OBSERVATION

IN NOVIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES, VAASA

Major program: Skenkonst

Observation is scheduled to 16.02 - 19.02 2015 

Teaching practice is scheduled to 23.03 - 02.04 2015

Novia university of applied sciences is a Swedish speaking institute. There is a unique drama program, as it teaches theatre and drama from various aspects in UAS level. Their level of teaching is so high, that Skenkonst has received an opportunity for the students to apply straight to MA studies in the Theatre academy in Helsinki, after completing the drama program in Novia.

In the previous years, I have taught scenography in the Skenkonst program. This year I was asked to teach research methods, Finnish language and costume history to 2nd and 3rd year students. These courses will be my teaching practice. Overall, there are two courses which I will plan and teach and I will also make a 3 hour lecture about costume history to all Skenkonst students.

On this page, you will find notes from my OBSERVATION and later, from my TEACHING PRACTICE.


18.02.2015 

First days in my observation have been so busy, that I haven't had a chance to write very much here. I have been writing the proper material to hand out to Juha Pousi after this practice and I think it has been more important than long blog texts... All evenings I have been writing and correcting my daily notes, as now all is fresh in my memory.

So far, I have been observing two different teachers and two study groups, 1st and 2nd grades. Tomorrow, on my last day, I will observe again grade 2 and also grade 3. Both of these groups are going to participate to my courses next month, which will be my teaching practice. The main thing what comes to my mind out of all the students and their teachers is that they are:

• extremely open minded
• constantly having a conversation 
• they ask questions
• they absorb information 
• they are willing to learn 
• trying out new things is not a problem
• critique is welcome
• dialog with other students and a teacher comes naturally

These few days have really open my mind of new ways of teaching. Now I really feel that I know how to begin to build my own classes.

Here follows few lines from my observation days:

Observation day 1

8am -12 noon

Voice class for 1st year students, teacher Gagriela Alisch. Teaching space is a large hall with a black dance carpet on the floor. Room is also equipped with black curtains, simple theatre lights, acrobatics rugs and yoga mats.

Teachers role:

·      Give instructions

·      correct students if they are going into wrong direction

·      guide students

·      keep them interactive and to work together

1 pm – 4 pm

Improvisation course for 1st year students, teacher Gabriela Alisch

In the afternoon, I also asked questions from the students and made notes of their answers. The results were:

What do you consider as good teaching?

·      By doing

·      Theory after practice OR

·      Some info before practice

·      Some prefer to write

·      Some don't like writing because they loose concentration

·      If you read something by yourself you prefer to do in a group

·      Allow students to improvise and try themselves

What is bad teaching?

·      If one focuses on wrong things

·      Don’t allow students to preserve info they way they do it the best

·      No eye contact

·      Declining the natural impulses of which students do or observe

·      You can’t concentrate if you are concentrating on concentrating

·       

What has been the best course so far and why?

·      Improvisation

  o   Like watching others to act and see how clever they are

  o   You have to be on stage in front of people and you loose the fear

·      Voice

  o   It strengthens other courses material

  o   It is meditative

  o   Hardest

  o   You work by yourself but still as a group

  

What kind of study material have been provided to them so far?

·      Photocopies, not so much though

·      Stanislavski book has to be read

·      Own notes

·      To see as many plays as you can outside school and in school

    

In what kind of environment do they work the best?

·      Open big space with good light

·      Breaks are important to get your mind out of the school work. They prefer to go outside or to another space for a break.

Observation day 2

9 am – 12 noon

Improvisation course for 1st year students, teacher Gabriela Alisch. Same teaching space as yesterday.  

12.30 pm – 2.30 pm

New task about tempo rhythm in improvisation, same group, same room and same teacher.

Teachers role:

·      Give the tasks verbally

·      Observe students while they do the task

·      Corrects students if necessary when they are practising

·      Leads a discussion after each practise

·      Makes key notes to flap board and students can copy

3 pm – 5 pm

Acrobatics course with 1^st and 2^nd year students. Teacher Julia Johansson.

Teachers role:

·      To guide students for the given tasks

·      Give feedback when they were practising their demos

·      After the demo performances to give short feedback

·      Guide students verbally to learn new acrobatic techniques

·      Follow students when they were practising in small groups and give guidance

·      Conversation on possible problems

Observation day 3

9 am – 12 noon

Voice practice with 2^nd year students, teacher Gabriela Alisch. Same teaching space as during the previous days. Practice started with relaxing the whole body and stretching after. Voice opening follows this practice.

Again, teaching is very interactive and physical experience.

Teacher makes notes to a flap board paper on the floor – no power point presentations!

Teachers role in this practice:

·      Guide students for each step

·      Correct students if they are going into the wrong direction

·       Follow students practices and help them

1 pm - 4 pm 

Improvisation course. Same room, same students and same teacher.

First teacher gathers everyone into a circle to talk about the Stanislavski’s methods of acting. This book has been a preliminary reading and relates to all of their courses so far. 

Students discussed of how it felt when they were reading Stanislavski’s method book and they all agreed that it was interesting to read when:

·      they had tried these methods in the class BEFORE reading the book

·      they could visually try out the methods in their mind while reading

·      students taught others different reading methods if they were having problems of concentrating or remembering things from the book

·       Usually students need to read the material (or watch a video) TWO times in order to understand the subject better

·      how to understand Stanislavski’s book in terms of the times it was written (in late 1800’s)

·      how to interpret Stanislavski’s methods into 21^st century acting. Has much changed?

Observation day 4 

9 am - 12 noon 

Pedagogical theatre. In the main Scenkonst building, small rehearsal room. 2nd year students, small group with 4 students. Teacher Mimmi. 

In this course, Teachers role:

·      Frame the project

·      Help students to get started

·      Give instructions

·      Observes and interrupt

·      Follows students project

·      Be like a director in a play, gives freedom for students, but guide them when necessary

Teacher on the left guides students after their play rehearsal

1 pm - 4 pm 

Directing course. This was in another location, in Vaasa city council's art school building. It is located next to Scenkonst main building. 3rd year students were working on directing a play, teacher Ragni Grönblom. 

Teachers role:

·      Guide students in the beginning of the course

·      Observe students

·      Leave students to work on their own

·      Let students to seek and discover answers on their own

Teachers way of giving feedback to the students. This way they can think of everything by themselves for a while and they won't forget them as the notes are saved.

This finished my observation period.