Hampstead Downstairs. 5 second-year BA-DATE students in attendance.
Collaborative Outreach work group. One group present who have been working together all term. S is offering advice for an upcoming presentation, after having viewed their work in Manchester a few weeks ago.
Roundtable discussion. No notebooks. Nothing in hands. The students are captivated.
Until I arrived all were gathered 'round, on level. They are all teachers here.
Active thinking. Sylvan is doing most of the talking but there is ample room to interrupt. He responds to faces that look inquisitive, as though they are containing something to say.
Vocabulary is jargon-heavy, very academic. No one requires definitions or clarification--shorthand is comfortable. Literary references likewise feel well-ingrained.
S's hand movement is constant, for punctuation and emphasis--it does not significantly contribute to content.
"I've blathered about a lot of stuff" "Whoop, I'm on my toes today!"-- humility and humour regularly highlighted. He appears to want to not be taken too seriously, but the students definitely want to take him seriously.
His delivery is stream-of-consciousness, but riddled with concrete and documentary examples. The research is ready in the forefront of his mind. He's effectively citing his research in a spoken essay. Neat. Do the students appreciate this multi-layered delivery style? It is so well-integrated it is elegant.
"Does that make sense?" with eye contact with the question-asker, to round off a line of discussion. The question is genuine, not just punctuation, but do the students ever say no? He is a person, a teacher, they not only want to please, but want to appear clever and worldly for. But this isn't a cocktail party: they need to let him know if they are lost!
"Tie a flag to that. A red ribbon. A yellow ribbon. Any ribbon. Pick a colour. Flag your ability to do it justice. I don't know if I can describe it fully or fairly. Maybe it didn't even happen. Poof! Mind blown!" --ways of playfully encouraging the students to honestly reflect on what they believe happened in the sessions they ran, versus what they can quantify.
"Work out what you're worth." This is not a declaration of "you're great!" but a reasonable assessment. Very human. S gives regular insights into his feelings, which are normal, mere-mortal feelings: I get the impression that he fights the academic tendency to maintain emotional distance. His feelings resonate with the students. He easily maintains their trust and energy while speaking in a low tone. Not monotone, but he just rambles along and they're highly attuned.
Memories invoked--collective reminders of what we've all experienced this term. Remember what we did. Remember why we did it.
Group Googling: S spells out names clearly so a phrase can be looked up in the moment, but also so that the student who is recording this on her phone can look it up later. Phones! Effective use of modern technology in the classroom! Weird. She uses AirDrop for Mac, as all of her group own iPhones, and they all share each lecture and discussion through this service.
Recommendations for reading that are just bubbling to the surface: "Ooh, I want to tell you about..." Writing and thinking prompts which are taken as direct questions to be answered in the moment. Not quite what he meant, I think, but listened to.
What really is the impact of forum theatre?
Recommended reading: no one goes for the phones until he begins to spell the author's name. Subtle? Not really. "Sara Ahmed is worth looking into." beat. "That's Sara, no h." Phones are grabbed. Implied "no really, this is useful, it will be good to remember this before we carry on and you forget."
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Peer Observed Me: Phil Rowe, 3 May 2018, 10:00 - 13:00
**Copy-Pasted from .doc format official form. Original document e-mailed to course support.**
PEER OBSERVATION OF TEACHING FORM
Tutor being observed: Kristen Gilmore
Person observing: Phil Rowe
Date of observation: Thursday 3 May 2018
Peer observation of teaching is an exercise that should be carried out at least once, on a bi-annual basis. It is a reflective exercise and should enable you to take creative risks within your learning, teaching and assessment work, and provide a vehicle for focused discussion between you and a colleague. In short, this exercise is about enhancement of learning, teaching and assessment.
Session (student group, unit title, brief session description):
TUTOR:
Intro to Welding for BA-TP Prop Making first year students. The students will be inducted to use the cold saw, angle grinders, and MIG welders. They will also be taught to clean, clamp, square and finish a steel project.
Tutor’s considerations in planning for the session / tutorial. Please include any considerations regarding Health & Safety:
Welders must wear steel-toed boots and a flame-retardant coverall throughout. They will be provided with hoods, gauntlets, gloves, earplugs, face shields, screens, extractors, and training to communicate in the space.
The equipment is regularly tested for safety and function. Other users of the workshop will be aware that hot work is ongoing and to keep themselves and flammable items (such as dust) clear.
The workshop and class will be loud, so I must speak loudly, clearly, and as simply as possible while keeping it interesting, and reinforcing earplug use.
The group will represent a range of experience and preparedness levels, and a few students will likely find welding exceptionally frightening. I will need to be sensitive to students’ emotions, explain how we manage hot work’s inherent hazards, and reinforce safe working practices.
Areas of focus for the peer observer:
I’ve introduced a new, hopefully dyslexia-friendly supporting document this year (that I will try not to drift too far from) that should reinforce some of the lessons from the day. It has already been sent out, along with PPE requirements. I aim to test this document’s usefulness and take note of where I can improve it and how I use it. It is my aim to improve the clarity of my lessons, as I tend to get carried away or try to explain too many things at once—I know I might overwhelm students who are already a bit overwhelmed!
I would appreciate pointers where possible to help me stay on-task and relevant.
PEER OBSERVATION
My thoughts before the class:
1st year student so probably little experience.
A very tricky class to teach. Potentially scary skill to learn.
Very noisy environment.
Welding by its nature requires a mask therefore very difficult to be able to clearly demonstrate.
Hand out was very good and thorough.
Is the number of students relevant to the class?
How do you address teaching students of different skill/experience/ability?
SESSION AND ASSESSMENT/ TEACHING STRENGTHS:
Firstly. Well done! A really interesting session to observe. It presented several issues worthy of discussion.
The hand out was useful. It gave a good heads up of what kind of activity and learning objectives were going to be covered. Did they read it?
The way you deliver information was accurate and clear to understand but I think you were hampered by a couple of things.
1. The workshop is a loud space. For the students hearing this information for the first time, it’s a difficult environment for them to best take it in.
2. Demonstrating an activity which is inherently difficult to see! And difficult to ‘gather round’ to view.
Having a small group meant you were able to give fair time to each student. Enough time for them to have ago with enough time to observe the other student without losing concentration – which I imagine would be a consideration if there were more people. I understand you cap the session at 4 max.
It was interesting to see how nervous/anxious they were on having a go for the first time. I heard the sentences “This is difficult to get the hang of” and “It’s slightly terrifying”! Perhaps there are ways of making it less intimidating for the students. You did go on to talk about how if it goes wrong, It goes wrong. Perhaps that would have been useful before the first go?
I liked how you brought in the point about the table height. A useful example of how you can discuss the variety of ways people like to work and how it comes to individual preferences. How could you make it comfortable for all?
Thoughts After the class:
We discussed ways that could be introduced to make practicing welding easier without actually welding. What different formats could be used to help build up confidence or a bit more confidence in what they are about to do. Could videos help so people could see better? Could a theory session in a quiet space pre the workshop be helpful? Practice without the machine turned on for technique skills?
We also discussed breaks for the students. Around 12:10 a student asked for a break. I had noticed that they were starting to flag a little earlier. I appreciate there is a lot to get through. With a very technical, information heavy session there was a real risk of fatigue. Worth also keeping in mind that one student had English as a second language, Its hard work listening and learning and translating at the same time. In a loud workshop!
Would more demonstration be useful?
A really tricky session to teach – I think you did really well dealing with a difficult lesson to plan. Well done.
REFLECTION AND DEVELOPMENT
(to be posed as questions by the peer for the tutor to consider)
How do you make a potentially intimidating/scary skills lesson more approachable?
How do you maintain concentration in students on very technical and information heavy sessions? Are you attempting to cover too much in one session?
Are there better ways to deliver sessions in a loud workshop environment?
The two students you had in this session were fairly balanced in terms of experience and skill level. How would the session be different if you had experienced welders already? Or more outgoing over confident students. I would be interesting to see how that would change the dynamics of the session.
SIGNED: Observed Person:
Peer Observer:
Phil Rowe
Date:
Do you give your permission for this document to be stored in a shared archive? YES NO
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Observation: Fran Johnson leading fit-up of Caucasian Chalk Circle 13 June, 10am-12pm
Safety. This is paramount today. The students are all in steelies (of course), and hard hats are popped onto heads when people go into the grid. The loading doors are open into the workshop and the back of the theatre--uninvolved students from other courses can't help but look in, so spotters and crossing guards are deployed in hi-vis while scenery is being moved. Smart!
There are about 20 people on stage, mostly electrics and technical and production management students. The scenic construction students must work safely around these varied and energetic activities. Noise is constant but also not as high-impact as the workshop typically is. The noises are more erratic, though, and the students are prone to being distracted by it.
Many first-year students, particularly GS, are on their first real fit-up.
Second-year construction student CS is HOD, and FJ wants her to be in charge of the other students. This is challenging for her, as FJ is right there and seems to know what he's doing. She is anxious about being in charge and doesn't really seem to have a clue what comes next. She does, but she's acting like she doesn't.
FJ repeatedly expresses his trepidation about this to other non-students on stage. Has his confidence taken a blow?
Fit-ups at Central are not the most efficient undertakings. But that's not really the point of them, is it? Everyone gathers 'round to observe GS trimming a flooring panel, under FJ's guidance. He's measuring to remove the obvious excess, one step at a time, to fit a floor panel around the proscenium, and the second years have stopped what they're doing to listen in. It is a worthwhile teachable moment, but don't you have something else you're supposed to be doing? The students respect and like, but do not fear FJ. They appear very comfortable around him, ask him questions and tell him their concerns and worries.
FJ pauses a moment to offer CS some reassurance. "It's like spinning plates, doing a fit-up: if you aren't sure what to do just look around and monitor what you've got people doing. If they're not doing what you asked them to do, check and see if they're doing something useful. If not, give them something useful to do."
GS's communication immaturity continually poses a challenge to FJ. It is difficult to be sure he understood you, as he starts saying "yeah, yeah, I got it" before FJ's finished talking or reached the crux of his point. He seems impatient to be free of teaching. FJ responds to this tendency similarly to me: you can see on his face he's not confident that GS understood, and repeats "does that make sense? I'm not making it clear." while GS tries to dismiss him. Is there a better way to deal with this attitude among clever, well-liked undergraduates? He's not giving him sass exactly, nor is he being oppositional-defiant, but he routinely cuts people off before he actually understands what they're trying to teach him, inhibiting his own learning.
Excellent use of chunk-based teaching: FJ breaks down the process of fitting the sheet materials around the proscenium into individual steps, and sets GS to do each step, then come back. Start Simple: cut the sheet length to the longest point needed. Now measure how deep the kick-out is based on the available overhang. GS whines that surely this has been done before--why don't we keep a template? The classic "we don't keep a template specifically so you have to learn how to do it. You're not going to have a template for every theatre you work in in your career." gets a uniform groan from everyone, and then a laugh.
FJ is teaching GS primarily, which makes sense. The other students, however, crave his attention. CS resists decision-making: she continues to try to get FJ to instruct them. Tough love here.
RM savours opportunities to teach. He wants to be seen methodically showing a first year TPM how to safely use the circular saw. JM has been inducted on this tool but he's listening anyway. Positive engagement with PPE all around, which is great to see.
There are about 20 people on stage, mostly electrics and technical and production management students. The scenic construction students must work safely around these varied and energetic activities. Noise is constant but also not as high-impact as the workshop typically is. The noises are more erratic, though, and the students are prone to being distracted by it.
Many first-year students, particularly GS, are on their first real fit-up.
Second-year construction student CS is HOD, and FJ wants her to be in charge of the other students. This is challenging for her, as FJ is right there and seems to know what he's doing. She is anxious about being in charge and doesn't really seem to have a clue what comes next. She does, but she's acting like she doesn't.
FJ repeatedly expresses his trepidation about this to other non-students on stage. Has his confidence taken a blow?
Fit-ups at Central are not the most efficient undertakings. But that's not really the point of them, is it? Everyone gathers 'round to observe GS trimming a flooring panel, under FJ's guidance. He's measuring to remove the obvious excess, one step at a time, to fit a floor panel around the proscenium, and the second years have stopped what they're doing to listen in. It is a worthwhile teachable moment, but don't you have something else you're supposed to be doing? The students respect and like, but do not fear FJ. They appear very comfortable around him, ask him questions and tell him their concerns and worries.
