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April 29, 2005
I Get to Go to the Gym!!!
I get to ride the exercise bike and to use the stairmaster and some of the weight machines. WooHoo! I can actually do a cardio workout and get my heart back into shape. (And my butt, which, to be honest, is the priority.)
After all of my hard work this week, though, I'm still only bending to 129 degrees. That's three more than on Monday, but it's going so sloooooooowly. Grrrrrr...
OooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooh! While I was typing that last bit, a male hummingbird just flew to the climbing rose on the front porch and looked at himself in the window. I wonder if we're going to need some kind of anti-hummingbird decals so he doesn't attack his reflection.
It's so cool. We didn't have any hummingbirds last year, though the shrub was there. And last week, several quail spent time in the front yard, which hadn't happened before. And I've seen more finches than in the previous couple of years. There are also ladybugs and lacewings everywhere. Clearly, the landscaping work is beginning to pay off.
I was excited to see all of the beneficial bugs we attracted last year with the courtyard o'flowers and the sunflowers. I left the sunflowers and the echinacea and the rudbeckia standing until about a month ago, just to be sure the birds would have enough to eat. I collected the remaining seeds to spread in the beds once we plant the cherry tree (which is on the back porch!) and clean up the courtyard.
I've designed the yard so that something is in bloom most of the year. There's heather that was blooming in December, then snowdrops and crocuses and early iris and daffs and now tulips and muscari and the vinca around Dave's windowell. The crabapples are all beginning to blossom now too. Some of the allium and leeks are getting ready to go and then there will be the roses (most of which are continuous blooming) and foxtail lillies and lavender and shasta daisies and feverfew and love-in-a-mist and rose campion and irises and columbine and...
I've also designed the yard to be relatively drought tolerant. And as many of the plants as possible serve multiple purposes. For instance, all but one of the trees I've planted are fruit-bearing, (the non-fruiting tree is an evergreen) as are most of the shrubs. Even the rugosa roses have decorative and edible hips, I also planted the rugosas because they'll be nice bird shelter. The previously-mentioned seed-bearing flowers fit into things too. I want to make sure that anyone wild who comes to visit has something to eat.
The increase in bird life tells me it's working. I've never been able to alter a landscape this dramatically before, and I love the fact that I can see the improvements I was hoping for in terms of wildlife attraction. It's so exciting.
Posted by sally at 10:49 AM
April 28, 2005
Much Better
Today was a much better day. Mostly due to the fact that I lay down on the couch after lunch to put my knee up for a bit and Katala curled up on my arm and chest. For those of you who don't know her, this is pretty much a high-level miracle; it ranks right up there with the Second Coming. She stayed there and napped with me for at least two hours.
When I finally woke up, she was still happily snuggling, and I wanted to encourage that kind of behavior, so I just lay on the couch and looked out the front window at the sky and trees and rose leaves. It was so peaceful. More peace than I've known in quite some time.
Suddenly, I saw red in the window and realized I was looking at a hummingbird. I thought I had seen one in the bush by the bedroom window the other day, but hadn't been able to spot it again. Just now, while doing my knee exercises, I saw movement in the bush again and discovered that there is a pair of rufous hummingbirds (I saw both male and female) living somewhere in the neighborhood. Perhaps even in the bush. And because the window was open, I now know what rufous hummingbirds sound like.
All in all, a very good day.
Posted by sally at 08:16 PM
The Longest Day of My Year So Far
This is what I did yesterday:
6:15am - Got up (an hour earlier than usual), did knee exercises, showered, ate breakfast, etc.
9:00am - Taught Acting Class #1. Had a huge amount of fun, the students really seemed to get a lot out of it. In fact, several of them thanked me for it later in the day. Two said they hadn't wanted to stop working/rehearsing when it was over.
10:30am - Did knee exercises.
11:00am - Taught Acting Class #2. Also fun. It's always fascinating to me to see how different the personalities of classes can be.
12:30pm - Went home for lunch. Iced knee.
1:30pm - Movement class in the old arboretum. Watched and performed final projects.
