The Networked Professional

What is it?

•  a work related community
• common interests or needs

How do I engage my professional network?

Thinking about this question has made me realise that I am actually quite bad at engaging my networking, I read others opinions, have dance professionals as friends on facebook and twitter, memberships to organisations and friends in the business, but apart from those that I spend most of my working days with, how much do I actually engage with them. Giving them my opinions and thoughts, sharing my work with others and feeling equal to them. Being confident enough in the work that I produce to share with people who I assume are more qualified, and talented than myself. So its time for me to step out the box and share as well as learn from others.

I like to surround myself with people in the industry, am interested to hear and read about their successes and reflections of the dance industry. I see them networking through facebook, advertising their performances and sharing their opinions on the particular dance styles that are important to them. Using networking in this way has enabled me to reach out to others across the world, learning from international artists and learn new and interesting dance styles. I have used facebook to advertise my own classes and the start of a dance academy that I hope will flourish when the time is right. I am passionate about giving people who have given up dancing the opportunity to dance and perform again, the way I have been able to.

Concepts of Professional Networking

Cooperation

In the reader is explained very differently to how I would describe it. Robert Axelrod identifies it as cooperating with others to the point of maximum benefit, only to defect. The Game Theory. Initially this confused me, it didn't seem to reflect my understanding of Cooperation, but having thought deeper about it, one of my main 'pet hates' about the industry is how 'precious' some teachers can be about their particular style, genre, company, etc. This equates to the same thing, they will embrace you and welcome you in to their circle until they have what they want, then cast you aside to move onto the next person of use. I hope I am being honest with myself in saying that this is not how I work. I believe cooperation to be just that, everyone sharing ideas and working together, then using learnt principals and knowledge to suit ones particular style, I guess you could say that this is the same thing, but without the defecting, more using experiences to increase your personal dance bank and embracing differences in practise,neither better or worse, just different.

Affiliation

Social Psychology - how humans enjoy and benefit from affiliations with others and the reasons why humans 'form close relationships'. Provides a 'network for support that will help us when we are in need' (Crisp and Turner)

Being around like minded people has helped me to progress my learning and knowledge over the years although I am aware the I use this concept in different ways. If I am confident in what I am doing affiliation helps me to share ideas with a view to learning new things and ways to progress but if I am less confident, I shy away from affiliation and prefer to work quite individually. This became clear to me when starting to teach GCSE dance, meeting with a fellow teacher from a partnership school who I have ultimate respect for, initial meetings helped me to start teaching the course but I am aware that I didn't continue to use the affiliation as successfully as I could have due to my own vulnerability. I didn't want to see a another course being run differently, then questioning my own ability to run my course. I didn't have the confidence in my own abilities. I realise that I would have benefited hugely from the affiliation with the school and although still have a close working relationship with the teachers, I am now teaching Btec so more confident to share general practise with them. Definitely something that I need to address more positively in the future.

Social Contructionism

Through social interactions humans 'construct' meanings of the world and their experiences of it.

Wow, this one is a toughy.

I didn't realise that I use this all the time - I think!!  Through my networking with others I am able to construct my own understanding and knowledge.  I am able to reflect on what I do and how I do it.

Connectivism

Stephen Downes states: "to teach is to model and demonstrate, to learn is to practise and reflect.

I like this concept and feel that the more we can introduce this into our schools the better researched and prepared our students will be. Web 2.0 give us the tools to do this and share this. How many times do we 'google it' to enhance our knowledge. I don't think that this should take over from the traditional ways we learn from others, but used correctly this can enhance our ability to find knowledge create our own experiences. Hand in hand traditional teaching and modern learning will enhance our professional practise.

I don't think anyone can deny the importance of networking in our industry. Whether for support, acquiring knowledge, learning, sharing, we can pick it up and put it down when it suits. On reflection I can see how important it is for me to gain knowledge and that maybe sharing my practise with my network family could be equally as rewarding so not to shy away from it. 

It is always said that who you know is as important as what you know. I am not sure that I totally believe that, but certainly goes hand in hand. Sharing and co-operating with who you know and what you know will ensure success for us all in the industry, so don't be precious be open.