FJ pauses a moment to offer CS some reassurance. "It's like spinning plates, doing a fit-up: if you aren't sure what to do just look around and monitor what you've got people doing. If they're not doing what you asked them to do, check and see if they're doing something useful. If not, give them something useful to do."
GS's communication immaturity continually poses a challenge to FJ. It is difficult to be sure he understood you, as he starts saying "yeah, yeah, I got it" before FJ's finished talking or reached the crux of his point. He seems impatient to be free of teaching. FJ responds to this tendency similarly to me: you can see on his face he's not confident that GS understood, and repeats "does that make sense? I'm not making it clear." while GS tries to dismiss him. Is there a better way to deal with this attitude among clever, well-liked undergraduates? He's not giving him sass exactly, nor is he being oppositional-defiant, but he routinely cuts people off before he actually understands what they're trying to teach him, inhibiting his own learning.
Excellent use of chunk-based teaching: FJ breaks down the process of fitting the sheet materials around the proscenium into individual steps, and sets GS to do each step, then come back. Start Simple: cut the sheet length to the longest point needed. Now measure how deep the kick-out is based on the available overhang. GS whines that surely this has been done before--why don't we keep a template? The classic "we don't keep a template specifically so you have to learn how to do it. You're not going to have a template for every theatre you work in in your career." gets a uniform groan from everyone, and then a laugh.
FJ is teaching GS primarily, which makes sense. The other students, however, crave his attention. CS resists decision-making: she continues to try to get FJ to instruct them. Tough love here.
RM savours opportunities to teach. He wants to be seen methodically showing a first year TPM how to safely use the circular saw. JM has been inducted on this tool but he's listening anyway. Positive engagement with PPE all around, which is great to see.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Observation: Caucasian Chalk Circle: De-Brief 26 June 2018 2-4pm. Fran Johnson moderator
Reading from the rule sheet: lends legitimacy, but does make this feel formulaic and stiff. Is it stultifying?
FJ sits with the students in the circle, but on one end. He speaks fairly quietly, but no one appears to have trouble listening to him.
The air is agitated, nervous. CS is on the defensive from the word go. Where are the props first years? Dammit.
The system for getting positive feedback first appears chaotic but seems to work anyway. Most everyone is hot and stinky, and the room feels close. Nervous laughter abounds, giving way to mirth.
Okay, what do we actually hope to get out of this exercise? What does it facilitate? Why are we starting with empty waffle? "It was challenging but we all stepped up and did our best and I'm very proud of us" is a horrible "one example of something you were really proud of yourself or your team for on this project". I guess there isn't time to call her out on it.
It might have been helpful to check in with SM, costumes, LX to get a preliminary idea of what those students were doing on this show. Playing favourites, not because FJ is partial to the SC, SA and Props students, but because he knows what they've been up to.
His responses to the students' comments feel genuine. He makes eye contact, listens, and summarises what the student has said, with a querying tone--he's asking if he's understood correctly. His responses are not particularly helpful but they show that he cares and is listening.
MC in TSD got heaped with praise by sound!
Complimenting the info pack LX put together, without prompting: FJ provides positive feedback on students' preparation and paperwork, which I feel is valuable. It wasn't all just running around on the day, on stage.
Lacklustre response to the positive. Concerning response to head TPM student from FJ, decidedly avoiding saying "good job" or anything like it. Interesting. Not exactly tactful, not exactly tactless, but it felt like it stung. She needed more constructive feedback, yes she was difficult, but to hold her separate from the rest of the crowd during the 'positive feedback' bit of the session feels way harsh.
Self-directed discussion sounds on-topic. Fran trusts them to monitor themselves, and they appear to respond well to that. Is DR a team member in this?
Positive feedback is always vague, but as expected negative feedback is pointed. This is a challenge for everyone, it seems. Maybe more clear reminders for idea of what feedback should be?
Valid feedback: yes, that company was a problem. What's your learning from this? Don't use that company again in future. Funny, true. Not particularly helpful per se, but the umbrella idea, "don't maintain relationships with companies that don't do a good job" is meritorious. Maybe not a particularly 'academic' note--a response only an industry-close worker would come up with (and go with).
Clever students are easy to lead.
How do we deal with the telephone game in advance? How do we prevent rumour from supplanting the facts?
Students in department groups for department feedback. Is this the most helpful arrangement? Are the post-it notes contributing significantly to discussion, or are they and the markers a colourful prop? Did the students realise in advance that their responses would not be anonymous?
Letting them speak and express their own learning--do they know what they've learnt?
FJ is now standing at the white board but just as a facilitator--so he can read the post-it notes. Doesn't feel overbearing or teacherly. Still favouring SC with attention and relevant feedback, whereas other departments' feedback is more boilerplate.
RM is an angry young man. He needs some sort of intervention.
Standing up to the directors: how do we provide useful advice to the students when it comes to this most difficult of chutzpah-requiring tasks? Dealing with professionals when you are not really a professional is next to impossible--they can always shoot you down if they want to. How do we improve how we present the students as professionals to the professionals while not leaving them high and dry, or harming the learning environment?
EK is terrified. This is a high-pressure environment if you have something negative to say about someone else, or another department. Too high? Is it so high that some things are going unsaid because the students who need to say them are too nice or don't want to hurt anyone's feelings? What EK wants to say needs to be said: the floor was damaged by carelessness with the Genie lift and the portable floor panels. It needs to be said to Lighting and Sound. She's saying it to everyone and pointedly avoiding eye contact with those students. FJ has an opportunity here to stand up and support her, demand that other departments learn from this.
Organising the sharings: it seems like a few departments are being neglected or aren't part of the "core group" and they're being left to the very end. Could this be a bit more mix-n-match? Or time limits: a few groups, like Props, have very little to do with the other departments, and seem to be waiting a very long time for the opportunity to say not very much to not many people. Seems like a waste of these students' time.
ACTION: improve access to money for TPM students and other budget-holders.
ACTION: test rigid expanding foam with heat to see if it shrinks?
Actor proof is at least a step beyond idiot proof.
FJ sits with the students in the circle, but on one end. He speaks fairly quietly, but no one appears to have trouble listening to him.
The air is agitated, nervous. CS is on the defensive from the word go. Where are the props first years? Dammit.
The system for getting positive feedback first appears chaotic but seems to work anyway. Most everyone is hot and stinky, and the room feels close. Nervous laughter abounds, giving way to mirth.
Okay, what do we actually hope to get out of this exercise? What does it facilitate? Why are we starting with empty waffle? "It was challenging but we all stepped up and did our best and I'm very proud of us" is a horrible "one example of something you were really proud of yourself or your team for on this project". I guess there isn't time to call her out on it.
It might have been helpful to check in with SM, costumes, LX to get a preliminary idea of what those students were doing on this show. Playing favourites, not because FJ is partial to the SC, SA and Props students, but because he knows what they've been up to.
His responses to the students' comments feel genuine. He makes eye contact, listens, and summarises what the student has said, with a querying tone--he's asking if he's understood correctly. His responses are not particularly helpful but they show that he cares and is listening.
MC in TSD got heaped with praise by sound!
Complimenting the info pack LX put together, without prompting: FJ provides positive feedback on students' preparation and paperwork, which I feel is valuable. It wasn't all just running around on the day, on stage.
Lacklustre response to the positive. Concerning response to head TPM student from FJ, decidedly avoiding saying "good job" or anything like it. Interesting. Not exactly tactful, not exactly tactless, but it felt like it stung. She needed more constructive feedback, yes she was difficult, but to hold her separate from the rest of the crowd during the 'positive feedback' bit of the session feels way harsh.
Self-directed discussion sounds on-topic. Fran trusts them to monitor themselves, and they appear to respond well to that. Is DR a team member in this?
Positive feedback is always vague, but as expected negative feedback is pointed. This is a challenge for everyone, it seems. Maybe more clear reminders for idea of what feedback should be?
Valid feedback: yes, that company was a problem. What's your learning from this? Don't use that company again in future. Funny, true. Not particularly helpful per se, but the umbrella idea, "don't maintain relationships with companies that don't do a good job" is meritorious. Maybe not a particularly 'academic' note--a response only an industry-close worker would come up with (and go with).
Clever students are easy to lead.
How do we deal with the telephone game in advance? How do we prevent rumour from supplanting the facts?
Students in department groups for department feedback. Is this the most helpful arrangement? Are the post-it notes contributing significantly to discussion, or are they and the markers a colourful prop? Did the students realise in advance that their responses would not be anonymous?
Letting them speak and express their own learning--do they know what they've learnt?
FJ is now standing at the white board but just as a facilitator--so he can read the post-it notes. Doesn't feel overbearing or teacherly. Still favouring SC with attention and relevant feedback, whereas other departments' feedback is more boilerplate.
RM is an angry young man. He needs some sort of intervention.
Standing up to the directors: how do we provide useful advice to the students when it comes to this most difficult of chutzpah-requiring tasks? Dealing with professionals when you are not really a professional is next to impossible--they can always shoot you down if they want to. How do we improve how we present the students as professionals to the professionals while not leaving them high and dry, or harming the learning environment?
EK is terrified. This is a high-pressure environment if you have something negative to say about someone else, or another department. Too high? Is it so high that some things are going unsaid because the students who need to say them are too nice or don't want to hurt anyone's feelings? What EK wants to say needs to be said: the floor was damaged by carelessness with the Genie lift and the portable floor panels. It needs to be said to Lighting and Sound. She's saying it to everyone and pointedly avoiding eye contact with those students. FJ has an opportunity here to stand up and support her, demand that other departments learn from this.
Organising the sharings: it seems like a few departments are being neglected or aren't part of the "core group" and they're being left to the very end. Could this be a bit more mix-n-match? Or time limits: a few groups, like Props, have very little to do with the other departments, and seem to be waiting a very long time for the opportunity to say not very much to not many people. Seems like a waste of these students' time.
ACTION: improve access to money for TPM students and other budget-holders.
ACTION: test rigid expanding foam with heat to see if it shrinks?
Actor proof is at least a step beyond idiot proof.
Observation: Feasibility for American Clock: 21 June 2018, 11:00-12:00
11:00-12:00 21 June 2018
Room B
In attendance:
TSD: Phil Rowe, Karin Schuck, Paul Zacharek, KG
Course Support: Vanessa Onwuemezi
Faculty: Catherine Alexander, Paul Colwell, Nick Moran, Kathrine Sandys, Peter MacCoy
Director: Gretchen
Students: LH (TPM), KH (D4S)
The students have brought copies of the play along with their notebooks. If they actually crack them I'll eat my hat.
This is a real meeting--everyone is taking notes, not just the students.
Gretchen is making a real effort to include the students in the conversation.
Indeed, the students are conspicuously present. Everyone is speaking to them.
Normal smart-ass comments are kept to a minimum. Even I'm exercising restraint.
LH needs to communicate that thus far she's been left out of correspondence and is not up to date with developments that have occurred without her present. She looks like she knew this was going to come up--her tone is measured. She's annoyed, but doesn't want to rile up the teachers. Eyes keep flicking to NM.
Offer of video editing training--felt accusatory.
"Do you want to take that project on?"
"I don't know how to do that."
"That's not what I asked."
"I mean, yes, that would be amazing, but--"
"A training opportunity could be provided."
It was a reminder of her student-ship: while on the one hand, an on-the-spot teachable moment, it also felt deliberately infantilising. She's trying to participate in this meeting like an equal and you're taking this opportunity to other-ise her, diminish her, remind Us that she's a student. Always an attempt to maintain authority.
Usual blend of conflicting personalities, but now in the presence of Kathy and the students. I'm sure she's clocking everything.
With the students present we all feel the need to communicate more clearly and precisely: we must leave nothing implied or reliant upon previous experience of how we like to do things.
Probably a good thing, really, to invite students along to meetings, as it keeps us from relying on habit or jargon as we go along, which likely contributes to conflict later when we've assumed that others remember "the way we always do it".
PC: maintaining eye contact and an open demeanour with the students at all times. Visually communicating, keeping them included in the conversation.
Positive comment about students not in the room. Very warm! "We have a fantastic stage management team who will be all over that as soon as they're involved."
