The following are links to other pages in my WordPress account that specifically deal with the Micro Teaching Assignment in chronological order:
Micro Teaching Assignment – Links
March 7, 2009 at 12:09 pm (assessment, Flexible Delivery, learning, PG-Cert, Uncategorized)
Tags: assessment, assignment, blocking, blog, blogging, brief, concept, delivery, dry run, education, evaluation, experiential, feedback, flexible, ipod, ipod touch, jamie mackay, kirkpatrick, kolb, learning, lecture, lecturer, mentoring, micro, mobile, Moodle, notation, pedagogy, podcast, podcastind, reflection, RSAMD, script, stage, stage management, student, teach, teaching, team, vodcast, Wordpress
Simulated Environments
February 5, 2009 at 11:16 pm (2nd Year Experience, Flexible Delivery, learning, Uncategorized)
Tags: blocking, blog, blogging, delivery, education, flexible, future, ipod touch, learning, mobile, Moodle, pedagogy, peer, reflection, rehearsals, RSAMD, script, simulation, stage management, student, teaching, team, team building
This morning we tackled blocking the first play. It was called “A Growing Problem” and had a cast of two. Vicky and Kieron had chosen it out of several 10 minute plays I had found and had gotten permission to work with. I felt it was important for the students to have a say in every part of this process, including choosing the script. It is unlikely that they will get to do so in the profession, so i felt it important that they felt this ‘Micro-production’ was their own. As a result of this move, I could do little pre-planning for my part in the process i.e. that of Director. I found this blind approach, exhilarating. Having to draw on my experiences as a DSM in rehearsals, and the observations I had made of Directors, made the process thoroughly engaging for me. I had to force myself back into ‘teaching mode’ regularly in order to observe the students work and comment accordingly.
Kieron and Vicky also had to step out of their perceived comfort zones and perform in the play. I had chosen 10 minute scripts as I found using extracts of larger pieces wholly unsatisfying as they gave no sense of completion. Of course, an entire play would be out of the question due to obvious time constraints.
The outcome of both performances was astonishing, Kieron had all but memorised the entire script and Vicky threw herself into the role wholeheartedly. I moved them around the set and gave them direction, while the real focus of the session (Emma and Anne – the DSMs) were busy notating the moves as blocking beside me. This simulation of a rehearsal allowed me to control the pace and in turn, the learning of the team. As the morning progressed, I layered detail onto the students remit.
In the afternoon, we swapped performers and Anne and Emma took on the roles of the characters in their own chosen script ‘Traces of Memories’ with Kieron and Vicky being DSMs. Again, the enthusiasm for performing was evident and the two girls took their roles seriously. There is always a danger of these kind of simulations turning farcical and the whole activity collapsing into hilarity. These situations are difficult to refocus and the learning can be lost, regardless of the perceived fun. I am glad to report that this was not the case and we progressed through the afternoon in a steady fashion.
We had scheduled for the 2nd Year production electricians to attend a run of both plays, at which they took notes for lighting and sound purposes. We then sat down to a meeting with them to discuss sound and lighting provision. I had wanted to include these students all along as it was a great opportunity for both, rekindling collaborations between the disciplines and allowing the PLX students a free reign at designing. There are few opportunities for this type of collaborative learning outside the highly pressurised production process. The students appeared to thrive in this assessment free learning environment.
The classes were supplemented with a handbook I had written for the student DSM, detailing all we had covered in the class (and much more). I had also produced two animations which the students could use to practice their blocking notation, I plan to make a series of animated scenarios which can be downloaded as podcasts. It is hoped the students will download them directly onto their iPod Touch devices that they received last November, allowing them to practice ubiquitously.
With the blocking done, rehearsal notes and call sheets completed, we shall move forward on the production time line, our next learning simulation being tomorrow where we shall deal with cues and advanced paperwork.
I am thoroughly satisfied with this session, considering what it evloved from five years ago and feel that it requires only a few minor alterations in the future.
Script & Score
February 2, 2009 at 11:35 pm (1st Year Experience, learning)
Tags: blog, blogging, cues, delivery, education, learning, Moodle, peer, prompt desk, reflection, RSAMD, score, script, stage management, student, teaching, team
Today’s class was fairly straight forward as we had planned and set up most of it yesterday evening. The students had been asked to find a short speech from a movie or theater that they liked and sheet music of a song they admired. They were to work in pairs and in their own time, blocking and learning the scripts. This served a number of outcomes, the most obvious being an appreciation of the performance process and to provide a scenario for their partners to cue from. It also provided a ‘small team’ scenario, which up until this point hadn’t been tested.
After a brief introduction on how to place cues into a script, we forged ahead with the first series of teams. I was impressed on the amount of work had been done and the commitment the students showed to the exercise. I had picked up through their blogs that their workload was proving to be stressful to most of the cohort, which made thier commitment all the more significant. Calum came along again and we agreed that he should run the afternoon session, where we would swap to cueing from a score.
All went well. Each student (and the one that was next in line) received instruction on how to use the prompt desk and encouragement was given wherever needed. Calum sat on cans to monitor how communications were between the DSM and the operators. It was great to have him around again and I looked forward to handing the session over in the afternoon, though I still wasn’t sure what my role would be.
I must also look at the brief for this project as there still seemed to be a little confusion about certain aspects of the day, I shall attend to it shortly, but all it requires is a little more detail.
The morning was highly enjoyable and most of the students coped very well with both performing in front of their peers and calling the mini productions. This cohort have little reservations about trying new skills and face up to challenges well. There was no formal assessment attached to today, which removed that kind of pressure and allowed the students to relax and enjoy the experience. This in turn, I believe, also improved overall performance and was more conducive to learning.
After lunch Calum talked through placing cues into a musical score, reiterating similarities between the two processes and giving one to one tuition, along with myself, whenever required. My only criticism of my own class was that there was a lot of sitting around by those who weren’t (or had) cueing. My next improvement would be to engage the others with a project as they waited their turn.
Every morning, before classes began, I had organised a member of the music school to lecture the P1/2 students in score reading. In a way this afternoons exercise was the culmination of these sessions, though with the lightest of touches. We filled the venue with smoke, in order to see the light beams and make it a little more dramatic. Afterwards, we discussed the differences between the two processes and summed up the week with a small discussion. As always, the group responded well and all agreed the week had been a positive experience.
Every night I persisted in reading each students blog and committed myself to comment on each one, it was a long process but an important one. I wanted to encourage the cohort by showing direct involvement with their reflections. If their was no obvious reason to provide formative feedback then I would leave encouragement, I had managed to get them all reflecting on WordPress and Twitter and needed to keep the momentum going.
Moodle also came into it’s own for me during this week. Having ecome an site-wide administrator has been excellent, I feel able to experiment with activities with confidence. This sense of VLE ‘freedom’ has already reaped a few significant benefits to my practice. I set up the Peer Generated Quiz on Moodle and it’s now posted and I await a response, along with an ATTL (Attitudes Towards Thinking & Learning) survey which is designed to help evaluate individuals attitudes towards thinking and learning.
Over the week I think I have succeeded in implimenting a blended approach to learning, using elearning, practical workshops, instruction and peer teaching to good effect. And not one did the Powerpoint projector and laptop get dusted off….
