Hello Readers,
Early this month, I attended a performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble. The company, its mission and goals, etc. are breaking boundaries in more ways than one.
Right from the get-go, the narrator/host breaks the 4th wall in Art by addressing the audience. We get a behind-the-scenes look at the ballet dancers doing warm-ups. Then they exit the stage to prepare for the first number. While the dancers get dressed, the narrator/host gives us a background behind his company's beginnings, philosophy, and classical methods of training.
Another boundary broken is Ballet's traditional fashion ( uniform tights and tutus ) and the typical biological make-up. The female dancers in the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, don't wear the off-white pinkish tights. Instead, they wear Ballet flats that match ( as closely as possible ) to their unique skin tone. This choice not only embraces multiculturalism, it also emphasizes and elongates the beautiful lines these dancers make.
The dancers then perform various innovative pieces from classical and abstract to contemporary ( fused by soul music and moves of James Brown ). Afterwards, audience are invited to go onstage, where they learn Ballet partnering 101. Then several dancers stay onstage to answer questions from the audience ( anything under the sun of the dancer's world ) while the rest prepare for the closing number.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble's innovation is breaking boundaries. Audience are not just passive spectators; they are participants in the world of Ballet that becomes more accessible to them. We get a glimpse that helps us contextualize the Ballet of the past, present, and future. We tip-toe and promenade in their Ballet flats as we practice partnering with them, and we start to understand how to empathize with them. Breaking boundaries is liberating and encouraging: whether Ballet or interpretive, how awesome is it to just dance?
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Writing Center Scholarship: supporting consultants as professionals
Bonjour Readers,
Below is a more detailed outline ( compared to my initial draft ) of how I would support consultants' professional growth:
Consultants' readings will be as well-rounded as a liberal arts curriculum.
Reflect:
To process the various information, consultants will journal reactions to readings and will reflect about their own knowledge and limitation about the field ( Loretta Cobb’s argument in overcoming writers’ blocks, such as “values clarification" ); their own language prejudice; their own learning/composing process ( Thomas C. Thompson’s summary of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: “Teaching tutors about personality differences and giving them such strategies for reaching students with different preferences can give tutors a broader array of tools with which to work and can thus make them more effective” [146] and David Healy's identifying 5 types of Role Conflict and 3 types of coping mechanism ).
They'll reflect about their own experience tutoring ( problems, questions, dilemma, discomfort, solutions etc. ). They'll also analyze and record tutor observations in the hopes of learning from them ( See article by Jane Van Slembrouck: "By observing fellow tutors' consultations, writing center tutors improve their abilities to evaluate their own practices when working with students." ). They'll get tutored and have their own papers workshopped to gain perspectives from tutees.
Below is a more detailed outline ( compared to my initial draft ) of how I would support consultants' professional growth:
Intro:
As Assistant Director, I'd use "conversation" ( the essence of peer tutoring ) to facilitate a tutor-initiated dialog consisting of readings, reflections, and renderings of administrative tasks to empower consultants. Dialogs, according to Carol Singley et. al. can "create a space for play which enables learning” (11). This type of learning makes more impact and is more authentic because it uses conversation that "resists predetermined formulas, relying instead on the conversants’ intuitive sense of the flow and strategies of everyday discourse” writes Cynthia Onore. Through discussions during regular staff meetings and other forms of open communication, consultants will gain a better understanding of themselves ( as consultants ), and the writing center environment ( mentoring and administrative responsibilities ) in order to efficiently help students struggling at any stage of the writing process.
Read:
For starters, we'll start reading the following for context. Materials will be provided, but consultants choose and summarize content, and later co-present the information.
-Handbook: Reviewing basic policies and procedures is good so we're all in the same page. We will also entertain the possibility of updating and revising the handbook.
-Practice-oriented strategies: We'll share stories, and problem solving tactics in working with ESL students, hostile/dependent/reluctant et. al. students. We'll review Muriel Harris’ Grab-Bag of Diagnostic techniques; Joseph Harris’ review on how to become readers including tips on conferencing and responding to writing ( commenting on papers ); Geoffrey W. Chase’s breakdown of problem solving in 7 steps: accept, analyze, define, ideate, select, implement, evaluate; Irene Clark’s article in genre awareness; Jane Bowman Smith’s summary of Christensen’s levels of generality to develop paragraphs; and other readings highlighting empathy, listening, rapport builiding, faculty-teacher relationship, tutor-tutee relationship, improvisation, and more.
