What a class. What a Prof.  I wasn’t quite sure what this Drama class was going to be all about, but so far so good and I actually enjoy it; not just the fact that it starts at 10am and is our first class on Monday’s.

We start the class out with a half hour of warm up exercises that are easy quick and fun.  There were designed for us to get more comfortable with being silly around each other, to get over the embarrassment of performing in front of our peers, something that we will find most enjoyable doing with our students when we become teachers. These exercises are run until the energy has run out. Apparently something that is very evident with children.

Today’s Activites:

-Snap, Stomp, Clap

-Mill and Freez/ Leading With

-Digits

-Popcorn

-Alien, Tiger, Cow

-Bibbity Bop

-Jeepers

-Transformation

+-another one that I can’t remember the name to:  counting to 10 without doing it in unison.  Very similary to popcorn.

Hmmm.  It’s funny.  I’ve already forgotten what a couple of the activities were.  I guess I didn’t REALLY like it all that much!! That’s weird though, I don’t remember feeling that way during.

I will start with “Mill and Freeze/Leading with”: Everyone is to just wander around the class waiting for the word “FREEZE” at which point everyone is to freeze exactly where they are.  This is done a couple of times before the introduction of “Leading with”.  Next round before continuing announce “Leading with your nose, GO” everyone is to lead with whatever body part has been named (Lips, Bum, etc.). Great fun.  I have to say whenever we try one of these activities every one of us has smiles on our faces and are engaged.  This is great.  I know kids will love this.

Next: “Digits”:  This one was one that I had a hard time remembering.  I did remember the concept, but the concept only and not the connection to its name “Digits”; that is until I was writing about “Mill and Freeze”.  I was trying to remember how, while we were “milling” we ended up touching elbows, bums, fingers etc. and suddenly it dawned on me, this didn’t happen in Mill and Freeze but was the idea behind “Digits”.  “Using two Elbows, FREEZE”.  We had only one choice with this one.  We had to find a partner and touch elbow to elbow.  When it came to things such as Knees, we could either find a partner, or touch our own knees together.  When instructed to freeze with three of something we could for instance, touch our own two knees together and then one knee of someone else.  And that is…Digits!!

Next: “Popcorn”:  We all stood in a circle (which we seem to do a lot of).  Clapping our hands above our head while jumping up, if any two of us were to do it at the same time we were to sit down where we stood.  This happens until everyone is sitting.  The idea is to wait, then when you think you have a chance to POP without someone else doing it at the same time, you jump and clap.  Ta da, that’s Popcorn.

Next: “Alien, Tiger, Cow”:

See handouts ( JAN 9/M/2012 x2)  1) Punching Home the Art of Punctuation  ( adapted from Victor Borge : pianist and comedian ) 2) Two Primary Action Stories : Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle; In a Cottage.

KungFu Punctuation is awesome.  I loved it so much I had to tell my colleagues at work about it, and of course they wanted  me to demonstrate, so I did.  I was then informed that I may like Victor Borge.  Yes, Yes I do.  I can see that this was an adaptation of his reading skit.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Mr. Wriggles and Mr. Waggle.  I don’t dislike it, but I found it kind of dull.  I guess what I really mean is that I really found no use for it.

Today Phil showed us a couple of videos that were produced by students at some of the schools he has taught at.  I was amazed with these videos.  The students did a very good job with the entire process, from picking a subject to writing out a scenario to filming and editing it.  What struck me even harder was the fact that the entire video, excluding the final production editing, was done in one full day,  WOW, and by the students.

Quote from class: (Phil): “Failure is an event, not a person”.

We also discussed Theatre and Drama Education, specifically that they are not the same things at all.  He used three Videos that were produced by students and staff at schools he has taught in to demonstrate.

Theatre in Education: We saw a clip of a Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat production by Lakewood School in Sooke.  Theatre in Education will bring “Audience”.  Not just any Audience, but an audience with invested interest.  Parents want to see their children.  It doesn’t matter how well one can sing, it’s about being up there and taking part and exploring.  Quite an difference in the two leads vocal abilities.

Media in Education:  Edward Milne students in Sooke created a moving music video focusing on forms of bullying, from appearance to gender orientation, to ethnicity.  As the popular music played, students would hold up a sign that stated why they were picked on at school such as Religion.  They would then flip this sign and it would say “Proud of my Ethnicity”.  I really liked this idea.  I wonder what effect this video made on these individual situations for this school, if in fact there were real situation at that school in the first place or not.

Drama in Education:  Again, another video created by students, in just one day.  Final Producation Edit was done by teacher, however everything else from scripting to idea’s came from the students right down to the actual recording.  They decided to take Recycling to a new level and create a new superhero.  Why not re-use old Kleenex, why not make clothes out of cereal boxes.  Was very well done and students looked like they fully enjoyed it.  Something nice to show parents.  Something to show parents that may be don’t get to attend a live performance.  This also gives the students the opportunity to be goofy.

Wow.  When I started this reflection I did NOT expect it to go on so long.  I know I won’t be able to keep up this length for the semester so for the next few entries I will try to make sure I keep it brief.

OHHH one other thing:  I really like how Phil gets his ideas.  He watches other and listens to them.  He told us about how one of his students who worked at a casino, when finished her shift, would slap her hands together and then produce palms up.  This was done to show casino security no money was palmed.  He used this idea in our class today, but for some reason I have forgotten HOW he used it.  But that’s ok because what I got from it was more to do with the “where” he gets his ideas.  He gets them from everywhere but nowhere specific.