3:15pm - Ate energy bar in the car because I wasn't going to have time to get dinner.
3:30pm - Not-for-Profit Arts Administration class. 2 1/2 hours of lecture and animated discussion. Class was cancelled last week, but we managed to completely catch up lecture-wise.
5:57pm - Walked into the Hartung. My call is 5:45, and today it was 4pm for a pickup rehearsal, but the stage manager knew I wasn't going to make it because of the class. So I was late, but not so late that I didn't get everything done in time. And I was excused because I was in class.
7:30pm - Curtain. The show went really well. Good house, probably 75 people, which is pretty remarkable for a Wednesday night on the Palouse.
9:37pm - Final tableau. Staying in costume for photo call.
11:15pm - Released from photo call. Getting out of makeup and costume. Haven't eaten since energy bar at 3:15. (I didn't realize I hadn't eaten in 8 hours until just now when I typed this in.) Tired, cranky, headachy.
11:33pm - Lying on couch, icing knee, devouring three slices of cold pizza.
12:11am - In bed. I finally get to stop rushing about. For a little while, at least.
That's right, I had an 18-hour day in which I had one 1-hour break, from 12:30-1:30pm. I'm really surprised I didn't start screaming at people about halfway through photo call. Or fall flat on my face during the performance.
Today, still tired, cranky, headachy. Stupid cat decided I needed to wake up at 6:30 this morning. Finally gave up the battle an hour later and got out of bed. Ugh. Thank goodness today is a light day. Just one class to teach, some papers to grade and a workshop to attend should I choose to. It's a film and TV workshop about which I couldn't, frankly, care less. However, it's being taught by Rob Estes, truly one of the nicest people I've ever met. Plus, the faculty is really pushing all of the graduating people to go, and I just found out that Rob used to be a student of Larry Moss, whose book Intent to Live had a huge impact on my work this semester. So I should probably go. But it's awfully hard to get my butt up off the couch after yesterday.
Posted by sally at 09:53 AM
April 26, 2005
No More Brace!
I only need to wear it in performance, and that's because it's too risky to do without. I've been walking around ever since as though my knee were made of glass. It's not, It's made of bone, muscle, cartilage, tissue, water, blood, metal and some other material. But no glass.
It feels very fragile and unprotected now, but that's a mental/emotional thing which I'm sure I'll get over eventually.
Very tired now. And tomorrow I have to teach two acting classes and complete a final project and attend my arts admin class (for which, I have just realized, I forgot to do the assigned reading) and perform in Macbeth, all between the hours of 9am and 9:30pm, with one hour for lunch between 12:30 and 1:30 and no time for dinner. Oops.
Posted by sally at 09:35 PM
Signs of Impending Summer
You can tell it's impending summer not only because my toes are painted (I could reach my foot, yay!) but because as of yet I have no Teva tan.
Posted by sally at 09:55 AM | Comments (1)
April 24, 2005
AAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhh...
I write this from the back porch. It's everything I'd hoped it would be
Posted by sally at 02:17 PM
Ah, Beautiful, Wish You Were Here
Another gorgeous day out. So beautiful, I was motivated to clean off the back porch and wash the furniture so I can grade papers out there instead of inside. Unfortunately for Dave, that meant moving the car tires and wheels he'd stacked there over the winter. I did not also mean to suggest that he should change the snow tires since he was moving the tires anyway, but apparently he read that into my request and that's what he's now doing. I'm really sorry Dave, I really didn't mean you had to do that today.
I'm glad we don't have a show today. After yesterday's marathon weed-pulling session, and a killer performance all-around last night, I'm too, too tired to do it all again today. Plus, turns out the knee needs some rest. I was limping from exhaustion by the time the play was finished. As good as the muscles feel and as much as I can bend it, they're still too weak to take that much work and be fine.
The furniture should be dry now. To the porch!
Posted by sally at 01:52 PM | Comments (1)
April 23, 2005
Guess What I Did Today
Before
After
It took several hours and four 5 gallon buckets of compostable weeds and four plastic shopping bags of non-compostable weeds. But it is once again a bed I don't have to be ashamed of.
