Hello,
I'm Chad Ownby, I am a recent graduate from Longwood University. Last fall, I completed my student teaching experience for theatre education . And what an experience it was. I kept thinking throughout the entire placement that it would be an awesome sitcom. I figured this blog would be a good place to share the experience I had with fellow teachers, aspiring teachers, or anyone interested.
Classroom Management: Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of my time student teaching was attempting to manage five different classrooms with five different classroom environments. So for this post I want to briefly talk about my attempt to learn how to manage these classrooms and the one important rule I learned about class room management.
As stated before, each individual class was unique. Some students were incredibly enthusiastic. Other students could not have been more bored. Some students were super sweet. other's acted with hostility. As a teacher it was my responsibility to cater to each one of these students.
Of course this was no easy feat. I found however that one of the important rules about classroom management is to establish an individual connection with each class. I know this sounds like text book knowledge, but it is one thing to read about it and another thing to actually experience it.
There were a few ways I helped to accomplish this. For one, before each class I would give the students the opportunity to share anything (school appropriate) that they wanted with one another. This made the students feel more of a connection to one another and to the class. If the students ever got out of control or the lecture was not going well, I would stop class and calmly address the negative behaviors. This allowed for me to basically put the reset button on the class and I believe this also helped make the class room environment more positive. Any individual issues with students would be
handled on an individual basis.
In college, I learned that the most effective form of class room management is effective instruction. I found this to be very true. I also found that effective instruction means adapting instruction. For example, if a class is growing restless during a lecture, it is a good idea to break up the lecture and let them do a theatre warm up or work on a scene in order to provide them with a little variety. Conversely, if the students are doing independent work and the majority of the class is off task, it may mean that they no longer need that time and it time to come back together as a class. In other words,Taking theatre classes would be a great idea for any teacher to learn how to gauge a crowd as well as how to help think on your feet.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Hulk Hogan and a bag of canned goods.
Hello,
I'm Chad Ownby, I am a recent graduate from Longwood University. Last fall, I completed my student teaching experience for theatre education . And what an experience it was. I kept thinking throughout the entire placement that it would be an awesome sitcom. I figured this blog would be a good place to share the experience I had with fellow teachers, aspiring teachers, or anyone interested.
Let us try this again: A week or two after my first lesson crashed and burned, I was to be observed again. This time with one of my theatre one classes. I was motivated and determined to do better than last time. Granted, I could sat there and done nothing and it would have given my last lesson a run for its money. I had a few advantages going for me this time, For one, I was much much more comfortable with the subject matter. While I knew the material I was teaching in theatre production, acting and teaching acting has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. The class also only had about twelve students, as apposed to thirty. As every teacher will attest too... win.
The lesson ended up being a case of organic simplicity. These students were beginning actors, many of whom, had no experience, or desire to be on stage. Because of this, we started them off at the very beginning, and I do mean, very beginning. Before this lesson, the students had been given a monologue. They were to memorize the first four to eight lines and recite them in front of the class. They had done the best they could, but as to be expected, their energy level made Ben Stein look like Hulk Hogan. (or someone famous with a lot of energy). It was my job to help bring them to the next level. From recitation, to performance. This is a neccesary step for every young actor. But how? How am I going to get these kids who have barely been on stage, who are petrified, on the road to performing in front of their peers?
Canned Goods, thats how.
I had an idea earlier in the week. My cooperating teacher ran a food pantry for underprivileged students. Because of this, I had brought in some canned goods for the pantry. Then the idea struck me, "What if we used them for props before they went in the pantry?" Simple, not exactly complex, perfect.
The students were to put the canned goods in their bags in a way that would fit their characters all before they finished their lines. This would work on incorporating business, and timing into their pieces, two things that are necessary. After the initial tentativeness wore off, the students also realized it was an opportunity for them to explore and be creative. As time went one, the students began putting the cans in the bag in different ways and with different vocal inflections, dare I say they were developing characters.
While this was happening, I played the role of cheerleader. I constantly encouraged them and praised each student. More importantly, I attempted to ensure that they also encouraged each other. The end result was one of the most positive classroom experiences I ever had. The environment was a safe place for the students to explore their creativity, and almost all of them came out further along than they were before class started. It doesn't get much better than that. After my first lesson fiasco. This was very refreshing, and needed.
I'm Chad Ownby, I am a recent graduate from Longwood University. Last fall, I completed my student teaching experience for theatre education . And what an experience it was. I kept thinking throughout the entire placement that it would be an awesome sitcom. I figured this blog would be a good place to share the experience I had with fellow teachers, aspiring teachers, or anyone interested.
Let us try this again: A week or two after my first lesson crashed and burned, I was to be observed again. This time with one of my theatre one classes. I was motivated and determined to do better than last time. Granted, I could sat there and done nothing and it would have given my last lesson a run for its money. I had a few advantages going for me this time, For one, I was much much more comfortable with the subject matter. While I knew the material I was teaching in theatre production, acting and teaching acting has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. The class also only had about twelve students, as apposed to thirty. As every teacher will attest too... win.
The lesson ended up being a case of organic simplicity. These students were beginning actors, many of whom, had no experience, or desire to be on stage. Because of this, we started them off at the very beginning, and I do mean, very beginning. Before this lesson, the students had been given a monologue. They were to memorize the first four to eight lines and recite them in front of the class. They had done the best they could, but as to be expected, their energy level made Ben Stein look like Hulk Hogan. (or someone famous with a lot of energy). It was my job to help bring them to the next level. From recitation, to performance. This is a neccesary step for every young actor. But how? How am I going to get these kids who have barely been on stage, who are petrified, on the road to performing in front of their peers?
Canned Goods, thats how.
I had an idea earlier in the week. My cooperating teacher ran a food pantry for underprivileged students. Because of this, I had brought in some canned goods for the pantry. Then the idea struck me, "What if we used them for props before they went in the pantry?" Simple, not exactly complex, perfect.
The students were to put the canned goods in their bags in a way that would fit their characters all before they finished their lines. This would work on incorporating business, and timing into their pieces, two things that are necessary. After the initial tentativeness wore off, the students also realized it was an opportunity for them to explore and be creative. As time went one, the students began putting the cans in the bag in different ways and with different vocal inflections, dare I say they were developing characters.
While this was happening, I played the role of cheerleader. I constantly encouraged them and praised each student. More importantly, I attempted to ensure that they also encouraged each other. The end result was one of the most positive classroom experiences I ever had. The environment was a safe place for the students to explore their creativity, and almost all of them came out further along than they were before class started. It doesn't get much better than that. After my first lesson fiasco. This was very refreshing, and needed.
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