Children's Theatre (2006) Journal Seven

The move to Nexus is always great, it is such a joy. I just realised today that, for the third year in a row, I don’t get to go up on the balcony. That’s not fair! It is a time that students really start to understand and physically visualise the potential for the production. In a school situation, it would be a great time to start discussions. How can we use this space to its full potential? What can we do differently with the balcony? Making students part of the production’s process not only gives them responsibilities, but also allows them to generate their own interpretation.

Schooling is about creating self-motivated and self-determined individuals. As teachers we help develop students skills, and even more so, improve upon them. Always give students the arena for improving or creating personal growth, such as ‘building self-confidence and expression skills’ (Gelineau, 2004:120). Students can start their own warm-ups, run a production meeting, or like in an ISC, devise their own research and assessments. Depending on the group, obviously, students could be asked to create their own assessment pieces, and therefore demonstrate much autonomy and a firm understanding of their own learning approach. There is no reason why, as a teacher, I could not implicitly communicate to the class the requirements of a new piece of assessment. If I said ‘we needed to look at terminology pertaining to the theatre, and aspects of a specific convention’, students could design how they would like to approach it. Would it work?

As I said, it would depend on the group, however if you were specific about their required Arts Objectives it could work. Physically telling students their Outcomes is a great idea. It shares responsibility with the learner, and clearly identifies how they need to proceed to achieve the level they wish. With regards to Arts, Skills and Processes, my main focus has been on dividing the physical skills and processes listed within the Elaborations. The checklist, one again only a draft, looks at issues with regards to the physical presentation of drama itself. The outcome really looks at ‘combining appropriate art skills, techniques, processes, conventions and technologies effectively in given tasks’ (Curriculum Council, 2005: 46); but what is effectively?

This week my lesson plan looks at the group evaluation, and how to maintain consistent judgements. Seasonal Grouping asks students to create a short improvised production based on the notions of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. The strength of the lesson plan, I believe, one again lies in the fact that this time the group is given feedback on interaction and conventions, therefore students are being given an opportunity to attain a higher level within the Outcomes. When dealing with the Outcome of Arts, Skills and Processes, the teacher judgements are on the line. ‘Judgments can impede student performance and can thwart student learning if they are conveyed to students in insensitive ways’ (Eisner, 2002:180). The ambiguity of a teacher’s ability to evaluate consistently will always be in question.

A teacher’s judgment is subjective in many parts. ‘Judgments are made each time a teacher determines if a student understands an idea. Judgments are made when a teacher decides if a student is engaged in her or his work’ (Eisner, 2002:179) Clear and unambiguous assessments are vital, just like with the OBE. Teachers need to know what they are doing, and in turn be given the appropriate tools to work with. Arts, Skills and Processes is perhaps the most important Outcome of them all. It looks at the finalised product; namely how a student performs, expresses appropriate performance etiquette and their use of conventions and technologies. If everything a teacher works up to is a final performance or presentation, a teacher’s method for evaluating this event must be the most important. This approach, however is problematic as ‘the educational value of the arts lies in the process – not the product’ (Gelineau, 2004:17).

[1] Eisner, E. W. (2002) The Arts and the Creation of Mind, Yale University Press: New Haven and London. p. 240

Three hours after the workshop, the Ed Pack was finally finished today. It nearly killed both myself and Nikki (not to mention my additional assistant Tiffany), but it is done. Activities were still being completed and added early this morning, and with only about three hours sleep, I think (hopefully) there are no errors in the final product. The major change was the use of the descriptions to introduce the aim of the activity to teachers. In an attempt to stay sane, the final product uses a one sentence description to identify for teachers what the activity will enable their students to do. If the activity’s connection to the play is unclear, we also added a ‘link’ sentence that correlates the activity to the production.

As said previously, the purpose of an activity is paramount to it being completed. If students know why you are getting them to do something, the more likely you are to achieve a good result. I found this train of thought also prevalent in a speech made by the District Director of Education, Paul Albert. At my children’s local primary school last week, the official school opening took place. Mr Albert came along as a special guest to talk to the students, but in fine form, used the opportunity to talk to the parents as well.

