escape for them but to me it is my work, reading is my escape. I love nothing better than settling down with a good book, I read on the tube, at home, sometimes even walking down the street! I really do believe you can learn so much about the world and different ways of life from every single book you read. My favourite author is Jodi Picoult, and once I start one of her books I cannot put it down, they are real page turners! I love the way she always takes a moral issue and puts it against a legal one. One particular book of hers really struck a chord with me, “Nineteen Minutes” It is about a young lad who ends up shooting lots of people in his school, but it tells the story from his point of view and as strange as it sounds I ended up feeling so sorry for the boy as I read what he had been through and the way he was treated at school that led to his outburst. Jodi always provides such an excellent read, just talking about her books now gets me excited, she is fantastic!
I also am interested in books about other religions as religion is something I find fascinating. A book titled "A Thousand Splendid Suns” is breathtaking, it’s about two women living in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over and really gives you an insight into the life for Muslim women over there. Another great read is “Mao’s Last dancer” this book is so informative and is just so compelling, telling you all about the communist life in China. Reading is something I have always loved and wish I got more time to do.
Another big interest of mine which I have already touched on is religion. I am not religious at all myself but have always been fascinated by different cultures and religions. As a child I used to love my Dad taking me down the Folsehill Road in Coventry, which is a predominantly Asian area, I remember being so excited looking in all the shop windows at the beautiful sari’s and one day I went into a shop to get some shoes and I can still to this day remember how elated I was when the lady presented me with the most beautiful sparkly shoes I had ever seen. My mum always used to buy me sari material with paisley patterns on for me to put up in my room, and different coloured sparkly bangles. I have also always been interested in the Chinese culture, I love going along to the Chinese New Year celebrations in London and this year I will be able to experience them first hand as I will be in Taiwan for six months. I have many friends of all different religions and cultures’s and love nothing more than discussing it with them and finding out as much as I can about the traditions and celebrations they have. I often go onto websites and read up about different religions.

People Whose Work I Admire

Lea Salonga

Lea Salonga is an exquisite and captivating singer and Musical Theatre performer whom I admire greatly. She was born in February 1972 in the Philippines and is probably best known for her starring role as Kim in “Miss Saigon”. She began performing as a child in her local country and it was only when the producers in the UK couldn’t find a strong enough Asian singer/actress over here, that they began looking across countries all over the world, and discovered Lea. For this performance she won an Olivier award in 1998 and since then her career has gone from strength to strength. She went on to become the first Asian actress to play Eponine in “Les Miserables”, and this is something I admire her for, she really flies the flag for Asian actresses and singers around the world. Not only is she famous for her roles on stage but also she is the singing voice of some of our best loved Disney characters, Princess Jasmine in “Aladdin” and “Mulan”. This would be a dream of mine, to sing for a Disney film as I love Disney. Listening to Lea sing the songs is amazing as she has such a beautiful voice.
What I like about Lea is before she hit the big time worldwide, she was very well known in her own country, she hosted her own Musical Television show and acted in many films in the Philippines as well as releasing her own albums and starring in Musicals and since then she has performed a lot in her home country but has never forgotten her roots and where she came from.
She really is an inspiration to so many young female singers and actresses out there, her performance in “Miss Saigon” was breathtaking and I always watch her on the film of “Hey Mr Producer” and am blown away.

People Whose Work I Admire

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Rodgers and Hammerstein, along with my mother are responsible for my love of Musical Theatre! I remember my Mum making me watch "Carousel" on TV when I was about five and I instantly fell in love with it.
Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers are, without a doubt, the most successful partnership in Musical Theatre and are responsible for some of the greatest musicals of the golden era.
The first musical they worked on together was "Oklahoma!”, and this began a new genre of musical. For a start it was the first musical ever to begin with a solo song and it was the start of moving musicals away from the farcical shows that had come before and into more serious plots. They concentrated on how each song would fit into the plot and what the style and context of each number was. For the first time in Musical history each song and dance was there for a reason and moved the story on. In all their musicals since, each song has a dramatic purpose and tells a story, as do all the dance routines. Rodgers's and Hammerstein's work is very distinct as they have certain character types, which appear in each of their musicals, for example the soprano leading lady, who’s usually involved in a love story. I admire them for being brave enough to be the first to use Musicals as a way of creating a thought-provoking piece of theatre.
The Sound of Music is another one of my favourites and was the first musical I ever performed on stage and it again has serious underlying issues about the Nazi’s and the war. I admire the duo a lot because, it turned Musical Theatre around to what it is today and there are still so many of their works being revived on the West End and Broadway.
I will always credit Rodgers and Hammerstein in inspiring me to do what I am doing today. In my opinion their musicals are what real musical theatre is all about and I still get a warm feeling whenever I watch a film by them or sing a Rodgers and Hammerstein song!

People Whose Work I Admire

Bob Fosse

The Choreographer I admire the most has to be Bob Fosse. Fosse has in my opinion, the most unique and instantly recognisable style of Jazz dance and this is why almost every professional dancer has studied his work at some point. Just the mention of his name makes his distinct style of isolated and angular movementS spring to my mind.
Fosse had a back condition, scoliosis, which is something I suffer from, but what I love about him is that he put that imperfection into his work, whilst most choreographers looked for long and lean lines, he preferred to use angles, opting for turned in knees and shoulders. He broke the mould with his innovative choreography and his use of props. Again putting his own imperfections into his dance style, he was self conscious of his bald head so he danced with bowler hats, he also used white gloves a lot because he didn’t like his hands, these are all things which I have admiration for, he based his choreography on whatever he wanted, what suited him rather than what was the norm at the time.
I love performing Fosse’s work as there is so much sensuality within his style, and his use of subtext is amazing. Other hallmark’s of Fosse’s work are finger clicking, hip and shoulder rolls, isolated movements and his famous backwards walk. Some of the shows he has worked on are Chicago, Sweet Charity and Cabaret, which are all favourite Musicals of mine. Whenever I have seen his work performed it always strikes me how clean and simple it looks but how effective it is. He was a perfectionist, and what comes across greatly in his style is his attention to detail, there is not a finger out of place when his dancers are on stage. Fosse put style before substance and used minimalist costumes, mainly opting for all black with the smallest touch of white gloves for effect. I will never tire of watching and performing the works of Bob Fosse, I love the sensuality his work brings, and the clean and precise nature of it.