-Philosophy: We'll learn about the history of Writing Center ( Aristotle ) and its place in academia; We'll discuss WC's goals ( tutoring v. teaching/lecturing ), and tenets of collaboration ( non-directive v. directive approach ) and writing process as discovery ( brainstorming, drafting [ focus/thesis/evidence/organization ], revising [style], and editing [ grammar review ] ) using a worksheet that guides and reminds consultants about the writing process.
-Theories of Learning: We'll explore different ways of learning, such as visual, aural, kinesthetic ( role-playing as audience and stock characters ), right-brain, and left-brain, so we can have a better understanding in helping different types of learners.
-Literature on Composition and Rhetoric: We'll review various case studies, and the latest literature in the Composition and Rhetoric field, so we have language awareness ( jargon, classroom talk, unintentional messages/what's not said, and intonation ), and awareness of kinesics ( body movement ), proxemics (personal space), and haptics ( touching ).
As Assistant Director, I'd use "conversation" ( the essence of peer tutoring ) to facilitate a tutor-initiated dialog consisting of readings, reflections, and renderings of administrative tasks to empower consultants. Dialogs, according to Carol Singley et. al. can "create a space for play which enables learning” (11). This type of learning makes more impact and is more authentic because it uses conversation that "resists predetermined formulas, relying instead on the conversants’ intuitive sense of the flow and strategies of everyday discourse” writes Cynthia Onore. Through discussions during regular staff meetings and other forms of open communication, consultants will gain a better understanding of themselves ( as consultants ), and the writing center environment ( mentoring and administrative responsibilities ) in order to efficiently help students struggling at any stage of the writing process.
Read:
For starters, we'll start reading the following for context. Materials will be provided, but consultants choose and summarize content, and later co-present the information.
-Handbook: Reviewing basic policies and procedures is good so we're all in the same page. We will also entertain the possibility of updating and revising the handbook.
-Practice-oriented strategies: We'll share stories, and problem solving tactics in working with ESL students, hostile/dependent/reluctant et. al. students. We'll review Muriel Harris’ Grab-Bag of Diagnostic techniques; Joseph Harris’ review on how to become readers including tips on conferencing and responding to writing ( commenting on papers ); Geoffrey W. Chase’s breakdown of problem solving in 7 steps: accept, analyze, define, ideate, select, implement, evaluate; Irene Clark’s article in genre awareness; Jane Bowman Smith’s summary of Christensen’s levels of generality to develop paragraphs; and other readings highlighting empathy, listening, rapport builiding, faculty-teacher relationship, tutor-tutee relationship, improvisation, and more.
-Philosophy: We'll learn about the history of Writing Center ( Aristotle ) and its place in academia; We'll discuss WC's goals ( tutoring v. teaching/lecturing ), and tenets of collaboration ( non-directive v. directive approach ) and writing process as discovery ( brainstorming, drafting [ focus/thesis/evidence/organization ], revising [style], and editing [ grammar review ] ) using a worksheet that guides and reminds consultants about the writing process.
-Theories of Learning: We'll explore different ways of learning, such as visual, aural, kinesthetic ( role-playing as audience and stock characters ), right-brain, and left-brain, so we can have a better understanding in helping different types of learners.
-Literature on Composition and Rhetoric: We'll review various case studies, and the latest literature in the Composition and Rhetoric field, so we have language awareness ( jargon, classroom talk, unintentional messages/what's not said, and intonation ), and awareness of kinesics ( body movement ), proxemics (personal space), and haptics ( touching ).
Consultants' readings will be as well-rounded as a liberal arts curriculum.
Reflect:
To process the various information, consultants will journal reactions to readings and will reflect about their own knowledge and limitation about the field ( Loretta Cobb’s argument in overcoming writers’ blocks, such as “values clarification" ); their own language prejudice; their own learning/composing process ( Thomas C. Thompson’s summary of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: “Teaching tutors about personality differences and giving them such strategies for reaching students with different preferences can give tutors a broader array of tools with which to work and can thus make them more effective” [146] and David Healy's identifying 5 types of Role Conflict and 3 types of coping mechanism ).
