|
266 • 2007 VOLUME 5,NUMBER 4 TEACHING ARTIST JOURNAL 257
<br /> more significant to the school community.In the future,I will introduce myself to the American students need connected learning experiences to gain meaning and depth
<br /> principal,involve that person in the excitement of the project,invite her/him to sessions, • in their thinking.The after-school teachers were pleased with fact that students were
<br /> and ask for the office support I need. taking what they learned back to the classrooms and applying their new knowledge.
<br /> When I told them that I had met an incredible drama teacher and wondered if they
<br /> might let her lead the students into turning their story into a play,they told me that
<br /> Motivation there wasn't enough time,for the students had to get back to prepping for the
<br /> For the most part,the Welsh students were enthused with the project from beginning
<br /> corning tests.
<br /> to end.In Wales,I didn't have to convince the students to learn or woo them into the In'Wales,the students were fully involved with their characters from the beginning
<br /> process. and their thoughts and questions deepened as we'developed the characters.I didn't have
<br /> Prepared for American student ambivalence,I began at Haw River by showing the chi/ to convince the students to learn or support them as much.There were many more sug-
<br /> then a quilt like the one their story would yield.Teachers and students found it beautiful, i gestions for the characters than we had time to discuss.They loved these discussions and
<br /> and it inspired some initial excitement around the project. the lively debates about our characters and plot.
<br /> Every day students ran into the room at 3:34,ready to bear the story I'd read,immedi Today American learning goes broad,not deep.We skim the surface and learn in
<br /> ately engaged in and excited by sorting out the story of Lightning,the butterfly who sound bites and through rote,right-answer-based learning to test-based curriculum.It's
<br /> wants to take revenge on the human that captured his family.To be certain they were no wonder American students are unused to pondering.
<br /> much more involved than many children I work with. . Imaginative writing is a great vehicle for creative thinking and risk taking as
<br /> The problems began when they had to produce and I felt I needed external rewards
<br /> children.structure a reality in a story.But in my view American children are
<br /> to keep the excitement going.I did more leading and saw them lose momentum as the untrained for this sort of work and progress is difficult.They need connected
<br /> project proceeded. experiences.This insight irztenss&es my resolve to seek collaboration with artists
<br /> I wonder much about the influence of television and how it affects learning and in other modalities to deepen learning experiences for children with whom
<br /> inspires passivity:This was not the first American school in which I've had to lead stu- I work
<br /> dents into inner landscapes and then struggle to keep them producing.I wonder how
<br /> much American curriculum,like much of the technological world,stresses learning in lit- Collaboration
<br /> tle bits and makes students unused to involving themselves in projects of any length. 1
<br /> I have no idea about how much Welsh children watch"telly,"but I did notice that their 1 Before I left for Wales,I had almost decided that collaboration was developmentally
<br /> character and story ideas were not as influenced by TV.In Wales,the students seemed impossible for elementary school students.I watched children try to dominate in groups,
<br /> complain about their ou members,disagree with each other at every opportunity as if
<br /> o able to maintain their interest in a longer-term project and were actively involved from l? � P � gT �'Y Pp r5'
<br /> obeginning to end. their individual ideas were more important.They had a hard time listening to each other,
<br /> N As a writer,I realized that I must do a lot of work to create enthusiasm for a subject that's and our stories suffered,"Maybe they need to have their individual voices—maybe collab- i
<br /> Q been rendered meaningless by prompt-based writing and doesn't have the visual aspect chill- ;,
<br /> oration is impossible,"I thought.
<br /> L dren are used to.My work succeeds best when paired with a secondary arts project.I stimu- Happily Wales disproved this theory.The children loved working in either small or
<br /> w
<br /> 0° late students'brains,activate their imaginations,and they just begin to identify with their large groups,and again I saw how working together and discussing a story as it pro-
<br /> Li
<br /> ;+ red could deepen the experience and broaden the l
<br /> wo story as I leave,A.secondary art,particularly one that leaves a tangible product,turns my writ- P exP Learning.
<br /> 09 ing experience into a meaningful arts adventure students never forget. My experience at Haw River was not as collaboratively difficult as other schools.Still,
<br /> I noticed that when working in large and small groups,a few children did the work of d
<br /> v :R:
<br /> many Children would fade into the background and I'd have to draw certain children
<br /> to Thinking k, out to garner their ideas. l
<br /> co My American students didn't start out with great depth and wearied and floundered as ,k• Is working together a cultural value?Our American culture has been built on individu-
<br /> ° the process went on.Most of the character traits they suggested for lightning the butter- ' alistn and I was so used to this surfacing in classrooms that I was astounded by the ease
<br /> m fly,for example,were physical and obvious.I was intrigued one child's comment that fir';
<br /> $u by •, of Welsh collaboration.On return to the United States,I checked with a'Welsh woman
<br /> Q
<br /> Lightning y angry incredibly who had grown up in Wales,and she told me that that in contexts other than sports,
<br /> � I.i the butterfly had"an an look on his face,"but students had an incredibl 4
<br /> °D difficult time coming up with reasons for his anger.I had to do a lot of leading an ques- personal competition is frowned vn.
<br /> g get deeper Wales renewed my belief in the importance of collaboration,but my work might bene-
<br /> Bonin to et them to dee er levels.
<br /> o I saw this same lack of thought in analyzing stories.When i asked them why they liked }".. fit from discussions with teachers about setting up groups,before a residency.Such dis- li
<br /> a story they would often answer,"the supporting details."When I asked them which sup- cussions would help establish groups that can collaborate easily and help to place stu-
<br /> w porting details,they couldn't tell me.They knew the terminology but couldn't apply the !: dents who might have difficulty collaborating;in groups that the cooperating teacher and
<br /> in
<br /> concepts. � ;:: I can assist.
<br /> o 't
<br /> �!-
<br /> o :;
<br />
|