Task 3b Theories relating to networking

For this task I adopted a method Amy D’Arcy (fellow BAPP student) brought to my attention on her task 3a. Finding the definitions of words to trigger thought and develop ideas. This method allowed me to look at the theories from a more reflective point of view and look inward more critically.

I started this off by researching ‘Networked Professional’ using Oxford Dictionary online the results were:

 

Networked; Interact with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.

Professional; Relating to or belonging to a profession.

 

This made me think about; how do my networks to help me professionally? And who do I network with on a daily basis? Reader 3 explains how your professional networks can benefit you personally by impacting your success through promotional development giving you a sense of worth, fulfilment and enjoyment within your working life. Professional networks give you a formal identity and allow you to network with other practitioners. An example of one of my professional networks is with colleagues I interact with in school, as there is a wide range of different roles/status’ within the school structure and we share an affiliation of work interests and needs. We form an educational community where we can share ideas and give constructive criticism to benefit each other professionally. Also working together produces positive results.

 

This leads me on to the concept of ‘Cooperation’; the action or process of working together to the same end. (Oxford Dictionary, online definition).

 

Robert Axelrod points out using his game theory; ‘The Prisoner’s Dilemma’ that the “importance of cooperating fully with others until you reach a point of maximum benefit and then to defect”.  (Axelrod, R. 1984 pages xi-xiv) He explains the strategy of the game is to make the decision to cooperate or not. In my opinion cooperation is very important within professional networks for example within my school I use the following ways to cooperate:

·         Share and give ideas on teaching methods.

·         Work as a team to plan and carry out effective learning activities for pupils.

·         Organisation, follow a timetable.

·         Get Children to cooperate, you gain better results within learning, development and  behaviour e.g. getting children to follow instructions follow classroom rules and listen.

·         Follow school policies on health and safety, child protection and behaviour.

 

Robert Axelrod points out that cooperation creates patterns and proves the ‘Tit for tat’ method is the most effective. I can relate to this method more than Robert Axelrod other view that cooperation allows people to; “take advantage of networks for our own benefit and that of the wider network”. (Axelrod, R. 1984 pages xi-xiv)

 

However, within my use of student BAPP blogs we cooperate with fellow BAPP students to trigger thoughts, ideas and help each other out by blogging on posts, but our main purpose of blogging is to benefit from the process and gain personally to develop our own professional practice.

 

Affiliation; to receive into close connection or association (group/organisation) adopt as a member. (Oxford Dictionary online definition)

 

Crisp and Turner point out how we use affiliation to help us network professionally;
 

“Tendency to seek out others and form close relationships is an inherited trait that helps us to survive and reproduce by providing us with a network of support that will help us when we are in need” (Crisp & Turner,2007 p266-268)

 

Affiliation allows you to connect socially e.g. using Web 2.0 tools or face to face. Successful careers require professional networking as Reader 3 points out;

“Networks form an important part of our need to affiliate”

(Reader 3 2013/14 BAPP Arts)

 

As a teacher I decide how much I want to affiliate with other people on social media websites, e.g.  I won’t accept students as friends and conscious of comments I post to maintain my professional duty as a teacher. O’Connor and Rosenblood (1996, p267) suggest the theory of ‘homeostasis’;

 

“Our need for affiliation with each one of us may differ, but we each seek to balance our interactions with others to a preferred level of social stimulation (introvert-extrovert)”

 

I could argue within my professional practices I act introvert and extrovert depending on the work environment/setting for example, when teaching singing I’m extrovert but when participating in staff team meetings  in school I’m introvert.

 

This idea leads into the psychological perspective, e.g. using social media sites. On my Facebook page I keep some social events private rather than sharing with the wider network, I choose what to share and what to keep private.

 

Looking at my professional practice, affiliation is important in order for me to progress within my profession.  By cooperating with management/ hierarchy of the work place you will benefit in your future. However, some people form too close relationships which may develop and demonstrate unfair treatment, by other employers gaining from other employer’s expense.  So, from an ethical point of view it is important for those who hold a hierarchy position to treat every employer the same and fair, no matter your status/position within the setting.