They'll reflect about their own experience tutoring ( problems, questions, dilemma, discomfort, solutions etc. ). They'll also analyze and record tutor observations in the hopes of learning from them ( See article by Jane Van Slembrouck: "By observing fellow tutors' consultations, writing center tutors improve their abilities to evaluate their own practices when working with students." ). They'll get tutored and have their own papers workshopped to gain perspectives from tutees.
Render Administrative Tasks:
Application of theories and reflections is vital to the tutor-initiated dialog. Consultants will be encourage to participate more with administrative tasks and get access behind-the-scenes. Their involvment will provide them perspective of the Writing Center in a larger context within the University environment.
Some of these administrative tasks include:
-making resource material and teaching workshops ( spelling, vocab, grammar, research, process, etc. )
-creating and revising various writing projects ( handbook and newsletter )
-planning promotion ( flyers, articles, and classroom visit )
-performing clerical duties ( updating files with new hand-outs, library materials, student records )
-mentoring each other through a Buddy System that is initiated "between peer and professional tutors for troubleshooting to reduce new tutor anxiety and reinforce the spirit of cooperative learning" ( Gamboa et. al. )
Application of theories and reflections is vital to the tutor-initiated dialog. Consultants will be encourage to participate more with administrative tasks and get access behind-the-scenes. Their involvment will provide them perspective of the Writing Center in a larger context within the University environment.
Some of these administrative tasks include:
-making resource material and teaching workshops ( spelling, vocab, grammar, research, process, etc. )
-creating and revising various writing projects ( handbook and newsletter )
-planning promotion ( flyers, articles, and classroom visit )
-performing clerical duties ( updating files with new hand-outs, library materials, student records )
-mentoring each other through a Buddy System that is initiated "between peer and professional tutors for troubleshooting to reduce new tutor anxiety and reinforce the spirit of cooperative learning" ( Gamboa et. al. )
Discussion:
Through regular staff meetings and other forms of open communication, we will discuss the pressing issues regarding the readings and reflections ( mostly prompted by consultants' inputs ). We will also update each other on the renderings of administrative tasks. The meetings will be structured with an agenda co-created by the spotlighted consultant with the Assistant Director. Overall, the tutor-initiated dialog will improve communication, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills that are applicable in the Writing Center but also in other future professions involving flexibility, team work, and problem solving. By the time consultants graduate out of the University, they will truly be professionals ready to enter the workforce.
Through regular staff meetings and other forms of open communication, we will discuss the pressing issues regarding the readings and reflections ( mostly prompted by consultants' inputs ). We will also update each other on the renderings of administrative tasks. The meetings will be structured with an agenda co-created by the spotlighted consultant with the Assistant Director. Overall, the tutor-initiated dialog will improve communication, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills that are applicable in the Writing Center but also in other future professions involving flexibility, team work, and problem solving. By the time consultants graduate out of the University, they will truly be professionals ready to enter the workforce.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
A Professional: book review of "The Death and Life..." by Diane Ravitch
Hi Readers,
In The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education, Diane Ravitch argues that current US educational policies are not improving schools. She urges us ( the citizens of the United States of America ) to "accept the fact that there is no single answer to educational improvement" (229). For an education system to be successful, various factors need to be considered: a strong curriculum ( that is well-rounded and not limited to just reading and mathematics ), experienced teachers ( who are respected and secured by a union and tenure ), effective instruction ( that is not relying solely on test scores ), willing students, adequate resources ( where "Choice" is not perverted ), and a supportive community ( that explores various viewpoints to find better solutions ).
Overall, this book is a quick read yet enlightening; a must have for educators and those affected by education in general. In other words: EVERYONE. Ravitch points out that "a democratic society cannot long sustain itself if its citizens are uninformed and indifferent about its history, its government, and the workings of its economy" (223). Thus, "We must turn our attention to improving the schools, infusing them with the substance of genuine learning and reviving the conditions that make learning possible," states Ravitch (242).
In The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education, Diane Ravitch argues that current US educational policies are not improving schools. She urges us ( the citizens of the United States of America ) to "accept the fact that there is no single answer to educational improvement" (229). For an education system to be successful, various factors need to be considered: a strong curriculum ( that is well-rounded and not limited to just reading and mathematics ), experienced teachers ( who are respected and secured by a union and tenure ), effective instruction ( that is not relying solely on test scores ), willing students, adequate resources ( where "Choice" is not perverted ), and a supportive community ( that explores various viewpoints to find better solutions ).
