WEEK 8: STORYBOARDING & FINAL PROJ START!

Week Eight Due 11/05- Where do you see the need for improvement in your teaching skills? List some examples of instances where if given another chance you would do differently. What are your strengths and weaknesses in the classroom environment?

I have a lot to improve in my teaching skills. My style of teaching is very free-form and allows kids to explore rather than know. Although it's cool, it lacks structure. The teachers I had growing up that taught me skills like organization, cohesive ways of speaking, or just general behavioural things had all been teachers who had explored themselves thoroughly that they know exactly how to control a classroom and what they want kids to know. I think as I get older, I'll know more of what I want kids to learn. I think kids are so powerful in their imaginations so I try and let them do wonders with that they have instead of limit them or bombard them with specific labels. For example, I don't attempt to teach kids complex ideas like the 3 point rule or aspect ratio... because they won't remember, plus it's not relevant yet. At this age, it's about expanding and connecting their wild brain axons than understanding exactly what their doing. At least in my teaching philosophy. But some of the most creative things come from limitations. So WHO KNOWS what the best way is... structure is very important. I guess another thing I lack is discipline. My dad always told me this. If a kid is misbehaving, I will try and tend to the situation calmly and gently but that doesn't always work. Or a recent example was that it was about time for clean-up but my kids just kept working and I was left to clean the mess myself. I should have told the kids with a stronger tone to help clean up.

My strengths are that I can react and problem-solve quickly to situations. My weakness I've also discovered is how to handle kids who aren't that excited. I feel badly that I am making them doing something they don't enjoy. What I have been trying is designating tasks so they feel more important in the process. They stop complaining mostly but still I sense their disengagement.

Storyboarding was hard with the Christmas group. Some kids got bored fast and didn't know what to do. Some kids didn't understand what story they wanted to tell. It was much better the next class when I was much more forceful about group collaboration and storyboarding. They actually made a story! Halfway thru the class, Giselle had already made a giant cardboard semi-circle stage thing. She intended it to be for presenting our group storyboards but I guess I saw it as a perfect backdrop to a stop-motion set. All the kids saw paint and wanted to paint... it was hard to keep them tame once the materials came out. I kept saying "Yeah... next time! Or when we finish this thing..." to stall. It's important to be the focused leader. And not always be distracted WITH your students. Maybe within your own project, distraction might take it in cool directions but to be distracted by completely different ideas and mediums that don't have anything to do with your own, is problematic. Anyway, my group was fun to work with nonetheless. They were all very willing to participate in drawing, except for one girl who seemed bored with everything. Maybe now that we're into it, she'll start feeling the groove.