Without the attraction of hi-tech gear such as automated flying, intelligent lighting or high end sound equipment I have always had to find ways to make my lectures more interesting and ultimately, engaging. Part of the problem lies with an industry which insists that traditional methods be maintained. only a few years ago a member of the Stage Management Association balked at the idea of adding cues to a Prompt Copy without lines! So, without much industry innovation happening within my field I have had to be inventive. Within the context of society, it’s a world full of gadgetry and for a very good reason, people want to engage with technology. Every generation that passes become more ‘plugged in’ , so it is fair to say that expectations for technology to be used in education is an upwardly spiraling phenomenon.
So coupled with some particularly ‘dry’ subject matter to cover and an overwhelming desire to have my students ‘want’ to learn, I chose to engage my students in a lecture that would whet their appetite for more. There is a need for this knowledge, as it is a pre-requisite for advancement on the programme, but wanting to learn is the optimum driver. As Phil Race states, “Lectures can be occasions where the want is rekindled or amplified.” He goes on to list points on why lectures can benefit the learning process rather than delivering content to an uninterested passive ‘audience’. His points are both persuasive and poignant and if structured appropriately can ;
- radiate infectious enthusiasm for the subject;
- pose interesting questions which excite the students curiosity;
- help students to see how much they can already do, increasing their confidence;
- illustrate to students that complex problems can often be solved one step at a time;
- clarify targets, performance standards and intended learning outcomes, so that students can see exactly what they are aiming for;
- help students to identify the difference between what they need to know, and those things that are simply nice to know;
- relate materials being taught to course objectives and exam questions (establishing the need to know dimension). (Race, 2007)
The students that attended my class all seemed to gain a sense of satisfaction in being able to accomplish the tasks set out for them, I tried to design the lecture so they could tap into a knowledge pool that they already had brought with them to the class. I tried to pitch the class at a level that would still be challenging to 1st Years with varying levels of expertise, though on reflection I feel that I may have made it a little easy. However, this was also a demonstration of blended learning and how facets of it can be used for the purpose of inclusion. To begin with I spent a great deal of time considering the layout and presentation of the lessons handouts. They had to be of good quality and clearly laid out, digital copies were available prior to the class ensuring that the students were prepared and could spend their short time with me listening and ‘doing’ rather than writing a plethora of notes; detaching themselves from the actual act of learning. (Butcher, Davies, Highton, 2006)
To further enhance this approach and to reduce the amount of pre-requisite reading I looked towards technology as an inclusive tool. Addressing both auditory and visual styles of learning I compiled an introductory video which I intended to vodcast (a term first coined for the Cambridge Interactive TV trial in 1994 meaning Video On Demand Cast) after the class. Hosting my own Micro course on Moodle seemed to be the way forward as the students were already familiar with the VLE. This allowed me to leave the attainment of pre-requisite knowledge and the reflective (leading to evaluative) processes to be completed outside of the 30 minutes I had. I also used it to provide revisionary learning objects, which ensured that the students could practice in their own time and place. The inclusion of .mp4 files allowed this content to be portable in the sense of mobile learning on video enabled devices. To present this idea more coherently I preloaded several iPod Touch units with this content (animations, the introductory video and the Keynote presentation slides) of the lecture.
Mobile learning has similar shared pedagogic potential with e-learning as well having several unique aspects of it’s own (Kukulska-Hulme, Traxler, 2005: cited in Beetham, Sharpe, 2007). Several valid reasons for adopting this approach are also outlined by Kukulska-Hulme & Traxler, they are as follows:
- Access - for example improving access to assessment. learning materials and learning resources or increasing flexibility of learning for students.
- Changes in teaching & learning – for example guiding students to see a subject differently than they would have done without the mobile device or exploring whether the time and task management facilities of mobile devices can help students to manage their studies.
- Alignment with institutional or business aims - for example making wireless, mobile, interactive learning available to all students without incurring the expense of costly hardware; delivering communications, information and training to large numbers of people regardless of their location; or harnessing the existing proliferation of mobile phone services and their many users. (Kukulska-Hulme, Traxler in Beetham, Sharpe, 2007)
Kinesthetic elements were aslo predominate in the session through simulated blocking scenario’s. I had pre-marked an area of the studio with a large ‘naughts and crosses’ grid, depicting the 9 main area’s of a stage (U.S.L – Up Stage Left, C.S. Center Stage etc…). Onto which I placed 2 chairs and a single rehearsal block. These items were used to orientate the blocking to objects as if they were set items. I then made 3 very simple moves myself within the grid and asked the students to notate where I moved. At this stage they had been given no insight into how a professional standard of blocking would be notated. This set a benchmark, the start of a the learning journey after the earlier contextualisation video.