Costume comment: "we have a few very large actors--proportional, yes--and not quite so--and just, human proportions, really. But they'll likely not fit into anything we can pull from the store. They will likely have an impact on costs." CA was careful, almost protesting too much, to not insult the big guys while they're not in the room in front of the students. Made for a funny moment.
As the meeting progresses the students gain more confidence to speak and ask questions. The tutors speak primarily to the students and the new visiting director. Tone is slightly different, more careful? I can't put my finger on how. Tutors and TSD are a team: we want to inform the director of how we operate; we want to train the students as to why.
WHY MORE ARTHUR THE FUCK MILLER?!!? /endrant
LH's anxiety seems more under control than yesterday. I think PR and PC put her at ease.
PR apologises for bringing up 'boring' topics but the students genuinely hadn't thought about the health and safety implications of what they wanted to do and are furiously taking notes and asking questions. Not boring at all!
We all feel a weird need to nudge the students in some way--provide information and reminders, establish our habits and likes in their heads on the ground floor, I suppose.
The show appears feasible and straightforward. No one is worried. But PC nevertheless can't help teaching. He wants the students to understand the process and necessity of these meetings. "If this doesn't work, or if minds are changed, back to the feasibility stage we go!" He's got a warm and positive attitude and the students are very responsive, but more than anyone PC makes this feel like a meeting with training wheels. I think it has the ability to contribute positively to their professional practice, nevertheless.
Room B
In attendance:
TSD: Phil Rowe, Karin Schuck, Paul Zacharek, KG
Course Support: Vanessa Onwuemezi
Faculty: Catherine Alexander, Paul Colwell, Nick Moran, Kathrine Sandys, Peter MacCoy
Director: Gretchen
Students: LH (TPM), KH (D4S)
The students have brought copies of the play along with their notebooks. If they actually crack them I'll eat my hat.
This is a real meeting--everyone is taking notes, not just the students.
Gretchen is making a real effort to include the students in the conversation.
Indeed, the students are conspicuously present. Everyone is speaking to them.
Normal smart-ass comments are kept to a minimum. Even I'm exercising restraint.
LH needs to communicate that thus far she's been left out of correspondence and is not up to date with developments that have occurred without her present. She looks like she knew this was going to come up--her tone is measured. She's annoyed, but doesn't want to rile up the teachers. Eyes keep flicking to NM.
Offer of video editing training--felt accusatory.
"Do you want to take that project on?"
"I don't know how to do that."
"That's not what I asked."
"I mean, yes, that would be amazing, but--"
"A training opportunity could be provided."
It was a reminder of her student-ship: while on the one hand, an on-the-spot teachable moment, it also felt deliberately infantilising. She's trying to participate in this meeting like an equal and you're taking this opportunity to other-ise her, diminish her, remind Us that she's a student. Always an attempt to maintain authority.
Usual blend of conflicting personalities, but now in the presence of Kathy and the students. I'm sure she's clocking everything.
With the students present we all feel the need to communicate more clearly and precisely: we must leave nothing implied or reliant upon previous experience of how we like to do things.
Probably a good thing, really, to invite students along to meetings, as it keeps us from relying on habit or jargon as we go along, which likely contributes to conflict later when we've assumed that others remember "the way we always do it".
PC: maintaining eye contact and an open demeanour with the students at all times. Visually communicating, keeping them included in the conversation.
Positive comment about students not in the room. Very warm! "We have a fantastic stage management team who will be all over that as soon as they're involved."
Costume comment: "we have a few very large actors--proportional, yes--and not quite so--and just, human proportions, really. But they'll likely not fit into anything we can pull from the store. They will likely have an impact on costs." CA was careful, almost protesting too much, to not insult the big guys while they're not in the room in front of the students. Made for a funny moment.
As the meeting progresses the students gain more confidence to speak and ask questions. The tutors speak primarily to the students and the new visiting director. Tone is slightly different, more careful? I can't put my finger on how. Tutors and TSD are a team: we want to inform the director of how we operate; we want to train the students as to why.
WHY MORE ARTHUR THE FUCK MILLER?!!? /endrant
LH's anxiety seems more under control than yesterday. I think PR and PC put her at ease.
PR apologises for bringing up 'boring' topics but the students genuinely hadn't thought about the health and safety implications of what they wanted to do and are furiously taking notes and asking questions. Not boring at all!
We all feel a weird need to nudge the students in some way--provide information and reminders, establish our habits and likes in their heads on the ground floor, I suppose.
The show appears feasible and straightforward. No one is worried. But PC nevertheless can't help teaching. He wants the students to understand the process and necessity of these meetings. "If this doesn't work, or if minds are changed, back to the feasibility stage we go!" He's got a warm and positive attitude and the students are very responsive, but more than anyone PC makes this feel like a meeting with training wheels. I think it has the ability to contribute positively to their professional practice, nevertheless.
Friday, June 15, 2018
Observation: Farokh Soltani-Shirazi 15 June 11am to noon, 3pm to 3:30
Trafalgar Square: A National Archive.
Nelson's column, 11am
10 MA students from a range of disciplines.
Outdoor, busy space. Noisy. Today there was a fit-up and sound check going on for a concert series that starts tomorrow, so it was more confined than usual. Big, bustling and hot on a clear, sunshiny day. The place is one giant distraction.
F greets each student on his arrival--he arrives last, sweating but in good spirits. They all have looked forward to seeing him. This class only meets occasionally, and is one of a range of secondary modules the MAs can take, so the students who take this class specifically want to be here. This particular class, as well, is optional, and presented just for fun.
The group is engaged and listening, but not bursting at the seams to speak, which is different from similarly-enthusiastic BA students. If asked to respond, they will, but they're not pushy about it, nor do they seem like they have anything to prove.
"James Napier. Google it on your phones while we walk to the other plinth." Passive, casual integration of modern technology. Crazy.
The group circles itself up instinctively, creating a classroom of their walls against the bustle of the city.
Farokh knows his information in the depths of his head, though sometimes title and author recall can be a struggle. Not in a bad way, but he somehow doesn't present the encyclopaedic 'off the cuff' feel of Jess or Sylvan when it comes to recommending books, key concepts, authors, etc.
His enthusiasm is contagious and engaging. The students freely and excitedly give him their undivided attention, even as buses honk and tourists scream.
Many interruptions and loud noises--he acknowledges them, but his students are undeterred.
Well, I spoke too soon. The stage check got to the circus act. It's more than a little distracting for a guy to be leaping three storeys in the air doing somersaults and landing on a springy telephone pole.
Suddenly the tone changed and now it's a class, a lecture even. It felt like a themed tour until now, prompting thought and posing questions but not actually giving answers or feeling like school. But you can feel the energy from earlier, walking around, building itself into a narrative--we're getting to the point.
We've had to turn around--the stage was too distracting.
Identity-creating, national narrative-establishing archives such as this place.
What is history? A nation, by definition, is an imagined community. Wait, who said this? This is an axiom.
All archives are acts of fiction.
All archives attempt to define an origin.
All archives are an act of violence to those who disagree with them.
--Are we referring to something the students have already discussed at length?
"I stole this photograph of my father from my father." Consider your personal archives. What is a thing of yours that reminds you of you?
And again, "Does that make sense?" as punctuation for the session. Please confirm that you understand not only the words themselves, but the meaning I'm trying to convey. Please confirm. No one ever confirms.
"Archive Fever" -- the archive as an act of nostalgia, homesickness even, a desire to return to a place where everything is known. No remembered history is complete or true, but we want it to be so.
Back in the building, in the controlled environment of PK2. The space is sealed, quiet. Everyone looked up, startled, when I came into the room. They're talking in a normal speaking tone, taking turns. One at a time. Strong attention and enthusiasm.
The relevance of the monument as archive seems lost somehow. The students went off into the museum after the lecture to find an archive that spoke to them, but that exercise changed their gear rather abruptly. The third part of the class doesn't feel like it refers to either of the first two.
When FSS speaks again to read and round off the class (and the course) he does so briskly and without ceremony, but the students cling to every word. They're eager to graduate but they'll miss him.
Nelson's column, 11am
10 MA students from a range of disciplines.
Outdoor, busy space. Noisy. Today there was a fit-up and sound check going on for a concert series that starts tomorrow, so it was more confined than usual. Big, bustling and hot on a clear, sunshiny day. The place is one giant distraction.
F greets each student on his arrival--he arrives last, sweating but in good spirits. They all have looked forward to seeing him. This class only meets occasionally, and is one of a range of secondary modules the MAs can take, so the students who take this class specifically want to be here. This particular class, as well, is optional, and presented just for fun.
The group is engaged and listening, but not bursting at the seams to speak, which is different from similarly-enthusiastic BA students. If asked to respond, they will, but they're not pushy about it, nor do they seem like they have anything to prove.
"James Napier. Google it on your phones while we walk to the other plinth." Passive, casual integration of modern technology. Crazy.
The group circles itself up instinctively, creating a classroom of their walls against the bustle of the city.
Farokh knows his information in the depths of his head, though sometimes title and author recall can be a struggle. Not in a bad way, but he somehow doesn't present the encyclopaedic 'off the cuff' feel of Jess or Sylvan when it comes to recommending books, key concepts, authors, etc.
His enthusiasm is contagious and engaging. The students freely and excitedly give him their undivided attention, even as buses honk and tourists scream.
Many interruptions and loud noises--he acknowledges them, but his students are undeterred.
Well, I spoke too soon. The stage check got to the circus act. It's more than a little distracting for a guy to be leaping three storeys in the air doing somersaults and landing on a springy telephone pole.
Suddenly the tone changed and now it's a class, a lecture even. It felt like a themed tour until now, prompting thought and posing questions but not actually giving answers or feeling like school. But you can feel the energy from earlier, walking around, building itself into a narrative--we're getting to the point.
We've had to turn around--the stage was too distracting.
Identity-creating, national narrative-establishing archives such as this place.
What is history? A nation, by definition, is an imagined community. Wait, who said this? This is an axiom.
All archives are acts of fiction.
All archives attempt to define an origin.
All archives are an act of violence to those who disagree with them.
--Are we referring to something the students have already discussed at length?
"I stole this photograph of my father from my father." Consider your personal archives. What is a thing of yours that reminds you of you?
And again, "Does that make sense?" as punctuation for the session. Please confirm that you understand not only the words themselves, but the meaning I'm trying to convey. Please confirm. No one ever confirms.
"Archive Fever" -- the archive as an act of nostalgia, homesickness even, a desire to return to a place where everything is known. No remembered history is complete or true, but we want it to be so.
Back in the building, in the controlled environment of PK2. The space is sealed, quiet. Everyone looked up, startled, when I came into the room. They're talking in a normal speaking tone, taking turns. One at a time. Strong attention and enthusiasm.
The relevance of the monument as archive seems lost somehow. The students went off into the museum after the lecture to find an archive that spoke to them, but that exercise changed their gear rather abruptly. The third part of the class doesn't feel like it refers to either of the first two.
When FSS speaks again to read and round off the class (and the course) he does so briskly and without ceremony, but the students cling to every word. They're eager to graduate but they'll miss him.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Observation: Karin Schuck: Costume Fittings. 10:30-11:30am, 6 June
Bridge Project. This is 2nd year student designer D's first costume fitting and she's nervous. The actors have been through a costume fitting process before, if simplified, because of their work on the mainstage musical the previous term.
Is the garment easy to quick-change? This question applies to each element of the costume, including bracelets and earrings.
Keeping balance in mind at all times--what does the designer want, what does the actor want, what is feasible?
Socks? The question of socks comes up for every student. Are you comfortable in those shoes with no socks? Would you like tights? Would tights look okay? KS brings this question up when the designer doesn't think to. Half an hour later, the student asks the actress for herself if she will feel comfortable in the shoes without socks. Student is learning directly from KS, and fast.
KS encounters the same onslaught of interruptions as I do throughout her taught, supported session. The visitors are respectful and wait their turn. At all times there is a feeling of being in K's space, you need to ask permission before you touch anything.
The designer is treated like a real designer, and KS is a real shop manager. KS's colleagues are likewise professional in their encounters. "D, your next appointment is here. Shall I ask her to wait?" "Yes, please, no more than five minutes. Thank you." "No problem." Everything feels calm. There is pressure, yes, but just of time. Not some authority figure or menace.