And because the Moms have asked for yard pictures, I took these today:
Posted by sally at 04:04 PM
April 22, 2005
Long, Lazy Day
I've done almost nothing today. Dave says that's alright since I've not had a day off in over three weeks. If I haven't been attending classes or rehearsals or physical therapy, I've been working on my exit project. Most days, I've had some combination of the four. But not today.
Today, I slept in. (Until 8:30!) And it was such a lovely morning that I turned off the furnace and opened all the windows. They're still open, and it's still lovely out, though beginning to get dark. Then I let myself read a novel, did some web surfing and played with the cats.
I also did some grocery shopping, emptied all the old liquids in the refrigerator into the compost bin, and began working up two different possible upper-division acting classes. And just now, I removed most of the dying daffodils from around the beech tree in the front yard. Which reminds me, I have an announcement to make.
I planted 50 giant, yellow daffs and 30 Red Parade perennial tulips in the bed under the beech last fall. The tulips are just beginning to bloom, now that the daffs are going off, though in some people's yards (right around the corner, for instance) they bloomed together. Anyhow, after deadheading the daffs, I counted the stalks. I put 60 stalks in the compost bin, and there are still 9 daffs in great shape on the north side of the tree. In other words, I got 69 flowers out of 50 bulbs.
This is why I love gardening.
The above photo was taken last Sunday. As was this one:
Posted by sally at 07:32 PM
Best Freudian Slip I've Ever Heard
One of my students was giving a persuasive speech on lowering the drinking age to 18. He brought up all of the usual arguments, including the draft, contracting debt and the being old enough to get married. He then rephrased this last contention and said, "I mean, you can get married at 18, but if you get married before you turn 21, you can't eve drink at your own funera-- um wedding."
I hope his girlfriend didn't hear about it...
Posted by sally at 11:46 AM
April 21, 2005
Macbeth Opens Tonight
7:30pm. Hartung Theatre. No intermission, and it's running about 1:45.
I need to find some time to rest at some point, or I am going to be dead for the show. I should also probably eat.
I'll get food on the way to turning in my Exit Questions to my committee members. They're getting them 2 weeks early because I had a lot to say, and I figured they'd want the extra time.
Think I'll go ice my knee and wait for the florist. (Dave sent me flowers for opening night. Yay!
Posted by sally at 01:54 PM
April 20, 2005
Wrapping It Up
I am in the middle of printing out and collating and binding six copies of my exit questions, or rather my responses to my exit questions. It's incredibly nerve-wracking because I'm afraid I'll muff something horribly and be humiliated in my jury. I really want them to look and be professional. And for me, printing it means it's final. No more edits allowed.
They've changed the questions for this year's candidates, and I'm kind of sorry they did. One of the options used to be to create an entire upper division course, complete with syllabus, reading materials and tests. Now we have to write a series of papers. Not including the scene breakdowns that I did for the two versions of Macbeth that I analyzed and compared. So. For a non-thesis degree, I have written 46 pages. For a non-thesis degree.
Whoosh. I'm tired.
Posted by sally at 08:51 PM
April 19, 2005
Dave Has a Blo-og
Finally, my luddite husband has entered the technical age.
Um.
That's a joke, for those of you who don't know him. My brother calls him "the Professor" for a reason.
Posted by sally at 01:04 PM
April 15, 2005
Teaching Excellence Award
We just got home from the Graduate Student Association awards banquet where I received my teaching excellence award. There were 12-14 given out, but I was one of six who were singled out for having gone above and beyond the call of duty. They couldn't pronounce my last name, but they spelled it right on the certificate, and that's much more important in the long run.
One of the best parts was that there were four other theatre MFA's at the banquet. One was our representative to the GSA and on the banquet committee. The other three were the entertainment. They sat at our table, but were very surprised to see me there. They knew I wasn't doing the performance stuff, and besides that, Dave was there. So they weren't sure what to make of it until I told them about the award. I had kept it to myself. Despite the fact that I feel a teeny bit superior about the whole thing, it just didn't seem right to be running around the department skipping and singing, "I got a teaching excellence award."
