Blog Post #5 Reflection: What kind of teacher do I want to be?

            Throughout my blog I have emphasized storytelling, oral communication, music and the dramatic arts. As well I have discussed how important telling stories is and that every individual has a story.  I have really enjoyed the process of reflecting on my personal literacy story. I want to continue reflecting on my life experiences to better understand how my story will affect my life as a teacher. I want to have a growth mindset in order to further reflect on my teaching practice and apply what I have learned in order to be a better teacher. I want to reflect on the experiences I have had, but also on experiences I did not have and what skills I may be lacking. For instance most of my personal literacy story has focused on oral communication so some areas I need more experience on are silent reading and writing strategies. I hope that once I am a teacher I will never stop reflecting and improving my practice.

            Throughout this blog I have reflected on my personal experiences and what I enjoyed. While reflecting on this experience I asked myself, “What experiences have had an impact on who I am as a person and as a teacher?” I discussed how I enjoyed the arts and performing in front of people. However, I also thought about my students that do not enjoy presenting in front of others. How can I use what I have learned to help them? Some of the Drama strategies I have discussed do not involve a performance, including writing in role which is a private reflection based on a characters point of view. 

Pixabay.(2012, April 3). Journal [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2j88ym3

Pixabay. (2014, May 5). Music Notes [Online Image]. Retrieved fromhttp://bit.ly/2jkuptD

If I were to integrate music into my classroom I would not emphasize the importance of singing or play an instrument in front of others. I would try to give my students the opportunity to play instruments and sing in a group so no one felt isolated.  If students wanted an opportunity to sing or play an instrument by themselves in front of the class I would let them, but I would not make anyone participate in a solo performance if they did not want to. As a future educator I would try my best to make sure that all my students are comfortable.

It is important for me to understand that my experiences are mine alone. Everyone has their own personal literacy story and I should not try to push my interests on others. I want to share my interest with my students, but not be forceful and put anyone in a difficult situation. Throughout my reflections I asked myself, “What will my students personal literacy story be?” If I have any lasting impact on my students I want it to be a positive one. I want to get to know my students in order to learn what kind of activities they enjoy and make sure I implement those activities in our classroom. I want to give my students the opportunity  to share their story with me. My personal literacy story has taught me that each of my students has their own story and its my responsibility to listen, understand and appreciate every single story.

Blog Post #4 Theatre: Everyone has a story

Throughout my theatrical experiences I have learned that everyone has a story, and everyone’s story deserves to be told. I’ve developed empathy for others because acting involves putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Below is a photo of me playing a homeless woman in a musical when I was 13 years old. This role made me realize how privileged I am and made me reflect on how other people have not had the same opportunities I have. I have played many different characters that have provided me with the opportunity to understand that everyone has an invisible backpack that they carry.

As a future educator I want to provide drama opportunities for my students so that they can understand someone else’s experiences. Some strategies I have learned, besides participating in plays, include writing in role, collective voices, and hot seating. Writing in role is an activity where students write journal entries from a character’s perspective (Dawson, 2016). This activity enables students to take on another perspective without actually having to act it out. Collective voices is an activity where a class reads a story together and then the students is divided into two different groups (Arts Online, 2007) . Each group is assigned a character. The two groups face each other and discuss a problem in the story. In each group all of the students collectively represent the thoughts of their group’s specific character. This provides students with an opportunity to take someone else’s perspective in a collaborative way. A strategy provided by Tompkins (2013) is hot seating. Hot seating is a strategy that allows students to take on the role of a character featured in a story. The student comes in a costume and answers questions from the class in role. This provides students with an opportunity to see the world from another person’s point of view. Understanding multiple points of view and voice is an important literacy skill, but it is also an important life skill. Understanding that people have different perspectives can help students develop empathy and compassion for others. Therefore as a future educator I want to facilitate activities that promote understanding different points of view.  

References

Dawson, K. (2016). Drama Based Instruction: Writing in role. Retrieved from http:/ /dbp.theatredance.utexas.edu/teaching- strategies/writing-role


Arts Online. (2007). Drama Glossary. Retrieved from http://artsonline2.tki.org.nz/ecurriculum/drama/glossary.php

Blog #3 Theatre Performance Opportunities

I have participated in plays and musicals my whole life. These experiences have provided me with opportunities to feel comfortable with being in front of other people. I have learned the importance of projecting my voice so that everyone in the classroom can hear and understand me. 

Photo of me as The Bullfrog in Honk

Photo of me as Moldy Molly in a western themed children's play

Photo of me as a mouse in Cinderella

I have learned the importance of oral communication in  a classroom setting. I also would like to provide dramatic arts opportunities for my students. One example provided by Tompkins (2013) is reader's theatre. This literacy strategy involves the class selecting a script and discussing it like any other story. Then students participate in rehearsing and staging the production. I think theatre is an important medium to tell a story because it provides children with opportunities to tell a story in a creative way. They embody characters and actively tell a story. This provides a deeper understanding for students. 

Photo of me as a Bird Girl in Seussical 

Photo of me as a mouse in A Year with Frog and Toad. 

Throughout my acting experiences I also had the opportunity to participate in Theatre for Young Audiences. This is a type of theatre that is written and performed for children. After performances we would go out into the foyer of the theatre while were were still in costume. We would act as our characters and meet the children who watched the show. In this experience I learned how much children enjoy live theatre and being able to meet characters from the show. As a future educator I would like to provide my students with the experience to attend live theatre. I also learned how memorized students are when you are wearing a costume and acting as someone else. I was amazed with how much they believed in my character. I would also like to provide a similar experience to students in the classroom. I would like to apply my acting experience into my future classroom by participating in teacher in role. Teacher in role is a drama strategy where a teacher takes on a role and the students ask the teacher questions (Drama Resource, 2017). The teacher can dress up and responds to students questions as if they are a specific character. I would use this strategy in order to understand children's comprehension of a story. I think this would be a good strategy to use because it is a fun and engaging way for students to gain a deeper understanding of a story.  

References 

Tompkins, G. E. (2013). 50 literacy strategies: Step by step (4^th ed.)  Toronto, ON: Pearson.

Drama Resource. (2017). Teacher in Role. Retrieved from http://dramaresource.com/teacher-in-role/