Mr Albert identified the distinction between the old and new system as a difference of student knowledge. His analogy used an example that visualises a student receiving a percentage mark for a test. 70% fails to tell the student anything except what their grade was for the test itself. Using the Outcomes Based approach, a student may receive their percentage grade, but they will also receive information on how to improve their learning, as ‘both teaching and evaluation interpenetrate curriculum. They are a part of an inseparable whole’ (Eisner, 2002:150). This is possibly why I like the new system, as it specifically seeks to instruct students on approaches to rise up to the next level. In Mr Albert’s example a student that would receive a 70% would also receive feedback on how they can achieve a better result next time.

This is one approach that I will use with my students. Physically telling the students the levels of assessment could allow them to meet their desired outcomes. Even physically handing out a checklist of the assessment evaluation could allow students to visualise how they could achieve a better mark while they are working on the project, rather than at its completion. This means the quality of work (in theory) would be of a better standard, as students could look at ways of constructing a project or a performance that addresses each individual assessment component. For instance, two weeks ago I looked at assessing a student on their individual performance. In this example, it would be advantageous to explicitly describe what is expected to allow students to achieve their very best.

This approach is vital as students could then create and manage their own approaches to learning, and as a result, could be responsible for their own commitment. ‘A department in which the students’ ownership of their work in the context of a dynamic and negotiated curriculum is highly valued is a prerequisite for students to be able to engage in spiritual in art’ (Hickman (ed), 2004:156). These outcomes demonstrate the purpose, and I believe the strength of the Outcomes approach. Being unclear of expectations, and not knowing how to improve, creates much anxiety with students. I know the same thing happens for me, especially with exams.

In my history at Murdoch, I’ve made it clear that I’m not the biggest fan of exams. Reading the components and strengths of the new Outcomes approach I can see why. Exams give you a result at the end of the process and that is it. They fail to tell you where you went wrong, and more importantly, how to do better next time. This is where the Outcomes approach works. It tells you, in plain English, how to achieve the next level.

With one exam, that I won’t mention in which unit, the lecturer/exam writer specifically went out of her way and told all of the students what did not need to be researched in the exam preparation, as it was not in the assessment. The first question, however, was exactly that; word for word what she said NOT to study. As a teacher, no matter whether it’s in high school or university, you have a commitment to improve your students’ learning and knowledge. This example only provides me with a case where the teacher did not look after the needs of her students, rather the needs of her administration duties. A piece of assessment should not be conducted for the accountability of the teacher’s educational requirement, rather, for the student’s learning needs. ‘It is not arts education that we do, it is… life education’ (Gelineau, 2004:164).

For the final two lesson plans, I’m looking at Arts in Society. With these lesson plans, I propose to look at, again, both the activity and the assessment component. I am about to present one lesson plan today, and then the second for Sunday’s journal entry, thus freeing my week thirteen and fourteen for rehearsal and performance feedback. Both ideas stem from constructing and scanning activities for the Ed Pack.

Today’s activity is called Prop Me Up. Simply, students research, design and create their own properties for a play. The reason I have placed it under the heading of Arts in Society is because I believe the activity offers a fantastic entry point for students to investigate a particular culture or time. ‘Children understand cultures different from their own, the arts can play a vital role not only in illuminating origins and customs, but also in awakening awareness of the universality of human spirit’ (Gelineau, 2004:10). The idea assumes that students are in the middle of creating a class production. Students will need to identify the necessity of a certain property for their production’s set, and then research and construct what they need. I believe the activity works because the project has a significant purpose and it helps in improving their production. As I said all semester, purpose with any activity is vitally important. The assessment is simple, verbal question that assess a student’s understanding, and their process. The questions themselves are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, vital for scaffolding student achievement.

[1] Comments from Jenny de Reuck, her focus was about enjoying the Children’s Theatre experience

Heaps to talk about, however the best place to start with is the revelations. Melissa pointed out to me, something I had not previously realised until today. Bluey has no journey in the play; essentially he starts and ends at the same point. He is sure of who he is, and knows what he can and cannot do. This is, perhaps, a reason I have had so much trouble with the character lately. I’ve found Bluey very difficult to communicate, and until tonight, was not really sure why. Unlike Ares, and to a lesser degree Katzenellenbogen, my characters have always started in one way, and finished in another. Bluey doesn’t do that!