I don't act like I'm eight all the time.
Posted by sally at 08:46 PM | Comments (1)
ACL Update
No time for much more than this. I've got 3 papers to write this weekend, amongst tech and dress rehearsals and a face casting. But I can now flex my knee to 122 degrees (up 7 degrees from Monday) and extend it to -5 degrees so it's all good.
Posted by sally at 10:24 AM
April 12, 2005
So Something's Working
Because I can now bend my leg 115 degrees. I've still got another 5 degrees or so before I can consider it all the way straight, but the bending improved dramatically. In part because the swelling is going down, but also I suspect because I've been doing the exercises exactly the way they're described, and apparently that's more than is expected. I have permission to do them for less time, but I may keep the 30 minutes of wall slides for one of my 3xday sessions and only reduce two of them to 12-15 minutes. I mean, if it's working this well for me...
Posted by sally at 09:28 AM | Comments (2)
April 11, 2005
P.O.V.
Mine is kind of blurry right now. I'm tired and I need to change my contact lenses. But I've finished my last assignment for my not-for-profit arts administration class (I'll proof it tomorrow, to be sure it doesn't suck rocks) and I've made a start on three of the four papers for my exit project (one is about 2/3 done, one is about 1/2 done and one is about a page long right now). The fourth is almost written in my head, so I feel pretty confident about getting them all finished and copied this week/end despite having tech on Saturday morning. That means that I can get them to my jury next week and not have to worry about them any more. (I should ask, now that I think about it, who actually needs copies. I don't want to print up any more than I have to.)
And I'll be doing my face casting for my mask-making independent project on Saturday afternoon so that by a week from Friday I should be able to get started with the masks themselves. And once I've finished and submitted my exit project papers, I won't have anything to focus on but the mask-making stuff. Well, that and teaching. But my favorite speeches of the semester are coming up, and I technically only have one lecture day left.
I don't think I've mentioned this, but the person I assist for the Intermediate Acting class asked me to teach one class period. I thought that was really sweet of her, but she seems to like the work I do in class now. There are actually two sections of the class, and I suggested that for consistency's sake I teach both, even though I only assist in the 11:00 section. She really liked the idea, so on April 27 I'll be teaching back-to-back 300-level acting classes the art of staying in the moment. Think good thoughts for me.
On a completely different topic, I took lots of pictures of the yard yesterday, so as soon as I have a spare moment I'll be posting them here.
Posted by sally at 11:52 PM
April 09, 2005
And Another Thing...
I have just been notified that I am one of the 2004-2005 Graduate Student Association Teaching Excellence Award recipients. I'm feeling rather proud of myself. Think I'll ask Dave if we can have a celebratory dinner in Spoke-Vegas tonight.
Posted by sally at 04:44 PM | Comments (4)
One More Thing
I cannot believe I am so fortunate. It's mostly through the work of a very dedicated costume designer on the faculty, but these guys are coming here for a performance next week as part of their US tour. AND they're doing a workshop with us on Tuesday. Not that I'll be able to do much of the "workshopping." Mostly, I suspect, I'll just get to watch.
Posted by sally at 10:28 AM
Too Smart for His Own Good
I have to do my knee exercises, but before I submit to the agony, I must share a story from last night.
Dave was travelling all week, and Polyphemos made it pretty clear that he does not consider that sort of thing acceptable. Not only was he a complete pain in the butt all week, acting out and doing a lot of biting and attacking of me (I suspect he thinks I drove Dave away), but last night he showed Dave. (So did Imogen, who took a dump on the rug once she was sure Dave meant to stay home.)
I was lying on the bed icing my knee after round three of the exercises and Dave came into the bedroom. He wanted to remove the cats who were lying on his side of the bed so he could lie down. He reached for Poly who went after his hand. Not viciously, but slightly more agressive than playful, with teeth and a little bit of claw. When Dave pulled that hand away and reached for his hind end with the other hand, Poly went after that hand in the same spirit. (Dave, by the way, insists that Poly was playing. Me, I figured he was annoyed at being moved.) Anyway, they went back and forth like this for a bit, Dave using one hand to reach for Poly's front half and then reaching with the other hand for his rear. Then, because Poly was getting overexcited, Dave put both hands behind his back .
