One year into the Alexander Studies Online project - how are we doing?
A newsletter to help you stay connected to Alexander Technique related research.
The ASO Newsletter 15th Edition
Firstly, thank you to everyone reading this for being part of our Alexander Studies Online community. We really appreciate your interest in our project.
To celebrate the end of the first year of the ASO project, our blog post this month is a brief summary of what we have achieved so far. We are also asking for feedback from you, the ASO Community, as to how you think the project is going, what you might like to see more or less of, and any ideas you may have for how we might develop the project into the future.
In our first year we have posted blogs on a diverse range of topics from a variety of contributors;
Working with people with dementia - a series of video interviews and summaries of research by Charlotte Woods in the UK, with Lesley Glover and Emma Wolverson of the University of Hull in the UK
Disciplined enquiry as it relates to Alexander Technique teachers and their own personal research - a piece written specifically for ASO by Gabriella Minnes Brandes in Canada and Charlotte Woods in the UK
Working with people with Parkinson’s – another piece written specifically for ASO by Glenna Batson in the US
Unpicking the ATEAM and ATLAS randomised controlled trials – a series of video discussions with links to useful resources about these important pieces of research, led by Julia Woodman in the UK
Highlighting recent publications – an interview with Tim Cacciatore (based in the UK) and Rajal Cohen (in the US), two of the three authors of a paper that suggests a possible mechanism for how, in part, the Alexander Technique might work
Personal reflections – a paper written in the space between qualifying as an AT teacher and starting a practice written by Polly Waterfield in the UK.
How to use the ASO Zotero database – a guide for those who wish to explore the existing research in the ASO Library research database, produced by Mark Vasak in Canada.
How the Alexander Technique can help women in the post-partum period – a series of interviews with the author of a PhD thesis and a published paper, including links to the paper and thesis. This research was done by Nicola Hanefeld who is based in Germany.
We also hosted an online discussion about working with people with dementia at the end of the series of blogs on that topic.
Our aim has been to post content that stimulates interest, and is presented in a variety of ways.
The majority of blog posts has been in the interview format with two or three people discussing a piece of research. These generally have a link to a publication to provide access to further information about the research under discussion.
Some have been written pieces on various topics, and we intend to pick up on some of the topics in future blog posts.
We would really appreciate your feedback about how we have done so far, and have made a short anonymous questionnaire to invite you to give us your thoughts.
Involvement of the ASO Community in small-scale research projects
The ASO Team has been considering how we as a community might contribute to the gathering of data about the Alexander Technique and its teaching, and we would welcome your thoughts about this.
These might, for example, involve the following
The systematic use of research-based questionnaires such as MYMOP (Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile) with our clients/pupils
Questionnaires designed to elicit information about how we teach
Questionnaires to elicit information from our clients about their perceptions of the AT and how they apply it in their lives
If we do this, we would need to seek research funding and also create a pool of participating teachers. We might also want to ask for volunteers with appropriate experience to help analyse the data collected.
Would you potentially be interested in participating in small data gathering projects? (we are not asking for any commitment at this stage, rather, we are gauging level of interest). If so, please email us at alexander.studies.online@gmail.com
Are you involved with a University who might be interested in collaborating with small research projects of this nature?
Are you someone who, or do you have contacts who, could analyse data (either quantitative or qualitative)?
Thank you so much for your input, we really appreciate it.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The ASO Team
Member Contributions and Thanks
As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions and questions. Please use the Comment box below or email us at alexander.studies.online@gmail.com with any information, feedback, or questions. We will do our best to respond to you as soon as possible.
A special thanks to all those who continue to send in updated research lists to help enrich the ASO Zotero Alexander research database for members, researchers, and the public. Thank-you!
To sign-up for the ASO Newsletter click here and add your email at the bottom of the page to become a member. To further support our efforts please share this with your friends, colleagues, and students who may benefit.
To keep the conversation going: reach out to us online, or email Erica and the ASO team at alexander.studies.online@gmail.com