Exit Slip (Oct 18th)
Drama has always been outside of my comfort zone, so incorporating it into lessons seems challenging and a bit daunting to me. However, after engaging in the drama activity during class my I realize the importance of having a multi-modal and interdisciplinary approach to the way we teach. Also, I think a lot of students will appreciate drama in the classroom because it strays away from the "standard" lecture and it lends itself better to different types of learners. In particular, I really enjoyed the freeze aspect of the activity. As teachers we have to make instinctual decisions on the spot, rarely do you get the chance to freeze, have discussion, and re-simulate decisions that we have to make. It was also helpful because we had the chance to look at it from all points of view(third person, first person as a teacher, first person as a student etc), this reinforced the idea that we have to be able to see the situation from all views and not jump to false conclusions. We could have just as easily talked about these specific scenarios, but using the drama activity was more engaging and realistic. While I'm not convinced drama is the be all end all method of teaching, I see the values that it has to offer, it is a great change of pace, and it will provide comfort to those who have drama as their strong suit.
I'm glad that this activity spoke to you and gave you a new look at drama as a mode of teaching, Travis. And -- you were brilliant in your role in the drama we did in class! I'll never forget the image of you with the hoodie over your head scooting out of that classroom...it was completely authentic, and helped me understand more about boys' reaction to emotional stress.
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