Actors are given a private space to change in. It is altogether a safe-feeling space. No one is exposed, or cold, or being judged. The garments selected already fit. This is easy on slender actresses, but everything does look remarkably lovely on them, even beaten-up hats and coats with stains on them. The moment they are in the room they are professional and serious. Interesting. There is no banter, nothing playful or silly.
"You want to wear your own T-shirt? At some point that shirt will need to become a Costume." you can hear the capital letter. Importance emerges, this is not just a shirt. It is a reminder to think: are you ready to part with it? Will you be responsible with it until that point?
Safety concerns: dust, claustrophobia, allergies to fabrics and metals?
It is very, very quiet in here.
Re-set between groups. We go back to zero. Bracelets back in the drawer, shoes back in the boxes. All the garments are tucked away. There is nothing to be tripped over, or jealous of, or any reminders of what has come before. We are ready to start again and pay attention to just you.
"I'm advising her, but I'm also just helping her, entering data, making sure everything is labelled appropriately. I'll provide guidance and prompt her with ideas, but it's not a lecture, I'm not pushing."
"Sorry for holding you. Please send my apologies to your director." "Don't say that!! That extra five minutes was very productive! You undermine your value, and the value of this process when you say things like that. Their time was very well-spent!" (I think D touched a nerve)
K is standing by, listening, waiting for the student to fill in the necessary information and ask the necessary questions herself. Only when it becomes clear that she's not going to does KS step in. It feels professional, but with a bridge to support.
Providing other options that may suit--She has clearly pre-discussed the designer's aesthetic with her and wants to support it without imposing her own ideas too much. Making the students feel important, taking their opinions of their garments into consideration, their comfort, their interpretation of their character. Definitely for actors' learning as well.
K's knowledge of fashion and lines, continuity of the contours of the body and the garment, is evident.
It is interesting, when a fitting is too easy--try it on, yes, this is perfect. The actor feels short-changed, I think. She wants to be fussed over. She wants to play dress-up and put on all the pretty things in the store. So they continue to fuss over her a bit, and discover a few new things in the process.
the characters are 'she', not 'I'. It is very important to keep this distance. We are not dressing you. We, including you, are dressing the character. Safety, comfort and the ability to move are important to you. Aesthetics are about the character, and the designer needs to have control over that.
"Before you marry yourself to it, talk to the lighting designer." Even in this warm, cosy, intimate space, we have to remember the rest of the show out there. There is a clear feeling of distance between Out There and In Here. In Here is a safe place, but we are here for a reason.
Dealing with Nerves: As this is D's first fitting she needs reassurance, and gets it. This actor is ready, calm and very comfortable with her body. "I brought a bra if you think we'll need it, I'm not wearing one today." right out the door. Look how ready for this I am, physically and emotionally. Not a show of dominance, but a declaration that she's ready for whatever. Assertive. But this makes D even more nervous, she's on the back foot. K is at her shoulder immediately, and when the actress pushes her dislike of a garment too far K swoops in to remind her that she's not looking at it properly. "The length of the coat will make more sense with trousers and shoes. Yes, it looks bad with a bare leg and ankle-height socks. But you can't look at it properly like this. Try it with the trousers." Let's do it in order, and sorry but my order is the right order. This is to ensure time is being used efficiently, but also I think to help control the growing power struggle between designer and actor.
Choices are provided, but not freely available. This must be 'pulling' that I've heard about. You may pick one of the two I have prepared for you. I am still ultimately in charge, but you have a sense of participation.
We are very much in K's space. No one touches anything without her permission. It also helps that she's one of very few people who knows where anything is.
Tidiness and order are a huge part of the safety and overall feeling of the space, and the process.
Is the garment easy to quick-change? This question applies to each element of the costume, including bracelets and earrings.
Keeping balance in mind at all times--what does the designer want, what does the actor want, what is feasible?
Socks? The question of socks comes up for every student. Are you comfortable in those shoes with no socks? Would you like tights? Would tights look okay? KS brings this question up when the designer doesn't think to. Half an hour later, the student asks the actress for herself if she will feel comfortable in the shoes without socks. Student is learning directly from KS, and fast.
KS encounters the same onslaught of interruptions as I do throughout her taught, supported session. The visitors are respectful and wait their turn. At all times there is a feeling of being in K's space, you need to ask permission before you touch anything.
The designer is treated like a real designer, and KS is a real shop manager. KS's colleagues are likewise professional in their encounters. "D, your next appointment is here. Shall I ask her to wait?" "Yes, please, no more than five minutes. Thank you." "No problem." Everything feels calm. There is pressure, yes, but just of time. Not some authority figure or menace.
Actors are given a private space to change in. It is altogether a safe-feeling space. No one is exposed, or cold, or being judged. The garments selected already fit. This is easy on slender actresses, but everything does look remarkably lovely on them, even beaten-up hats and coats with stains on them. The moment they are in the room they are professional and serious. Interesting. There is no banter, nothing playful or silly.
"You want to wear your own T-shirt? At some point that shirt will need to become a Costume." you can hear the capital letter. Importance emerges, this is not just a shirt. It is a reminder to think: are you ready to part with it? Will you be responsible with it until that point?
Safety concerns: dust, claustrophobia, allergies to fabrics and metals?
It is very, very quiet in here.
Re-set between groups. We go back to zero. Bracelets back in the drawer, shoes back in the boxes. All the garments are tucked away. There is nothing to be tripped over, or jealous of, or any reminders of what has come before. We are ready to start again and pay attention to just you.
"I'm advising her, but I'm also just helping her, entering data, making sure everything is labelled appropriately. I'll provide guidance and prompt her with ideas, but it's not a lecture, I'm not pushing."
"Sorry for holding you. Please send my apologies to your director." "Don't say that!! That extra five minutes was very productive! You undermine your value, and the value of this process when you say things like that. Their time was very well-spent!" (I think D touched a nerve)
K is standing by, listening, waiting for the student to fill in the necessary information and ask the necessary questions herself. Only when it becomes clear that she's not going to does KS step in. It feels professional, but with a bridge to support.
Providing other options that may suit--She has clearly pre-discussed the designer's aesthetic with her and wants to support it without imposing her own ideas too much. Making the students feel important, taking their opinions of their garments into consideration, their comfort, their interpretation of their character. Definitely for actors' learning as well.
K's knowledge of fashion and lines, continuity of the contours of the body and the garment, is evident.
It is interesting, when a fitting is too easy--try it on, yes, this is perfect. The actor feels short-changed, I think. She wants to be fussed over. She wants to play dress-up and put on all the pretty things in the store. So they continue to fuss over her a bit, and discover a few new things in the process.
the characters are 'she', not 'I'. It is very important to keep this distance. We are not dressing you. We, including you, are dressing the character. Safety, comfort and the ability to move are important to you. Aesthetics are about the character, and the designer needs to have control over that.
"Before you marry yourself to it, talk to the lighting designer." Even in this warm, cosy, intimate space, we have to remember the rest of the show out there. There is a clear feeling of distance between Out There and In Here. In Here is a safe place, but we are here for a reason.
Dealing with Nerves: As this is D's first fitting she needs reassurance, and gets it. This actor is ready, calm and very comfortable with her body. "I brought a bra if you think we'll need it, I'm not wearing one today." right out the door. Look how ready for this I am, physically and emotionally. Not a show of dominance, but a declaration that she's ready for whatever. Assertive. But this makes D even more nervous, she's on the back foot. K is at her shoulder immediately, and when the actress pushes her dislike of a garment too far K swoops in to remind her that she's not looking at it properly. "The length of the coat will make more sense with trousers and shoes. Yes, it looks bad with a bare leg and ankle-height socks. But you can't look at it properly like this. Try it with the trousers." Let's do it in order, and sorry but my order is the right order. This is to ensure time is being used efficiently, but also I think to help control the growing power struggle between designer and actor.
Choices are provided, but not freely available. This must be 'pulling' that I've heard about. You may pick one of the two I have prepared for you. I am still ultimately in charge, but you have a sense of participation.
We are very much in K's space. No one touches anything without her permission. It also helps that she's one of very few people who knows where anything is.
Tidiness and order are a huge part of the safety and overall feeling of the space, and the process.
Observation: Carla Mardle, demonstration session: Trompe l'oeil. 26 April, 3-4:30 pm
Noisy Environment. Drone of angle grinders, sanders, dust extractor, radio conflicting. Students lean in close to hear.
Taking notes on their phones while taking pictures.
Touch and feel to distinguish points
Considerable hand motions to describe textures--students listen with their eyes.
Constant visual and tactile aids.
Carla manages to tolerate the noise without getting flustered or annoyed.
Going through selecting and priming scenic fabrics.
Filled cloth--do not prime. Takes spray very well.
Disruption: A.G. Quick question. Carla kept her hands engaged with the demonstration and her body pointed towards the students in the class. She clearly communicated what her priority was. Turned head--her attitude was polite but clearly indicated that she had a different priority. Is this trained or instinctive? Do we all do this?
Playful, laughing enthusiasm, occasional swearing for emphasis.
Asking for guesses to enhance teachable critical-thinking moments.
Ew! Ugh! Gross! Yuck! Ways to make learning which products are not suitable to use (synthetics) by making the response to them one of disgust. Appears effective--it is not just that the product doesn’t work, but we Hate it. It is an effective way to get the message across without belabouring it--bypassing the intellectual engagement and making it a visceral rejection, gut-level. I don’t use polyester, it is Gross. Transferring prejudices vs good learning?
Recap: the list of items and their shared properties.
Sum-up and why we went through this.
Demonstration: new topic. Move bodies, change proximity.
Real-world analogies. Single cream vs double cream--do students cook enough to tell the difference?
Has a warm and irreverent attitude towards the institution and learning--the students respond well to it, but will they always?
Specific straight line technique--bypassing the feeling of teaching your grandma to suck eggs. This way to hold a ruler is actually New and Interesting.
Axiom: If we screw up, what do we do? It’s paint! We paint over it! Memorable.
Breaking the rules: again, irreverent towards institution. Practice. Try not to take yourself too seriously.
“Remember. Just like… Of course…” reminders that you already know this, but now you’re applying it in a new way.
Leading the students round by the hand at times, but they clearly desire to be led.
Their body language is passive. They are absorbing information.
Question: coping with resting bitch face from students.
Referring to students’ homework and prepared research for reference images. Teaching using them--that’s trust that they’re prepared!
Roughly, approximately, thereabouts. Again, reaffirming what is important and what isn’t.
Examples from student work from years past, also first years--celebrating achievement while reinforcing that you can do this too!
Marble practice, Woodgrain practice, Cornice practice: now we can put these all together.
Student-by-student prep for project. Other students are encouraged to listen but each project is unique. Attention is flagging. Are they tired?
“I’m getting ahead of myself. This is for Monday.” is this a group of advanced learners, or is the teacher actually jumping the gun?
Opportunities for enquiry: Carla as a dyslexic teacher. How does this impact her organisation of her lessons? Of her thoughts? How does Carla prepare to teach?
Does Carla worry that she routinely misses things?
As a dyslexic learner, what aspects of your teaching style do students really seem to find useful?
Observation: Dot Young: Crafts Seminar 4 June, 11am-1pm.
Board Room: Big Table arrangement. Almost square. DY has a separate table all the way at the front of the room, a flipchart with markers, and all of her documents she needs laid out in order of when she should need them. She has a roll of masking tape.
Start: DY asks for feedback about the past two terms. How do you feel about them? High points, low points. Asks in ways to try to elicit emotions--what was great? What was super great? What was grr? What kinda made you, oof, rrr, you know, grr, that wasn't so great? Using strong facial expressions, hand gestures. Hand gestures are almost mime or BSL: very expressive and visually engaging.
"We didn't bother filling in the survey because even if you address it in the survey, we've heard that nothing changes." "That is flatly untrue! We had a brand new Unit 1 this year, actually." Student tried to touch a nerve, but DY was all smiles and polite explanations. I woulda punched the student, but DY played it cool. What this did bring up was that the gossip was making its way around faster and better than the information the school was trying to provide. Interestingly, Scenic Art and Props knew that Unit 1 was new, but Costumes did not. Poor communication? How did this get missed?