 

As a teacher it is important to get the support from your teaching body and have the reassurance of trust. As I mentioned earlier working as a team and have the feeling of belonging to an organisation boosts moral and produces results.    

 

Connectivity; the state of being connected or interconnected

Social; relating to society or organism, rank and status in society.

(Oxford Dictionary online definitions)

 

Through Social constructionism people construct meanings of the world and their experience of it as, Crotty explains;
 

“Meanings are constructed by human beings as they engage with the world they are interpreting.”

 

“Objectivity and subjectivity need to be brought together”

 (Crotty M.2005 p42-44)

 

The concept of ‘Social Constructionism’ according to Reader 3 is that we understand the world ‘objectively’ by construction or creation of our own making. Looking at the growth of internet online communications e.g. e-mail, Skype social media sites etc.  This is very evident. Within my professional practice I use a wide variety of social processes that help me understand professional networks and networking. Having social interactions with other BAPP students on the BAPP blog site enables me to make meanings of my networks and look at my values and attributes on preferred ways of engaging, I can choose to be objective (reading blogs) or subjective (commenting on blogs). Both methods help my thinking process and raise questions for further inquiry.

Connectivism; A theory of learning which emphasizes the role of social and cultural context.

(Oxford Dictionary online definition)

Connectivism is a process in which networks both learn and provide the means for individuals to connect and learn. Connectivism suggests we learn from the information we see around us and those we interact with. Working in an educational setting the children are surrounded by information to trigger their learning and stimulate thought process’. However, I believe children can’t just learn from information alone they need social interaction with other people e.g. teachers, other pupils to concrete their knowledge. Having a teacher to encourage thinking and questioning benefits the child’s learning process. I agree with the Connectivist perspective that;

 

“professional network is a system with which we can interact to learn”

(Reader 3,BAPP course)

 

Siemens raises some valuable points that;

 

“Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.”

 

“Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.”

 

“Decision making itself is a learning process.”

(Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age - George Siemens 2004-12-12)

 

Community: A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. Attitudes, social values, society, responsibilities, interests, together.

Oxford Dictionary, online definition)

 

Communities of practice is a concept I use every day in my professional practice. I engage in various social communities, but I find if I have common interests/ shared visions with people I gain from networking far better, for example being a singing teacher I can relate to the other Starmaker staff easily as we all share a passion for the performing arts. This same process can be used within the school community where I work as a teaching assistant; all teachers share the same ethos of helping and improving a child’s education by putting their best interests at heart, looking out for their welfare and progress development. Being engaged in a number of communities of practice I find my character and nature of our engagement may vary considerably and change over time. Reader 3 raises the thought that:

 

“Members of a community of practice whether work place, special interests, virtual or any other form, come together because of mutual interest and generate a shared experience of engagement in the community of practice”

(Reader 3, BAPP Arts 2013/14)

Lave and Wenger make us think about how communities are based on three dimensions:

·         What it is about? -it’s joint enterprise as understood and continually renegotiated by its members;

·         How it functions?- mutual engagement that bind members together into a social entity;

·         What capabilities it has produced? - the shared repertoire of communal resources.

(Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991) Situated Learning. Legitimate peripheral participation,

Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press)

 

Thinking of Lave and Wagner’s 3 dimensions, a community can be created socially or digitally. People in today’s society communicate far more using technology and web 2.0. This brings me to ethical considerations when networking. Communicating online you need to understand what can be shared? And what’s appropriate for the community? For example; I would post more personal comments on my Facebook profile page and post more formal/promotional/professional comments on Starmaker’s Facebook page. You also have to consider your privacy settings when communicating on the internet e.g. e-mail, social media sites as people can access your account and jeopardise your professional position, being a teacher this is very important for this reason I think carefully about who I accept as a friend and who can access my private information.

On the positive side, the ever growing professional networks online allows individuals to be able to access scholarly practice e.g. BAPP course.  Having this freedom and accessibility allows people from all backgrounds/communities an opportunity to study and access courses via long distant without actually communicating face to face. This demonstrates the ever evolving communication technologies and how important concepts of  networking can be to gain information to better oneself professionally.