Poly was sitting up at this point. He looked for the hand on one side of Dave. He looked for the hand on the other side of Dave. And then he leaned forward and bit Dave on the stomach. Not quickly, not violently, but very deliberately. Just reached out and bit. Then he sat there just holding part of Dave's shirt in his teeth until Dave pulled away. (Dave says his teeth initially got some skin as well, but he backed off until he was just holding shirt.)
Dave and I (of course) both burst out laughing with the shock and suprise of it. Plus it was funny. It was obviously a choice, not a reaction, done completely on purpose and not through instinct.
Posted by sally at 09:20 AM
April 06, 2005
I Was Tired, So Sue Me...
In the previous entry I meant that I can flex to 95 degrees, not 95%. My appointment was at 8:15, which is 15 minutes after I normally get up in the morning, and I wrote the blog entry immediately after. I promised you that my ramblings here would be frequently bleary.
Posted by sally at 05:41 PM
Physical Therapy
Started PT today for my knee. I have 95% flexion and a very strong sense of balance even now, which was nice to know. I haven't lost anything there. But, wow, some of the exercises hurt.
I'm really excited about my therapist. She's a knee specialist; got her PT degree from UBC in Vancouver and a Masters in Sports Medicine from the University of Calgary. So I'm in good hands. And after an hour of stretching and bending and straightening and lifting, my knee feels much more fluid and flexible than it has in a long time.
And I'll be following my brother's advice. When his shoulder was rebuilt, he had some serious PT and got up an hour early every day to do the work. Seems to me like the right thing to do. If my knee already feels better after an hour of the stuff we were doing, I'll be doing those exercises the 3x a day they recommend. Even though some of them really suck rocks.
Posted by sally at 10:01 AM
April 05, 2005
Bending My Knee
That's what I'm finally doing when I walk, though there is still a limp and I am still quite slow. I also can, slowly, climb stairs with one foot per step, though I am still taking baby steps on the way down. It's a process of learning it all over again.
It's beautiful and sunny here today. A lovely afternoon. I wish I didn't feel quite so much like a nap because I should really do some stuff in the yard. (And, of course, the ever-present school work.)
This is how lovely the day feels. Poor cat, she was caught in a sunbeam and all of the life was sucked out of her.
Dead for a Dukatala
I also submitted my self-analysis for the GSA teaching excellence award. I don't want to bore people with it, so if you want to read it (Mom, Dad), continue below.
Primary teaching responsibilities: Comm 101 provides a basic overview of different types of speeches, focusing on extemporaneous speaking and delivery styles. Lecture, lead by example, and provide in-class activities that help students learn to speak well, think critically and overcome their fear of public speaking. Provide positive feedback and constructive criticism on both written and oral communication assignments. Work to establish an atmosphere that promotes risk-taking and creative solutions to assignments.
I was required to rank myself from 1-5 on each of these topics, as well as provide specific, detailed examples of my reasoning. That's what the numbers are (5 is the best).
Criteria 1: Communication Skills: 5
I have very strong communication skills, in both oral and written forms, and I use my own abilities to help my students see how they can improve as public speakers. I try to find more than one way to explain a concept, realizing that some of my students learn better from visual cues than oral instruction. And because I know that a majority of my students are freshmen who are still adjusting to college and the responsibility that comes with being on their own for the first time, I follow up in-class lectures and announcements with emails listing speech requirements and speaking day assignments.
In addition, I try to teach by example. One of the purposes of the public speaking course as designed here at the University of Idaho is to help students develop a clear, dynamic, conversational speaking style, and my lectures include demonstrations of effective and less effective use of gesture and vocal variation so my students can see, live and in person, how these things work. I also use examples from current events to show how communication messages are structured and delivered, to encourage critical thinking, foster an interest in the world outside the university, and provide real-life instances of the way the concepts introduced in class can be applied.