Feedback request period: taking all comments seriously, and genuinely seeking constructive feedback. Though when the students did start to open up, most of their comments were referred back to Course Committee. Suggestions that they should speak to their representatives and ensure those points are raised.
Joyful, playful, good eye contact. Respectful of the students while still distinctly the authority figure.
Snap Skills. Cute.
How DY deals with disruptive influences: one student is verbose and really wants to take over the conversation. Not sure why, but she's angry, and most of the things she's saying she clearly believes in firmly but DY would argue are not true. DY let her talk for a while, but found a key point to interject on and then introduce a conversation-ending change. Student wanted opportunities to learn other classes' skills, when can we do that? "That's what other schools do, but not us. We stand out in the field as a place where we specialise from the outset. Rose Bruford, Mountview--these places have the carousel system where you do a little bit of everything, and that's great if you want that, but our reputation is for producing specialists, so we specialise all the way through." Remember: this is why you picked us. This is why you're here.
"Have you completed your practice assessment?" one hand goes up. "Yay." Adorable sarcasm. Laughter.
Content-related question on my part--time management is clearly a very important skill to DY, and she wants to make it very clear that evidence of effective use of time is crucial to your learning and marks. How crucial is time management to academic achievement? How does that impact students diagnosed with SpLD's who may struggle far more than neurotypical students with time management?
"I drew a diagram. It's not the best diagram you've ever seen but it's a diagram." Managing expectations in a gentle and self-deprecating way. At the end of class she asked a few students if they thought the diagram was useful. It was new and she wanted feedback, so she introduced it as a work in progress. It felt natural to ask for useful feedback on it later.
Reminders to all students that they're not all doing the same thing now, and that's good. We're focussing on different learning and objectives, not more or less advanced.
Your practice is assessed, through the reflective submission. Opportunity to remind them of the different types/formats for submission, including .pdf, oral recording, etc. To what extent is this supportive system useful for students? To what extent are they taking it up?
Indicating, reminding through diagram that each student already has hours, if not days of data to call upon. You've got mountains of research, journal entries, etc that you now need to filter through--it's not that you have nothing, the work ahead is paring it down into the word or time count. There is no room in her narrative for an argument of "I don't have anything, there's too much work to produce before the end of term, this is getting in the way of my project." or what might have you.
Energy levels are dropping. Distraction sets in.
Is this a seminar or an informative session? It doesn't feel like there's a whole lot of learning happening, just preparation for submissions later. No, it is not a teaching session. It is a prep session and a summary following on from a previous session on readying writing and other material for assessed projects. It feels like she's readying the students to finish the term.
Text analysis: yes, you should have read the play. Yes, you should have had a look at the socio-political context of the piece, the genre, how it's being presented, what the director wants to do with it. You're not immune from the theatre work just because you're not performing. Your work must be relevant to the piece.
Separate relevance of this from BATP students vs actors or theatre studies students. Yes read the play, but you've analysed the concept, or concept, or type of event that your work is supporting in the context of what you want to do with it. A way of making it relevant to these students who may be reluctant readers (or dyslexic). The reading (or watching) is in the context of the make, not analysis for analysis's sake.
Energy level drop expected, a break is planned in. Just a couple of minutes but she does encourage everyone to go move around, get some water. Smart.
Students writing on the flipchart. "Don't worry about the spelling, People can Google it later, just like I did." Reassuring, pressure's off, you're not performing, you're just helping me. This is also in keeping with Central's SpLD friendly policies.
"You don't need to copy all this down, just take a photo of the list when we're done." Neat. Modern, high tech. Fancy. Is the rationale to be lexia-friendly?
Chatter silenced with an eyeballing. Do props students feel like they get a special allowance, or feel detached from the seminar and the other students because the tutor is their tutor?
"I have my masking tape ready!" DY takes delight in her preparations paying off. She is very prepared. Her students are less so. Some came with no notebook, or borrowed a leaf of paper from someone else. I believe this is the 4th seminar of the school year--have they needed to be more prepared before? Or less?
Putting colourful documents around the room to brighten it up for the end of the session? Didn't offer a whole lot of course content but it looks nice.
Reminder again of the school's reputation, becoming the students' reputation: The door is already half-open for you from students who've taken placements here before. Every business we list is a place where a student has had a placement or has gone on to get a job.
Setting background tasks: reasons to not have "free time"--if you're playing video games, there is something else towards your learning you could be doing, and this is it. You can start to explore, this is something you should do, this is a good use of your time, this is fun--all implying you should want to do this for yourself, this isn't work infringing on your pleasure, it is pleasure! (I don't know if they bought it.)
Break out last 10 minutes for discreet questions, photographs of work, etc. This time was used by some students, others were finished and left. Several students took a photo and said they'd email it to their classmates, or snapchat it. Handy.
We're in a very high-tech time now, where the technology is just a given. Some students only showed up with a phone, or nothing, because they were confident the information would make its way to them in a digital format soon and easily, with no extra effort on anyone's part.
Start: DY asks for feedback about the past two terms. How do you feel about them? High points, low points. Asks in ways to try to elicit emotions--what was great? What was super great? What was grr? What kinda made you, oof, rrr, you know, grr, that wasn't so great? Using strong facial expressions, hand gestures. Hand gestures are almost mime or BSL: very expressive and visually engaging.
"We didn't bother filling in the survey because even if you address it in the survey, we've heard that nothing changes." "That is flatly untrue! We had a brand new Unit 1 this year, actually." Student tried to touch a nerve, but DY was all smiles and polite explanations. I woulda punched the student, but DY played it cool. What this did bring up was that the gossip was making its way around faster and better than the information the school was trying to provide. Interestingly, Scenic Art and Props knew that Unit 1 was new, but Costumes did not. Poor communication? How did this get missed?
Feedback request period: taking all comments seriously, and genuinely seeking constructive feedback. Though when the students did start to open up, most of their comments were referred back to Course Committee. Suggestions that they should speak to their representatives and ensure those points are raised.
Joyful, playful, good eye contact. Respectful of the students while still distinctly the authority figure.
Snap Skills. Cute.
How DY deals with disruptive influences: one student is verbose and really wants to take over the conversation. Not sure why, but she's angry, and most of the things she's saying she clearly believes in firmly but DY would argue are not true. DY let her talk for a while, but found a key point to interject on and then introduce a conversation-ending change. Student wanted opportunities to learn other classes' skills, when can we do that? "That's what other schools do, but not us. We stand out in the field as a place where we specialise from the outset. Rose Bruford, Mountview--these places have the carousel system where you do a little bit of everything, and that's great if you want that, but our reputation is for producing specialists, so we specialise all the way through." Remember: this is why you picked us. This is why you're here.
"Have you completed your practice assessment?" one hand goes up. "Yay." Adorable sarcasm. Laughter.
Content-related question on my part--time management is clearly a very important skill to DY, and she wants to make it very clear that evidence of effective use of time is crucial to your learning and marks. How crucial is time management to academic achievement? How does that impact students diagnosed with SpLD's who may struggle far more than neurotypical students with time management?
"I drew a diagram. It's not the best diagram you've ever seen but it's a diagram." Managing expectations in a gentle and self-deprecating way. At the end of class she asked a few students if they thought the diagram was useful. It was new and she wanted feedback, so she introduced it as a work in progress. It felt natural to ask for useful feedback on it later.
Reminders to all students that they're not all doing the same thing now, and that's good. We're focussing on different learning and objectives, not more or less advanced.
Your practice is assessed, through the reflective submission. Opportunity to remind them of the different types/formats for submission, including .pdf, oral recording, etc. To what extent is this supportive system useful for students? To what extent are they taking it up?
Indicating, reminding through diagram that each student already has hours, if not days of data to call upon. You've got mountains of research, journal entries, etc that you now need to filter through--it's not that you have nothing, the work ahead is paring it down into the word or time count. There is no room in her narrative for an argument of "I don't have anything, there's too much work to produce before the end of term, this is getting in the way of my project." or what might have you.
Energy levels are dropping. Distraction sets in.
Is this a seminar or an informative session? It doesn't feel like there's a whole lot of learning happening, just preparation for submissions later. No, it is not a teaching session. It is a prep session and a summary following on from a previous session on readying writing and other material for assessed projects. It feels like she's readying the students to finish the term.
Text analysis: yes, you should have read the play. Yes, you should have had a look at the socio-political context of the piece, the genre, how it's being presented, what the director wants to do with it. You're not immune from the theatre work just because you're not performing. Your work must be relevant to the piece.
Separate relevance of this from BATP students vs actors or theatre studies students. Yes read the play, but you've analysed the concept, or concept, or type of event that your work is supporting in the context of what you want to do with it. A way of making it relevant to these students who may be reluctant readers (or dyslexic). The reading (or watching) is in the context of the make, not analysis for analysis's sake.
Energy level drop expected, a break is planned in. Just a couple of minutes but she does encourage everyone to go move around, get some water. Smart.
Students writing on the flipchart. "Don't worry about the spelling, People can Google it later, just like I did." Reassuring, pressure's off, you're not performing, you're just helping me. This is also in keeping with Central's SpLD friendly policies.
"You don't need to copy all this down, just take a photo of the list when we're done." Neat. Modern, high tech. Fancy. Is the rationale to be lexia-friendly?
Chatter silenced with an eyeballing. Do props students feel like they get a special allowance, or feel detached from the seminar and the other students because the tutor is their tutor?
"I have my masking tape ready!" DY takes delight in her preparations paying off. She is very prepared. Her students are less so. Some came with no notebook, or borrowed a leaf of paper from someone else. I believe this is the 4th seminar of the school year--have they needed to be more prepared before? Or less?
Putting colourful documents around the room to brighten it up for the end of the session? Didn't offer a whole lot of course content but it looks nice.
Reminder again of the school's reputation, becoming the students' reputation: The door is already half-open for you from students who've taken placements here before. Every business we list is a place where a student has had a placement or has gone on to get a job.
Setting background tasks: reasons to not have "free time"--if you're playing video games, there is something else towards your learning you could be doing, and this is it. You can start to explore, this is something you should do, this is a good use of your time, this is fun--all implying you should want to do this for yourself, this isn't work infringing on your pleasure, it is pleasure! (I don't know if they bought it.)
Break out last 10 minutes for discreet questions, photographs of work, etc. This time was used by some students, others were finished and left. Several students took a photo and said they'd email it to their classmates, or snapchat it. Handy.
We're in a very high-tech time now, where the technology is just a given. Some students only showed up with a phone, or nothing, because they were confident the information would make its way to them in a digital format soon and easily, with no extra effort on anyone's part.
Observation: Alex Stone Small Group Tutorial 31 May, 11:30 - 12:30
Space: murmur from other meetings, but not distracting. Hot, cloyingly close. Arrived 1/2 hour into session due to my own delays.
The session is quiet. AS spends much of her time intently listening. 3 students. A power structure is evident among the students.
Very collegiate tone, providing expert advice rather than some sort of authoritarian or lecture session.
Providing a prompt for thoughts--Alex is being their next thought. Giving them an opportunity to think it themselves, but when they don't, just easing it in.
"You are starting at 9:30, at what time do you aim to finish rigging?" Prompting students to check their own planning documents. Trusting students to be prepared, to have done their side of the work.
Visibly listening, not interrupting. Following a mature conversational flow as much as possible, making it feel like a production meeting among equals.
"So, what am I going to ask you for?" breaking character, putting teacher-hat back on. "A schematic! Here it is!" the student is beaming, proud of herself and anticipating a pat on the head. "You mention a remote. Where is the remote on the schematic?" "I mean, it'll be, we'll have it." "Mark it down. Give it a home, make it so you can find it. I'm going to ask these really silly questions about things you assume will just happen. Plan on the little stupid things being accounted for, especially when they're little stupid things that can make everything go wrong if they go missing."
"Yeah? That's why we have these opportunities to think about these things!"
Providing opportunities for students to be proud of what they've already done, look how professional I am. AS has a "good, and" mindset, warm reassurance for what they've done, then a challenge to go forward. "Great. Now let's think about introducing room for flexibility into this plan."
Good eye contact, sitting on their level. The schematics and schedules are centre, not AS or any student.
End of session: Sum up. Let's go back through and remember all of the action points we touched on to make sure we take care of them in the next few days. Reminders. Then questions.