Turning up to Children’s Theatre three years in a row has risks. If I was not challenged, the reason for returning would be pointless. I love the fact that I’m constantly pushed, even down to the fact that I have no group this year. All the Insects work together without me, I talk briefly to the Snottygobbles and I mainly appear with the Goblins. I have no friends! Of course, this is so I don’t fall back on to my old tricks and approaches that I’ve created in the past. At the moment, however, it is truly making it harder. It’s becoming quite frustrating, as I’m struggling to create a good character at the moment, and I currently feel like I’m failing. It’s possibly not as bad as that, but I really need to define my approach for this week.

The Ed Pack has taken a lot out of me, however more so, I’ve only just realised tonight how much more work I have to go with Bluey. As I do each semester, I plan to write short entries for each day over week thirteen and fourteen. Still sticking to form, this year I will of course add an educational point-of-view to the reflection. One of the most important components of teaching is giving constructive and critical feedback. I hope to provide myself feedback on my performance as a means of meeting an important element of the Outcomes Based Education system. It is not merely the assessing of students that is important, it is the information we give them to improve that is vital. I will, like last year, identify what I did well, what ‘not so much’ and then how I could improve. Getting students to the next level should be the most important thought in a teacher’s pedagogical approach.

With this in mind, I would like to discuss the last Arts Outcome, as well as present my final lesson plan. As my ISC last year was on Shakespeare and the classroom, I have spent a lot of time and focus in this area. My point of view specifically looked at making Shakespeare accessible to students, because if they don’t care about what you teach, then they won’t want to learn it. Although there is more to the Arts in Society section than just Shakespeare, many of my approaches could be suitably modified to meet the approaches of different literature, societal or cultural teaching.

Arts in Society, is very interesting as it allows students to study the context of drama itself. Through research or recreating, meaning and understanding can be enhanced. ‘Students should come to understand art as a cultural artefact, one that both reflects and affects the culture in which it appears’ (Eisner, 2002:124). Once again, however, an ambiguous use of language is expressed through the creation of the Elaborations. I looked at the first three outcomes through a draft checklist, and found it difficult to interpret what was written, and specifically how to use it. It appears again that a firmly constructed assessment and evaluation is vital. It is hard to communicate a student’s ‘recognition’ or ‘awareness’ of cultural representation, however a well created assessment process could allow the student to communicate just that.

Finally to my lesson plan, I intend to look at the area of Commedia dell ‘Arte. My idea is the design and creation of a ‘new’ character. Students would need to research the different characters and then identify what type of character they would like to create. Students would need to design a mask for their character and then, most importantly, write an essay on why their character is appropriate. It is a chance for students to justify their choices, and indeed, illustrate which character their creation may bond with, or hate encouraging ‘students to think more deeply about subject matter’ (Goldberg, 2006:1). The idea works because to successfully create and justify their choices, students will need to know some of the other characters from that era, and in turn develop their own view of the time. ‘They contribute to cultural, social and political changes by challenging established cultural values and ideas (Hickman (ed), 2004:114). I have drafted a written test, which needs more work, but it’s a start. It individually looks at student’s written responses based on their answers in reply to the provided questions. If the question has two parts, the marks are awarded accordingly to answering all aspects of the query. I have awarded the most amount of marks in line with the student’s evaluation of their own work, therefore assessing what the project means to them.

For Arts in Society, a great way for students to learn may not be to ask them to regurgitate information. Students ‘can influence what we regard as art; they can challenge us in special ways to think about how those relationships influence our experience’ (Eisner, 2002:124). It may be of more importance for students to recreate the culture from their view, by means of creating their own character or set design. Students would have a better chance of remembering facts about the time they investigated for this project, than being asked and tested on information from a book. Once again I’ve written up a draft checklist in point form for the first three levels, and given more time, I would possibly have elaborated more on each point. As I pointed out in my Shakespeare ISC, it is vital that we don’t bring the students to the subject area, or the subject area to the student. The investigation of Arts in Society is dependent on finding the middle ground. If you can get students interested and excited, Outcomes seem achievable and, most of all, fulfilling for the student.

[1] Eisner, E. W. (2002) The Arts and the Creation of Mind, Yale University Press: New Haven and London. p. 235

View Andrew's 'Integrating Drama and the Outcomes and Standards Framework' journal entries...

...or view other individual lesson plans, draft checklists or completed activities...