I also find opportunities to provide humor in the classroom. I think that laughing together fosters an atmosphere of trust where my students can relax and take risks. For some of them, speaking in front of a group is absolutely terrifying, and my job is to help them gain experience, knowledge, and courage. Seeing me admit to being an idiot on occasion, watching me laugh at myself when something goes wrong technically or when my tongue takes on a life of its own during a lecture, helps them be more comfortable with their own humanity and their status as fledgling public speakers.
Criteria 2: Academic Quality and Fairness: 5
This is a difficult thing to balance, but extremely important to me. Students come into my class with a wide variety of skill and comfort levels, and I have to find ways to fairly assess their abilities and improvements. For instance, I have students this semester who were obviously members of their high school debate teams in the same class as students who are still struggling to learn English and students who are terrified of speaking in front of a group of more than two people. I have to find ways to challenge those students who are already well-versed in the basics, while fostering and shepherding those who have greater obstacles.
I work very hard to evaluate my students as individuals, supporting their unique strengths and finding ways to improve on their separate weaknesses, though there are some things that I require of everyone. I focus on those criteria (staying within time limits, citing sources within a speech, structure, eye contact) in my lectures, and try to make sure that my students understand exactly what is required so they all have an equal opportunity to do well.
I also let my students know from the beginning that I grade on their ability to meet the requirements for specific assignments and not on content. Their opinions are their opinions, and I am more interested in whether they can argue a point well and with sufficient, credible evidence than in whether they agree with my own views. If they use fallacious reasoning or inaccurate information, however, I do not shy away from making those instances clear in their evaluations, which are seen only by the student. And I am not afraid to fail a student when they do not do the work, though I do give them ample opportunities to succeed.
Criteria 3: Preparedness and Organization/Professionalism 4
Though my classes follow the same syllabus as every other Comm 101 course, I make notes in my lesson plans when things do and don’t work well, so that I can make changes for the next time I teach the course. I also employ an opportunity for anonymous feedback. I occasionally hand out 3x5 cards during a class and ask my students to write on the cards the one thing that they found most useful in the lecture (though I word it differently each time). I use that information to not only be sure my classes are grasping important concepts, but to be sure I have covered the topics thoroughly. (I learned the technique from Dr. Terry Anderson in a lecture he gave during GA training.)
I have created PowerPoint presentations for many of my lectures, not only to give my students a chance to see how the medium can be used effectively in a public speaking situation, but also to reinforce the information I present. I also try to provide examples of the various assignments so my students can see firsthand what I expect.
For instance, one of the first speeches in class is the bag speech, in which each student uses a bag containing three items that represent his or her past, present, and future. In the lecture in which I give the assignment, I demonstrate a bag speech for the students, not only to show them what a good speech looks like, but also to help them get to know me better. I use different items every semester, since I am a slightly different person every semester than I was the semester before. Creating a new speech each time helps me stay fresh and connected to the subject matter.
I also try to grade speeches and papers as soon as possible after I receive them, and for grading I have created an Excel spreadsheet that automatically calculates absences (attendance is mandatory and students lose points for more than two unexcused absences) and midterm and final point totals and percentages. I update this regularly so that students can check their grades and attendance (which are also available online).
Criteria 4: Ability of Motivate Students 4
I want all of my students to succeed, to feel better about themselves when they leave my class than they did on the day they first entered the room. Helping them to be more confident in their abilities and in their worth as people is a primary focus for me as an instructor. With that in mind, I work to be sure they have all the information they need to succeed, including not only deadlines and requirement information (which I also email to them so they have a written copy of what’s expected as well), but also the knowledge that I believe in them and their abilities. Some students do require more “encouragement” than others, but those who are less motivated do better when they know someone believes they are capable. I ran into a former student recently who is one of these, a smart kid who just couldn’t get it together. I worked very hard with him while he was in my class to get organized and stay on task. When we ran into each other, he thanked me for that help and for my insistence that he was too worthwhile to let himself fail. Knowing that I had touched his life in that way means a great deal to me.