Willing to go over, but with awareness of time and respect for the students' other commitments. Maybe five more minutes? This feels like privileged time, and very valuable.
Very student-led session. This is clearly a response to their wants and concerns. They very much want to be here, and it is for their preparation for an actual event offsite.
Speaking from experience of the space--AS couches her authority in her actual relationship with the theatre itself, not just this type of theatre or just her own professional background. She knows This Space well, from her own small shows back in the day. "Based on my history doing festivals at CPT, patrons are like This in the evenings. The staff are like That in the mornings." Makes it feel very real.
Trying to end on a positive note, but the students now seem self-effacing. B in particular suddenly goes quiet, reluctant. Is there something she wants to ask, but doesn't feel confident? Has she forgotten something? Why has she suddenly withdrawn? Interesting. She seemed very on-it until just this moment.
The session is quiet. AS spends much of her time intently listening. 3 students. A power structure is evident among the students.
Very collegiate tone, providing expert advice rather than some sort of authoritarian or lecture session.
Providing a prompt for thoughts--Alex is being their next thought. Giving them an opportunity to think it themselves, but when they don't, just easing it in.
"You are starting at 9:30, at what time do you aim to finish rigging?" Prompting students to check their own planning documents. Trusting students to be prepared, to have done their side of the work.
Visibly listening, not interrupting. Following a mature conversational flow as much as possible, making it feel like a production meeting among equals.
"So, what am I going to ask you for?" breaking character, putting teacher-hat back on. "A schematic! Here it is!" the student is beaming, proud of herself and anticipating a pat on the head. "You mention a remote. Where is the remote on the schematic?" "I mean, it'll be, we'll have it." "Mark it down. Give it a home, make it so you can find it. I'm going to ask these really silly questions about things you assume will just happen. Plan on the little stupid things being accounted for, especially when they're little stupid things that can make everything go wrong if they go missing."
"Yeah? That's why we have these opportunities to think about these things!"
Providing opportunities for students to be proud of what they've already done, look how professional I am. AS has a "good, and" mindset, warm reassurance for what they've done, then a challenge to go forward. "Great. Now let's think about introducing room for flexibility into this plan."
Good eye contact, sitting on their level. The schematics and schedules are centre, not AS or any student.
End of session: Sum up. Let's go back through and remember all of the action points we touched on to make sure we take care of them in the next few days. Reminders. Then questions.
Willing to go over, but with awareness of time and respect for the students' other commitments. Maybe five more minutes? This feels like privileged time, and very valuable.
Very student-led session. This is clearly a response to their wants and concerns. They very much want to be here, and it is for their preparation for an actual event offsite.
Speaking from experience of the space--AS couches her authority in her actual relationship with the theatre itself, not just this type of theatre or just her own professional background. She knows This Space well, from her own small shows back in the day. "Based on my history doing festivals at CPT, patrons are like This in the evenings. The staff are like That in the mornings." Makes it feel very real.
Trying to end on a positive note, but the students now seem self-effacing. B in particular suddenly goes quiet, reluctant. Is there something she wants to ask, but doesn't feel confident? Has she forgotten something? Why has she suddenly withdrawn? Interesting. She seemed very on-it until just this moment.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Interesting dyspraxia developments to consider
Two scenic construction students, a first year and a second year, exhibit dyspraxic tendencies. The second year has visited the Dyslexia and Dyspraxia office and was found to be 'highly likely' to be dyspraxic. (He joked that he got halfway through the test and was told to go get diagnosed.) He intends to make an appointment to be thoroughly tested and diagnosed soon. The first year on the other hand demonstrates many dyspraxic tendencies but does not want to find out if he has it, and finds the whole idea embarrassing. I've asked each student if I can keep tabs on their relationships with their working and learning over the course of the next term and both agreed. Interesting!
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Action Research Ideas
Action research is an idea that you develop and continually monitor to ensure that it supports what you wish to happen.
This project is intended to promote an active awareness of how my actions impact learning.
Identify an aspect of your teaching situation which you think might benefit from change.
I've already been studying and considering the impact of ensuring that PPE is not generic, but that a range of options are available to people of varying sizes and shapes. This is an area of student support that I find interesting and I have a mind to continue it, but it might get expensive and pointless if I go too far. There is a risk of over-inundating my current cohort of students with too many options. I'm still having trouble with a few students and their tutors forgetting to use PPE and some simple 'goggles on a string' options may be worth trialling, but I think they will become bored with my constant prodding. Also, the theoretical underpinnings of this have already been demonstrated. The students do respond well to welding equipment that fits better. Where else could I go with this, really?
Another area I might explore is my own apparent dyspraxia. While it is awkward and confusing to engage with, it certainly has an impact on my ability to teach (and hold learners' attention) so it could be worthwhile to focus upon it directly. I could ask the Learning Centre for research guidance to learn more about the condition, coping strategies, and resources about time management and planning. I should probably find some means of securing a true diagnosis before I undertake this, as if I go through the whole rigmarole only to discover that I actually have ADD or am depressed or just thick, well... Well actually, some help with time management would probably not go amiss in any case, but people with different reasons for their poor time management may benefit from different approaches or strategies. No sense putting post-it notes on everything if you're just as likely to ignore a post-it as you are to forget to check your phone calendar.
This project is intended to promote an active awareness of how my actions impact learning.
Identify an aspect of your teaching situation which you think might benefit from change.
I've already been studying and considering the impact of ensuring that PPE is not generic, but that a range of options are available to people of varying sizes and shapes. This is an area of student support that I find interesting and I have a mind to continue it, but it might get expensive and pointless if I go too far. There is a risk of over-inundating my current cohort of students with too many options. I'm still having trouble with a few students and their tutors forgetting to use PPE and some simple 'goggles on a string' options may be worth trialling, but I think they will become bored with my constant prodding. Also, the theoretical underpinnings of this have already been demonstrated. The students do respond well to welding equipment that fits better. Where else could I go with this, really?
Another area I might explore is my own apparent dyspraxia. While it is awkward and confusing to engage with, it certainly has an impact on my ability to teach (and hold learners' attention) so it could be worthwhile to focus upon it directly. I could ask the Learning Centre for research guidance to learn more about the condition, coping strategies, and resources about time management and planning. I should probably find some means of securing a true diagnosis before I undertake this, as if I go through the whole rigmarole only to discover that I actually have ADD or am depressed or just thick, well... Well actually, some help with time management would probably not go amiss in any case, but people with different reasons for their poor time management may benefit from different approaches or strategies. No sense putting post-it notes on everything if you're just as likely to ignore a post-it as you are to forget to check your phone calendar.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Reflections on a Session I Taught: Intro to Furniture Repair
Subject: Trial run of a furniture repair class
14 November 2017
Hi Cool Kids,
I have an idea for a potentially fun morning’s work in week 9 depending on people’s availability and interest. After a delightful session repairing and restoring some antique chairs with a couple of your cohort it occurs to me that everyone might appreciate some practise and training in furniture repair. We can rummage in the furniture store for items that need love or you could bring your own project pieces or both. We can practise dowel-fitting, reshaping and replacing components, high-tension knots, clamping and wrap techniques (for holding it together while the glue dries), and discuss painting, staining and different types and applications for adhesives. This is for theatre-grade furniture repair, not museum- or consumer-grade, but a morning or a few hours may be all you need to get those chairs back to work at their primary job: being jumped on by actors.
Do let me know by reply if you’re interested, and which day(s) of week 9 you might be available for a morning or afternoon.
Thanks!
KG
17 November 2017
Hi Stage Managers,
Thank you to those who have replied with your availability. I’m happy to run a session Wednesday morning of week 9, the 29th of November starting at 10am. Please do let me know if you are keen to participate and haven’t already replied.
Do make sure you wear work clothes and steelies, tie long hair back, and bring your comfortable goggles and ear defenders if you have them (we can also lend you what we have). You may want to bring a notebook, pencil, camera-equipped calculator and your favourite tape measure, but please leave any other valuables somewhere safe and clean (like your scarf and coat; if it’s chilly we’ll put the heater on).
Also, as this is trial run please feel free to offer honest feedback during and after the session about what was or was not useful to you, what you’d like to see happen if we do it again, and anything else that could help it gel into something cool.
Kind regards,
KG
__________________________________
Broken Chairs and You: Assessment, Repair and Restoration
Class Outline and Selected Definitions
29 November, 2017. 1000 to 1300
Starting Points, Equipment and Materials:
How was it made in the first place? What was it worth new? How much will it cost to repair?
Parts of the Chair. (Top Rail, Mid Rail, Stile, Leg, Corner Block, Seat, Spindle, Rung) (Draw and label)
Is it Broken, Dismantled, Weak or Squeaky? How does it need to be used?
Mould, Dry Rot and Decay (or when to just say no).
Whether to repair components or replace them—what is the line?
Two types of Dowel, Wedges. Appropriate use of Hardware, and Why to Avoid Brackets (Hint: they bend!)
Types of Adhesives: Flexible, Rigid, Expanding, Epoxy, Filler, Cyanoacrylate (why, and their cure times).
Pilot holes: Why? Where? How? And what to do about hairline cracks?
Use the Least Hazardous Product you can that is still effective.
Common Chair Materials:
Hardwoods: Oak, Maple, Hickory, Beech, Teak, Iroko (Mahogany), Eucalyptus (Grandis), Cherry. DURABLE.
Softwoods: Pine, Spruce, Cedar, Fir (and other evergreens) CHEAPER. Not usually good to use outdoors.
Sheet: Plywood, MDF, Particleboard, OSB (Sterling Board), Cardboard. OFTEN CHEAPER STILL except ply.
Plastics: Polyester, Polypropylene, Polyurethane, Polyethylene, Acrylic, Polycarbonate. RANGE OF QUALITIES.
Metals: Steel, aluminium, cheap chromed alloys. RANGE OF QUALITIES.
Holding It Together while the Glue Dries:
Clamping (padding, protecting clamps from adhesives, protecting furniture from the clamp)
Ropes for Knot Tying: Nylon, Polyester, Manila/Hemp, Polypropylene. No string.
Clove Hitch: a tight-fitting, simple and reliable knot, for attaching a line to a fixed object (such as a pipe)
Constrictor Knot: One more step beyond a Clove Hitch, this knot is self-tightening and difficult to remove.
Bowline: A permanent, slip-resistant loop that can be introduced anywhere in a system.
Trucker’s Hitch: a double-purchase system without pulleys, makes a very high-tension line.
Finishing: Painting, Staining, Scuffing, Scraping
Painting: If your furnishing has already been painted with a flat emulsion, paint it with another flat emulsion.
If your furnishing is multi-tonal, paint it all white or black before painting it again (prime it).
Staining and Varnishing: If your furnishing is a raw softwood and needs to be a hardwood-tone, select a stain and follow the instructions on the tin. For most solvent-based stains you will need GLOVES, GOGGLES, a RESPIRATOR and ruin-ready clothes. Be prepared to let it soak and then wipe off the excess. Once it is dry you should varnish, or glaze it. Use the Least Hazardous product you can that is still effective.
Scuffing: if your furnishing has been varnished but needs to be painted, you do not need to remove all of the varnish in order for the paint to stick. Use sandpaper to thoroughly scuff the varnish, or make a ‘tooth’ for the paint to hold onto. Sanding all the way down will often re-shape the wood and waste a lot of paper.
Scraping: If your item is varnished or painted and needs to be stained another colour, you will need to remove all of its existing coating. The easiest and most effective way is to scrape the varnish off with a heat gun and flat scraper. You will need leather gloves for this, a respirator and a very well ventilated space.
_______________________________________________
29 November 2017
Dear T, S and E,
Thank you for participating in the furniture session today. I hope you enjoyed yourselves--I sure had fun! I still have bits of rope for you if you want or need it. Please do practice your Trucker's Hitch when you have nothing better to do (or when listening to podcasts!) I've attached an annotated picture of the hitch we worked on. Yes, that's a chair in my office. Does green on greyscale work for you?
I've attached my lesson plan, which includes a cheat-sheet about painting techniques, which we did not get to but that's absolutely fine. If you have any questions, or would like clarification or reminders about anything, please do feel free to ask.
