Now that I have put down and started to process all of my initial thoughts and questions about my chosen topic I am now going to try and group them into a number of broader questions, no more then 8 questions and try to explain how I think each smaller question fits into the broader one. By doing this I hope to give myself a better understanding of what I want to achieve from this research project and start to generate some ideas for a possible title and focal point.

How have I used such techniques as experimenting with materials and processes to improve my work?

How have I done this?

How does this further my understanding of the practice?

Explain and give examples of how I have experimented with techniques and materials and what do I think I have gained from this?

If I were to create a brief for a project based around the main areas of this research project what would it be?

Would it be beneficial to the project for me to complete this brief?

Where do I feel I sit within my professional practice at the out start of the project, do I think this might change if so how and why?

Are there any limits to this experimentation? Are there certain subjects or objects that are considered off limits, where the materiality of them cannot be altered? If so who brought about these parameters necessity or society?

How have other practitioners tried to approach this issue?

Artists who were considered to be part of the surrealist movement experimented a lot with using materials in an unconventional way. What did they hope achieve from this? Were they the pioneers of this concept? This area will be explored by looking at the works of specific artists?

How has this method of working influenced the way in which artists work now? To answer this question I will be looking at both artists and designers.

Can I see any of these influences in my work? If so where?

How does the work that I make inform my teaching of the subject?

What is the relationship between art and education and how does one feel about the other?

Raelin, 2008 suggests that ‘organic competencies constitute those that apply to particular jobs, and are specific to the context and language of the organisation.’ What are the possible organic competencies of teaching art and how do they differ from the practice of art?

I have often been advised to try and not become too comfortable within your own discipline, of course it will always be your preferred way of working but it is important to try and not let it encompass the way in which you teach and push the students into a direction that you want them to go rather than allowing them to arrive at a solution themselves. Do I think that this is true? If so what measures can be taken to try and avoid this from happening?

Eraut suggests that creating a map of professional knowledge will help to ‘illuminate the debate about theory- practice links and the role of experimental learning.’ This is one of the main areas that I want to explore in my investigation. How will I map my knowledge and define my knowledge base? Also could this technique be introduced to the students? Would it be beneficial for them? Last term i looked at learning cycles, could these ideas be incorporated to help to successfully map your knowledge?

I have previously mentioned in my blog that reflection has helped me work through difficult situations. I do I predict that I will use reflection to continue to improve my understanding and teaching of the subject. Does reflecting on the work that I make inform my teaching?  At the beginning of the year I decided to embark on the same project that the yr8 and 10’s were doing I hoped that this would give me a better understanding of what they were doing and thus put me in a better position to advise them, do I still feel that this has informed my teaching?

I have noticed that a lot of students struggle to make the transition between GCSE and A-level, what can we do as artist and art educators to try and bridge the gap and make the transition smoother?

What are the main issues the students are facing?

How do they feel teachers better prepare them for the more demanding A-level syllabus? I propose to use questionnaires and case studies of students to investigate these issues.

Does the school make that big a difference? I.e. state versus private, inner city versus rural. Obviously each school has a different budget of the art department, how much of an impact does this have on the teaching of the subject and consequently the work that the students produce?