With that success in mind, this past fall I tried something new with my students. Whenever I had the opportunity, I told them that I knew they would be great at whatever the next assignment was. The results were unbelievable. Especially for the final speech of the semester. This speech is about a “watershed moment” in their lives, an experience that changed them in some way. These speeches are intensely personal and my favorite speeches of the entire semester because I love the stories my students tell, and I am amazed at the things they are willing to share with the class.
As usual, I emailed speaking day assignments, along with a list of the requirements for the speech about a week before the speeches began. I finished that email with, “You are all poets and storytellers. I know that from hearing your other speeches. I look forward to hearing these.” The manuscript speeches I heard at the end of last semester were astonishing in their quality. Without fail, every single student told a moving, compelling story and told it well. I am convinced that my email (combined with a consistently supportive atmosphere) had something to do with that.
Criteria 5: Creativity and Innovation 5
Though I am a teacher, and aspire to be a good one, I am also an artist. And I believe that every human being has the potential to create. So my in-class activities include opportunities for my students to be creative as well. Though they are required to provide credible evidence in their major speeches, when we are applying aspects of good public speaking behavior in class, I will allow them to make up information and sources and find fun ways to complete assignments.
For instance, one assignment involves learning how to cite sources in a speech. I hand out index cards with silly topics (does ketchup belong on a hotdog, why Reality TV is vital viewing, the kangaroo as a superior species) and a type of information they need to use to support that point. The students then have ten minutes to come up with a quotation or statistic or other piece of information and a source. Then they take turns delivering these to the class. The silly topics make the exercise more interesting and easier to present, because when everyone is in competition to be the most outrageous, no one is thinking about how much they hate talking in front of a group.
Another way I use competition to foster creativity is in the requirement I place on my students for the visual aids for their persuasive speeches. I do not allow power point presentations or transparencies for this speech. The idea is to help them come up with thought-provoking, eye-catching visual aids that will add interest to and aid retention for their speeches. I then spice things up by rewarding the speaker with the most creative visual aid in each class with $20 in movie passes. The visual aids must be visible, useful and understandable, and the student must use them effectively in their speech. As a result, persuasive speeches in my class have included pets, costumes, eggs (in plastic bags) dropped from great heights, swords made from pvc pipe and wooden dowels, and homemade root beer. The speeches are fascinating to watch and the students really seem to enjoy coming up with ways to work for those movie passes. And once you get people to recognize that the can be creative and that creativity is much more interesting than just turning out the same old academic stuff, they are less willing to look at things in the same old way.
I also want to mention one of the ways in which I help provide a safe place for students to work on their public speaking skills. As an actor, preparation is vital for me before I go on stage. I need some time to myself to get ready to work in front of an audience. I offer that same opportunity to any of my students who wish to take it. When presenting major speeches, each speaker has the option of spending the speech before theirs in the hallway, collecting their thoughts and gathering composure. Not every student chooses to take this time, but those who do always seem to be the better for it.
Additional Comments:
This semester I am also assisting in one section of THEF 306 - Intermediate Acting. This is an unofficial assignment I requested because I want experience in teaching acting classes. In this class, I help create a place in which students can feel free to risk and stretch their acting "muscles." I try to find ways to bolster confidence and provide suggestions for improving the work. Again, each student is an individual and approaches the work in a slightly different way. I work to be sure they all understand the concepts Nancy Lee-Painter (the instructor) is teaching, both through discussion and critiques of individual presentations and through example when the whole class is participating in an activity
Posted by sally at 04:18 PM | Comments (1)
April 03, 2005
One of the Things I Like Best about Cats
Is their portability.
I just want to mention here that Poly climbed into the suitcase all by himself. He had no help from me. Apparently he wants to go with Dave on his next trip.
And Dave, who took the following photo, wanted me to mention that he is astonished at what is available through amazon.com.
I ordered plants and seeds today. It's very exciting. Food plants and pretty plants and a cherry tree. Must be spring. Now all I have to do is find a place for everybody to go...
Posted by sally at 05:23 PM
April 01, 2005
A Place for Everything...
Alternately titled A Shelf of One's Own.
Posted by sally at 10:57 AM
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