I would appreciate your feedback about today's session when you have some time. Don't spare my feelings! Was it useful? What would be more useful? Was it relevant to your practice?
Kind regards and thanks again,
KG
6 December 2017
Hi KG,
Thank you for all your useful resources!
From my point of view, your session was very useful. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay for the whole duration of the session, but in the hours I was there for, it was really insightful and it taught me that there was more to fixing a chair rather than just drilling things back together.
I believe it would have been more useful if I had more time to spare to learn more things from you.
Fixing chairs is something I believe that is very useful for Stage Management. It's good to know basic knowledge when you can attempt to fix a chair onsite during a tech rehearsal rather wasting time to find the right person to fix the chair for the job. Also, it's just generally a great skill to have.
Thanks,
E
14 November 2017
Hi Cool Kids,
I have an idea for a potentially fun morning’s work in week 9 depending on people’s availability and interest. After a delightful session repairing and restoring some antique chairs with a couple of your cohort it occurs to me that everyone might appreciate some practise and training in furniture repair. We can rummage in the furniture store for items that need love or you could bring your own project pieces or both. We can practise dowel-fitting, reshaping and replacing components, high-tension knots, clamping and wrap techniques (for holding it together while the glue dries), and discuss painting, staining and different types and applications for adhesives. This is for theatre-grade furniture repair, not museum- or consumer-grade, but a morning or a few hours may be all you need to get those chairs back to work at their primary job: being jumped on by actors.
Do let me know by reply if you’re interested, and which day(s) of week 9 you might be available for a morning or afternoon.
Thanks!
KG
17 November 2017
Hi Stage Managers,
Thank you to those who have replied with your availability. I’m happy to run a session Wednesday morning of week 9, the 29th of November starting at 10am. Please do let me know if you are keen to participate and haven’t already replied.
Do make sure you wear work clothes and steelies, tie long hair back, and bring your comfortable goggles and ear defenders if you have them (we can also lend you what we have). You may want to bring a notebook, pencil, camera-equipped calculator and your favourite tape measure, but please leave any other valuables somewhere safe and clean (like your scarf and coat; if it’s chilly we’ll put the heater on).
Also, as this is trial run please feel free to offer honest feedback during and after the session about what was or was not useful to you, what you’d like to see happen if we do it again, and anything else that could help it gel into something cool.
Kind regards,
KG
__________________________________
Broken Chairs and You: Assessment, Repair and Restoration
Class Outline and Selected Definitions
29 November, 2017. 1000 to 1300
Starting Points, Equipment and Materials:
How was it made in the first place? What was it worth new? How much will it cost to repair?
Parts of the Chair. (Top Rail, Mid Rail, Stile, Leg, Corner Block, Seat, Spindle, Rung) (Draw and label)
Is it Broken, Dismantled, Weak or Squeaky? How does it need to be used?
Mould, Dry Rot and Decay (or when to just say no).
Whether to repair components or replace them—what is the line?
Two types of Dowel, Wedges. Appropriate use of Hardware, and Why to Avoid Brackets (Hint: they bend!)
Types of Adhesives: Flexible, Rigid, Expanding, Epoxy, Filler, Cyanoacrylate (why, and their cure times).
Pilot holes: Why? Where? How? And what to do about hairline cracks?
Use the Least Hazardous Product you can that is still effective.
Common Chair Materials:
Hardwoods: Oak, Maple, Hickory, Beech, Teak, Iroko (Mahogany), Eucalyptus (Grandis), Cherry. DURABLE.
Softwoods: Pine, Spruce, Cedar, Fir (and other evergreens) CHEAPER. Not usually good to use outdoors.
Sheet: Plywood, MDF, Particleboard, OSB (Sterling Board), Cardboard. OFTEN CHEAPER STILL except ply.
Plastics: Polyester, Polypropylene, Polyurethane, Polyethylene, Acrylic, Polycarbonate. RANGE OF QUALITIES.
Metals: Steel, aluminium, cheap chromed alloys. RANGE OF QUALITIES.
Holding It Together while the Glue Dries:
Clamping (padding, protecting clamps from adhesives, protecting furniture from the clamp)
Ropes for Knot Tying: Nylon, Polyester, Manila/Hemp, Polypropylene. No string.
Clove Hitch: a tight-fitting, simple and reliable knot, for attaching a line to a fixed object (such as a pipe)
Constrictor Knot: One more step beyond a Clove Hitch, this knot is self-tightening and difficult to remove.
Bowline: A permanent, slip-resistant loop that can be introduced anywhere in a system.
Trucker’s Hitch: a double-purchase system without pulleys, makes a very high-tension line.
Finishing: Painting, Staining, Scuffing, Scraping
Painting: If your furnishing has already been painted with a flat emulsion, paint it with another flat emulsion.
If your furnishing is multi-tonal, paint it all white or black before painting it again (prime it).
Staining and Varnishing: If your furnishing is a raw softwood and needs to be a hardwood-tone, select a stain and follow the instructions on the tin. For most solvent-based stains you will need GLOVES, GOGGLES, a RESPIRATOR and ruin-ready clothes. Be prepared to let it soak and then wipe off the excess. Once it is dry you should varnish, or glaze it. Use the Least Hazardous product you can that is still effective.
Scuffing: if your furnishing has been varnished but needs to be painted, you do not need to remove all of the varnish in order for the paint to stick. Use sandpaper to thoroughly scuff the varnish, or make a ‘tooth’ for the paint to hold onto. Sanding all the way down will often re-shape the wood and waste a lot of paper.
Scraping: If your item is varnished or painted and needs to be stained another colour, you will need to remove all of its existing coating. The easiest and most effective way is to scrape the varnish off with a heat gun and flat scraper. You will need leather gloves for this, a respirator and a very well ventilated space.
_______________________________________________
29 November 2017
Dear T, S and E,
Thank you for participating in the furniture session today. I hope you enjoyed yourselves--I sure had fun! I still have bits of rope for you if you want or need it. Please do practice your Trucker's Hitch when you have nothing better to do (or when listening to podcasts!) I've attached an annotated picture of the hitch we worked on. Yes, that's a chair in my office. Does green on greyscale work for you?
I've attached my lesson plan, which includes a cheat-sheet about painting techniques, which we did not get to but that's absolutely fine. If you have any questions, or would like clarification or reminders about anything, please do feel free to ask.
I would appreciate your feedback about today's session when you have some time. Don't spare my feelings! Was it useful? What would be more useful? Was it relevant to your practice?
Kind regards and thanks again,
KG
6 December 2017
Hi KG,
Thank you for all your useful resources!
From my point of view, your session was very useful. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay for the whole duration of the session, but in the hours I was there for, it was really insightful and it taught me that there was more to fixing a chair rather than just drilling things back together.
I believe it would have been more useful if I had more time to spare to learn more things from you.
Fixing chairs is something I believe that is very useful for Stage Management. It's good to know basic knowledge when you can attempt to fix a chair onsite during a tech rehearsal rather wasting time to find the right person to fix the chair for the job. Also, it's just generally a great skill to have.
Thanks,
E
Observation of teaching: 1/11/2017. Prof: PC
Counterweight Flying Part 2: Loading weight and drapery. Year 1 BA-TP Technical and Production Management, Stage Management, Production Lighting joint session,
Considerations for planning, with specific considerations for health and safety:
This class is one of the most hazardous of the first year experience for BATP students, involving many people learning how to load weight at height, move large heavy battens overhead and engage with open traps in the stage deck. Communication must be clear and people must be alert.
Classroom observations: Five students are on the pinrail and another two are loading weight above. The tutor is up with them and the session appears to be predominantly for their benefit. Twenty students are on stage level to shift drapes onto and off of battens, wearing hard hats and steel-toed boots. Five lighting students are hanging fixtures off the electrics and tidying cables down cables and into deck-side traps. A VL appears to be trying to guide some activity on floor-level, but she doesn't appear to be sure what she's expected to do. Confusion and disorder abound. Communication is absent or poor.
Feedback session at the end of the day is very self-congratulatory. Small chides here and there and plenty of snarky asides from students and VL both, but the overall feel is one of pride and accomplishment.
Questions:There are too many students in this room doing absolutely nothing. These mostly stage management students are bored, disruptive, irritable and in the way, and appeared to be completely detached from the proceedings. They were not required (or invited?) to participate in the actual operation of the counterweight system. Why are they here? Why have they just been dumped on you? Were they told to take notes and pay attention to what the TPM students were doing? I'd imagine they tried for a while but there's only so much they can soak up from the sidelines while other students are intensely learning at height. Why did they not practice communicating with the fly tower? And why were the students left effectively to their own devices to develop a flyloft communication lingo when one not only already exists but it standardised across the global theatre industry?
This whole thing feels unnecessarily risky. I don't understand why the SMs are here, at least not all day. It could have been useful, if they are not really expected to learn how to operate flys but do need to know what's going on up there, for them to be invited in at the end of the day so the TPM students could show them what they've learned. That helps solidify their learning and gives the SMs an idea of what goes on when they're not around.
I can't bring myself to tell PC that this session needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. I like him and respect him as a colleague. But this was scary and resoundingly ineffective as a teaching opportunity. I don't know what to do.
Considerations for planning, with specific considerations for health and safety:
This class is one of the most hazardous of the first year experience for BATP students, involving many people learning how to load weight at height, move large heavy battens overhead and engage with open traps in the stage deck. Communication must be clear and people must be alert.
Classroom observations: Five students are on the pinrail and another two are loading weight above. The tutor is up with them and the session appears to be predominantly for their benefit. Twenty students are on stage level to shift drapes onto and off of battens, wearing hard hats and steel-toed boots. Five lighting students are hanging fixtures off the electrics and tidying cables down cables and into deck-side traps. A VL appears to be trying to guide some activity on floor-level, but she doesn't appear to be sure what she's expected to do. Confusion and disorder abound. Communication is absent or poor.
Feedback session at the end of the day is very self-congratulatory. Small chides here and there and plenty of snarky asides from students and VL both, but the overall feel is one of pride and accomplishment.
Questions:There are too many students in this room doing absolutely nothing. These mostly stage management students are bored, disruptive, irritable and in the way, and appeared to be completely detached from the proceedings. They were not required (or invited?) to participate in the actual operation of the counterweight system. Why are they here? Why have they just been dumped on you? Were they told to take notes and pay attention to what the TPM students were doing? I'd imagine they tried for a while but there's only so much they can soak up from the sidelines while other students are intensely learning at height. Why did they not practice communicating with the fly tower? And why were the students left effectively to their own devices to develop a flyloft communication lingo when one not only already exists but it standardised across the global theatre industry?
This whole thing feels unnecessarily risky. I don't understand why the SMs are here, at least not all day. It could have been useful, if they are not really expected to learn how to operate flys but do need to know what's going on up there, for them to be invited in at the end of the day so the TPM students could show them what they've learned. That helps solidify their learning and gives the SMs an idea of what goes on when they're not around.
I can't bring myself to tell PC that this session needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. I like him and respect him as a colleague. But this was scary and resoundingly ineffective as a teaching opportunity. I don't know what to do.
Observation of teaching, 14/11/2017: Prof: NM
Session: Semiotics.
Session description from tutor:
The session is an introduction to Semiotics and Dramaturgy for the Theatre Practice first years, in two groups. Each session is planned to be around 75 minutes long.
Tutor's considerations in planning for the session/tutorial. Please include any considerations regarding health and safety (Quote tutor):
The session is based on a PowerPoint - and I aim to follow basic guidance on this, including using sans serif fonts and an off-white background. The majority of the slides cover a single point, unless they are re-capping material.
I have run the core of this session several times for a variety of different audiences. I will need to be aware of the mood in the room and work to keep as many of the students engaged as possible in subjects they may feel "have nothing to do with my practice".
My overall aim is to enable those students to think differently about the subjects and their own practice.
Areas of focus for the peer observer (from tutor): How well do you think I succeeded in achieving this overall aim?
NOTES FROM OBSERVATION:
Semiotics: the study of language as an idea, how the brain engages with language. Limitations of understanding, based on community, culture. Signing vs signage. Communication is a two-way process, you are not finished communicating until the other person understands the message as you intended it to be understood.
