Summary
The four strands of work include; communication, research, technology, and collaboration. Each of these were necessary for success up to this point in our children's literature class. First, communication.
Without communication, this class would have been absolute chaos and our performance would have been a huge embarrasment. We communicated with eachother, with the professor, with the teachers and of course with the students. We made plans from week to week and shared ideas. The communication is the hub which the class revolved around, without it, we would've gottten nowhere. Along with this communication came confidence. By communicating our exact wishes to the students and eachother, we gained the confidence that what we were doing was correct and that we were on the right track.
Next comes research. Though most of this took place before we even got to class, the research that professor Vitalli had done was another vital part of the process. She looked into books and poetry that she thought would be appropriate for the age groups and reading levels with which we would be working. Without this research we would've been ill prepared. The books/poems would have been completely innapropriate for the kids and the class would've been a waste. The poems we covered were at the appropriate level for the kids, not as far as their intelligence levels goes, but rather what they would be capable of memorizing and interpreting well enough that they could teach it to others. This applies to the knowledge of the students and their capabilities.
Technology is next, even though we did a relatively "bare bones" performance, technology did help us to achieve our goal. For me indivdually, I was able to record my poem and play it back to help me memorize it since I tend to be an auditory learner. Also, the use of the sound system made it possible for even the most shy students to be heard. Technology, though not as integral as some of the other elements, helped take our performances to the next level.
Finally, collaboration. Had we all decided to go our own direction, and act selfishly, the end result would have been a disjointed mess. The students would have learned little to nothing about poetry and the class again would have been a waste. But, because we colaborated on everything from the poems themselves, to our props and costumes, the end result was a rewarding a succesful experience.
By applying skills that we have acquired and our years of combined experience, we were able to pass on our knowledge and passion of poetry to students such as Eric. He was a student who seemed not only uninterested in poetry, but seemed to hate it. One of the most rewarding personal reflections that I will carry with me is seeing him memorize, and have fun presenting a poem, even if it was just for the poetry coaches.
Evaluation
As far as my own personal evaluation goes, I feel that since the grade is being based on effort, that I will do very well. As should the rest of my classmates. We have all worked very hard and showed a great deal of passion even when the audience may not have shared our feelings. As a result, we should all pass with flying colors.
The rest of the semester is going to continue to test my resolve. As the rest of the classes are wrapping up, I will really have to focus and make sure to put just as much effort into this class as I have been and not let it detract from the rest of my classes as well. I will have to focus on really balancing a hectic schedule.
Along the same lines, in an effort to be sensitive to the hectic schedule that is sure to be upon all of the students, I would suggest to the professor a very structured approach with clear goals. Most students would ask to lighten the work load, but why should a teacher have to comprimise their class for the sake of others? Rather they should maintain the standards, but simply make them as clear and concise as possible.