We then returned to the presentation area where I showed a series of explanatory animations, which took the students progressively through the blocking notation system and theory . We then returned to the ‘blocking’ area and working in pairs, the students carried out the praxis of the theory they had been engaged with earlier. This approach is deeply rooted in Kolbs experiential learning cycle in which theory, practice, reflection and evaluation are addressed fully. (Kolb, 1984)
I then paired the group, one set taking on an ‘acting’ role in which I became the Director and asked them to carry out 3 simple, directed moves. The two remaining group members notated the blocking using knowledge gained in the earlier animations. I had also made colorful ‘quick reference cards’ for them to refer to as they notated. After checking over what the notating pair had done and giving some short verbal feedback we swapped the pairs over and they reversed roles. The second time around I changed the blocking in order to give a parity of experience.
The group then re-assembled in the presentation area and I finished the session with a few more slides. The first consisted of four questions that I wanted them to consider when reflecting on their WordPress blogs at a later date. The aim of this was to deepen their learning through reflection and secondly for an evaluation of the learning experience they had just partaken in.
The advantage of diaries is that you get different viewpoints of the same events. You can also ask participants to focus in their writing on certain aspects of a situation. (Ashcroft & Foreman-Peck, 2003)
The ultimate intention of centering student learning around reflective practice is the hope that the students will adopt it in order to pursue a course of lifelong learning. The more immediate effect would be to begin the process of developing a cohort of self-critical learners that are adept to problem solving through their reflective practice. Of course all of these interpersonal skills are absolutely vital to Stage Management, so in a sense, this will ‘kill two birds with a single stone’. It is no wonder that reflection is especially effective within vocational courses where “students are learning to take responsibility for their actions and to look open-mindedly for ways to improve and develop their practice and understanding”. (Ashcroft & Foreman-Peck, 2003)
I regret not having timed my class more effectively as I ran over by 8 minutes, which meant I had to skip the all important evaluative discussion I had planned. I did manage to outline the extra-curricula content I had designed and could be found on Moodle. This included the vodcast of the introductory video, two practice blocking animations, a quiz and a copy of the Keynote slides they had been working from earlier. There was also a copy of the quick reference card I had handed out.
The final Moodle activity was an online evaluative questionnaire which I had based on Kirpatrick’s four levels of evaluation (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 1994). The outcome of the student responses would go towards gauging the effectiveness of the learning experience and the design of the class. As this lesson required very few pre-requisites and therefore could be considered a base level introduction I restricted the survey to only the first level i.e. Evaluation – Reactions Level one serves to be the gauge – it evaluates how participants/trainees react to the training program or learning experience.
I was also filming the lecture (a special thanks to Vicky, a 2nd Year TPA student, who operated the camera) so that I could vodcast it and upload it to Moodle. Unfortunately the sound was faulty and I ended up not using it.
As I was packing up after the class I felt a distinct feeling of dissatisfaction with what I had done. There wasn’t a flow to the class, it felt staccato and not all had went to plan. I regretted not having made time for the discussion and having to rush the end, the culmination of the 30 minutes seemed to ‘fizzle out’. There wasn’t a sense of summation. I also managed (somehow?) to get the order of the lecture mixed up, causing more movement from one area to the other than felt comfortable. I put this down to being nervous, a sensation I’m not used to. As I mentioned to Julia afterwards, that was the first time I had ever had another teacher in the room with me, observing my practice, in 6 years of teaching.
Race, P (2007) The Lecturer’s Toolkit: 3rd Edition London: Routledge.
Butcher, Davies & Highton (2006) Designing Learning from Module Outline to Effective Teaching, Oxon: Routledge
Beetham, H & Sharpe, R (2007) Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age, Oxon: Routeledge
Kolb D A (1984) Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development New Jersey: Prentice-Hall
Ashcroft & Foreman-Peck (2003) Managing Teaching and Learning in Further and Higher Education London: RoutledgeFalmer UK
Kirkpatrick D.L & Kirkpatrick J.D (1994) Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels (3rd Edition) San Francisco: Berrette-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