(From Powerpoint)
Sign - Signifier - Object
clouds - rain likely - Actual Rain
"Fire!" - the sight and sound of fire - Actual fire
caballo - horse - an actual horse
other examples:
spray painted chair - throne - an actual gold throne
Response to space, time and students:
To start off with the students are all writing and listening. What is the course breakdown of the student group? How many are actively relating these concepts to their practice and interests?
The text is clear and easy to read.
At the 1/2 hour mark NM opens the floor for 3-4 minutes of questions and to segue into part 2. Scheduled breather, I think. Smart.
Students pause, breathe, look around when the slides change.
One hour mark. We've dwindled to a stop. Energy levels are low. Lists of definitions and blocks of text on the slide projector. At least four students are asleep, doodling is evident and several are looking around or out the window. Still fifteen minutes to go.
Responses to teaching:
Style of engagement: traditional lecture with AV assist. Would it be appropriate or helpful for the students to actively participate in this class in some way? 75 minutes of sitting quietly--that's a long time for theatre kids.
Use of rhetorical questions: is that advisable for this content? Or could more directed questions with an implied or range of correct answers might be helpful to promote relevance. The students are unsure if they are invited to participate or respond. Some tried to express active interest by 'm-hmm'-ing in response to prompts about chair uses (tapping, punching, pretending it's a car) but no one volunteered an idea, nor did they have time to come up with something. Was this simply in the interests of time?
Students want to take themselves and their jobs seriously. When you refer to their entire career as "playing pretend" you're likely to lose them. Your explanations are right on but they took your points as infantalising.
Question:
How can we make this more obviously relevant to students such as scenic constructors, costume makers and even prop makers who often aren't the semiotic decision-makers, but are implementing other people's decisions? Does this study cause them to feel dis-empowered or marginalised contrasted with designers?
Session description from tutor:
The session is an introduction to Semiotics and Dramaturgy for the Theatre Practice first years, in two groups. Each session is planned to be around 75 minutes long.
Tutor's considerations in planning for the session/tutorial. Please include any considerations regarding health and safety (Quote tutor):
The session is based on a PowerPoint - and I aim to follow basic guidance on this, including using sans serif fonts and an off-white background. The majority of the slides cover a single point, unless they are re-capping material.
I have run the core of this session several times for a variety of different audiences. I will need to be aware of the mood in the room and work to keep as many of the students engaged as possible in subjects they may feel "have nothing to do with my practice".
My overall aim is to enable those students to think differently about the subjects and their own practice.
Areas of focus for the peer observer (from tutor): How well do you think I succeeded in achieving this overall aim?
NOTES FROM OBSERVATION:
Semiotics: the study of language as an idea, how the brain engages with language. Limitations of understanding, based on community, culture. Signing vs signage. Communication is a two-way process, you are not finished communicating until the other person understands the message as you intended it to be understood.
(From Powerpoint)
Sign - Signifier - Object
clouds - rain likely - Actual Rain
"Fire!" - the sight and sound of fire - Actual fire
caballo - horse - an actual horse
other examples:
spray painted chair - throne - an actual gold throne
Response to space, time and students:
To start off with the students are all writing and listening. What is the course breakdown of the student group? How many are actively relating these concepts to their practice and interests?
The text is clear and easy to read.
At the 1/2 hour mark NM opens the floor for 3-4 minutes of questions and to segue into part 2. Scheduled breather, I think. Smart.
Students pause, breathe, look around when the slides change.
One hour mark. We've dwindled to a stop. Energy levels are low. Lists of definitions and blocks of text on the slide projector. At least four students are asleep, doodling is evident and several are looking around or out the window. Still fifteen minutes to go.
Responses to teaching:
Style of engagement: traditional lecture with AV assist. Would it be appropriate or helpful for the students to actively participate in this class in some way? 75 minutes of sitting quietly--that's a long time for theatre kids.
Use of rhetorical questions: is that advisable for this content? Or could more directed questions with an implied or range of correct answers might be helpful to promote relevance. The students are unsure if they are invited to participate or respond. Some tried to express active interest by 'm-hmm'-ing in response to prompts about chair uses (tapping, punching, pretending it's a car) but no one volunteered an idea, nor did they have time to come up with something. Was this simply in the interests of time?
Students want to take themselves and their jobs seriously. When you refer to their entire career as "playing pretend" you're likely to lose them. Your explanations are right on but they took your points as infantalising.
Question:
How can we make this more obviously relevant to students such as scenic constructors, costume makers and even prop makers who often aren't the semiotic decision-makers, but are implementing other people's decisions? Does this study cause them to feel dis-empowered or marginalised contrasted with designers?
Delayed type-up: Reflections on the reading for 11 October: Critical Reflection
A habit of critical reflection is a valuable opportunity to reassess assumptions and expectations, routinely and periodically.
:The writer clearly has some baggage he's working through. He expresses massive frustration with his status quo, which appears to be a not-so-subtle attack on his own institution for making employees take on more than they can reasonably achieve, and his colleagues for taking it on and suffering through it out of a co-opted sense of obligation to learning and the students.
This is an interesting introductory reading. It includes regular reminders to keep your expectations for yourself, your students and your field reasonable. As an introduction to this class, for the author to remind us to get out of this what we can, adapt the course content and other materials/resources to your own challenges. Do not waste too much time searching for the perfect technique or solution: while a perfectly-applicable system or solution may exist, it is far more likely that you will have to invent something yourself, advised by these resources.
He reminds the reader that progressive-crunchy-granola solutions and techniques don't always work, that teaching which leaves too much room for student contribution opens itself to particular students dominating discussion and your attention (likely to the detriment of other learners/participants). Reminds me that students who rise to the top often would do so regardless of how they are taught. Likewise, disruptive, apathetic and distracted students likely will be so regardless of your enthusiasm for the subject. You're just not going to reach everyone, so keep your eye out to ensure that you've caught the majority. Make room for weaker, less pro-active and courageous students to succeed and grow if they actually want to. Don't beat yourself up over negative feedback if it is rare. (Maybe do something if it is frequent.)
:The writer clearly has some baggage he's working through. He expresses massive frustration with his status quo, which appears to be a not-so-subtle attack on his own institution for making employees take on more than they can reasonably achieve, and his colleagues for taking it on and suffering through it out of a co-opted sense of obligation to learning and the students.
This is an interesting introductory reading. It includes regular reminders to keep your expectations for yourself, your students and your field reasonable. As an introduction to this class, for the author to remind us to get out of this what we can, adapt the course content and other materials/resources to your own challenges. Do not waste too much time searching for the perfect technique or solution: while a perfectly-applicable system or solution may exist, it is far more likely that you will have to invent something yourself, advised by these resources.
He reminds the reader that progressive-crunchy-granola solutions and techniques don't always work, that teaching which leaves too much room for student contribution opens itself to particular students dominating discussion and your attention (likely to the detriment of other learners/participants). Reminds me that students who rise to the top often would do so regardless of how they are taught. Likewise, disruptive, apathetic and distracted students likely will be so regardless of your enthusiasm for the subject. You're just not going to reach everyone, so keep your eye out to ensure that you've caught the majority. Make room for weaker, less pro-active and courageous students to succeed and grow if they actually want to. Don't beat yourself up over negative feedback if it is rare. (Maybe do something if it is frequent.)
Saturday, January 13, 2018
16/10/2017 Peer Observation of Teaching: JH
Intro to Performing Research Unit. Joint session of all MA-level new starters. Main auditorium, 100-200 students. Lecture-style.
Key points: ask yourself why you are here. What do you want to get out of this? Academia, an MA, the Arts? What is Performing Research? What does the school expect of you and your research?
My thoughts before the class: JH has revealed some of her puppet strings that she manipulates to pique attention and maintain enthusiasm. She adopts a genuine, honest and approachable tone to set herself apart, to an extent, from the very right-on 'true believers' in the building. Does this attitude, when conveyed, encourage engagement? Does it encourage trust?
Session and Assessment/Teaching Strengths: The lighting is poor. It is difficult to see JH unless she stays very still. Are lecturers taught to use the panel interface in for the lecture hall lighting?
She's very light-touch with the rhetoric. She asks questions but actually Does want answers. Eyes are focussed. Her responses to student statements are almost universally positive, and she can turn even not-quite-to-the-point responses to relate them productively towards her learning objectives. It requires strong listening and fast analysis. She has a fantastic ability to roll with it.
The big, ugly Powerpoints: she approaches them when necessary with disappointment and dramatised dread. This commiseration with students enhances notion that this is unfortunately important. It does appear to improve the likelihood and level of student receptiveness.
Thoughts after the class:
JH expressed that she did not feel confident about her delivery, despite the fact that (I would argue) the one or two hiccups she encountered (Powerpoint issues, one or two disjointed questions from students) actually served as opportunities for the group to re-engage and reset. The presentation went well, and the students appeared to get something out of it--if nothing else they paid attention. No phones were out, no one chatted or dozed off. Her lowered confidence after the presentation surprised me, as she performed confidence and wit throughout. Her music 'trick', as AS put it, offered mixed results. While turning the music Off as a method of re-establishing order was effective, I wonder if it allowed for the masking of considerable disorder while it was active. I'm not convinced 'music time' was spent productively, or if that was really the intent.
Reflection and Development:
What are your key indicators of student attentiveness? What is your reflex when you sense you might be losing people? Do you act on, suppress, or evaluate that reflex?
Do you have access to user data/usage data with regard to film copies of your lectures and additional support resources?
How much do people actually engage with the VLE when it is not mandatory?
Can anything rattle you in the moment? Technical issues, errors and flubs (and weird responses from students) roll off of you. Your preparation and experience are evident.
Are giant, multi-strand groups always like this? Most people more-or-less in phase, paying attention, two noisy attention-seekers, and one person so off-the-mark it beggars belief? What are good ways of keeping on-track when disruptive individuals try to re-route the point? What leads to disruptive tendencies in large, impersonal settings (and a passive audience)?
Key points: ask yourself why you are here. What do you want to get out of this? Academia, an MA, the Arts? What is Performing Research? What does the school expect of you and your research?
My thoughts before the class: JH has revealed some of her puppet strings that she manipulates to pique attention and maintain enthusiasm. She adopts a genuine, honest and approachable tone to set herself apart, to an extent, from the very right-on 'true believers' in the building. Does this attitude, when conveyed, encourage engagement? Does it encourage trust?
Session and Assessment/Teaching Strengths: The lighting is poor. It is difficult to see JH unless she stays very still. Are lecturers taught to use the panel interface in for the lecture hall lighting?
She's very light-touch with the rhetoric. She asks questions but actually Does want answers. Eyes are focussed. Her responses to student statements are almost universally positive, and she can turn even not-quite-to-the-point responses to relate them productively towards her learning objectives. It requires strong listening and fast analysis. She has a fantastic ability to roll with it.
The big, ugly Powerpoints: she approaches them when necessary with disappointment and dramatised dread. This commiseration with students enhances notion that this is unfortunately important. It does appear to improve the likelihood and level of student receptiveness.
Thoughts after the class:
JH expressed that she did not feel confident about her delivery, despite the fact that (I would argue) the one or two hiccups she encountered (Powerpoint issues, one or two disjointed questions from students) actually served as opportunities for the group to re-engage and reset. The presentation went well, and the students appeared to get something out of it--if nothing else they paid attention. No phones were out, no one chatted or dozed off. Her lowered confidence after the presentation surprised me, as she performed confidence and wit throughout. Her music 'trick', as AS put it, offered mixed results. While turning the music Off as a method of re-establishing order was effective, I wonder if it allowed for the masking of considerable disorder while it was active. I'm not convinced 'music time' was spent productively, or if that was really the intent.
Reflection and Development:
What are your key indicators of student attentiveness? What is your reflex when you sense you might be losing people? Do you act on, suppress, or evaluate that reflex?
Do you have access to user data/usage data with regard to film copies of your lectures and additional support resources?
How much do people actually engage with the VLE when it is not mandatory?
Can anything rattle you in the moment? Technical issues, errors and flubs (and weird responses from students) roll off of you. Your preparation and experience are evident.
Are giant, multi-strand groups always like this? Most people more-or-less in phase, paying attention, two noisy attention-seekers, and one person so off-the-mark it beggars belief? What are good ways of keeping on-track when disruptive individuals try to re-route the point? What leads to disruptive tendencies in large, impersonal settings (and a passive audience)?
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