Overall, this book is a quick read yet enlightening; a must have for educators and those affected by education in general. In other words: EVERYONE. Ravitch points out that "a democratic society cannot long sustain itself if its citizens are uninformed and indifferent about its history, its government, and the workings of its economy" (223). Thus, "We must turn our attention to improving the schools, infusing them with the substance of genuine learning and reviving the conditions that make learning possible," states Ravitch (242).
Monday, April 18, 2011
Random? test drive
Namaste Readers,
Good deeds being returned, or good karma? Call it what you will. It's comforting that there's justice still left in this mad world. Both insurance company found the other party responsible for the accident thus I was fully reimbursed for the $500 deductible. The past week had been full of insights from the automobile industry: accident report, insurance claim, estimate, collision care, and ( the most thrilling part ) car rentals.
After I dropped off my car at the auto shop, I was picked up by Enterprise Car Rentals. It was raining, and I only had two cars to choose from ( making the day gloomier ): a golden 2011 Toyota Camry or a maroon 2011 Nissan Altima. I wanted the smallest out of the two and the least gaudy, so Enterprise recommended the Nissan Altima.
The Nissan Altima was keyless ( but a sensor was still needed ). I just had to push the button and it turned on, like a toy. Driving it was another story, not too impressive. The engine was too noisy making a whirring noise, and I felt like I was in a tank. The Nissan Altima didn't gain momentum as fast as my car, and whenever I released my foot off the pedal, it didn't roll but instead retracted. The back and forth trip from my house to my work used up 1 bar of gas ( $10 ). Overall, it was too huge and costly.
I returned the Nissan Altima the next day, and with luck, Enterprise reserved a 2011 Mini Cooper for me ( without extra cost to cancel the inconvenience experienced ). Like the Nissan Altima, I had to push a button to turn on the engine, but I still had to place the Star-Trek-ship-shaped key/sensor in a keyhole. The Mini Cooper's engine wasn't noisy, and it picked up speed quicker than the Nissan Altima.
I liked the rainbow lights inside ( like a mood ring ), and the sun roof. The Mini Cooper was like a giant giga pet ( but drivable ); it beeped when it was low in fuel. $10 worth of gas lasted for 1.5 days. Overall, the Mini Cooper was fun to drive ( like bumper-cars fun ), and it made me forget ( for a while ) why I was driving a rental car in the first place.
In spite of their technology and other fancy accoutrements, I'm surprised that both cars' headlights didn't turn on automatically, and both doors didn't lock automatically. It was more fun to test drive the Mini Cooper than the Nissan Altima, BUT I'm glad that my 2009 Toyota Corolla is back!
Good deeds being returned, or good karma? Call it what you will. It's comforting that there's justice still left in this mad world. Both insurance company found the other party responsible for the accident thus I was fully reimbursed for the $500 deductible. The past week had been full of insights from the automobile industry: accident report, insurance claim, estimate, collision care, and ( the most thrilling part ) car rentals.
After I dropped off my car at the auto shop, I was picked up by Enterprise Car Rentals. It was raining, and I only had two cars to choose from ( making the day gloomier ): a golden 2011 Toyota Camry or a maroon 2011 Nissan Altima. I wanted the smallest out of the two and the least gaudy, so Enterprise recommended the Nissan Altima.
The Nissan Altima was keyless ( but a sensor was still needed ). I just had to push the button and it turned on, like a toy. Driving it was another story, not too impressive. The engine was too noisy making a whirring noise, and I felt like I was in a tank. The Nissan Altima didn't gain momentum as fast as my car, and whenever I released my foot off the pedal, it didn't roll but instead retracted. The back and forth trip from my house to my work used up 1 bar of gas ( $10 ). Overall, it was too huge and costly.
I returned the Nissan Altima the next day, and with luck, Enterprise reserved a 2011 Mini Cooper for me ( without extra cost to cancel the inconvenience experienced ). Like the Nissan Altima, I had to push a button to turn on the engine, but I still had to place the Star-Trek-ship-shaped key/sensor in a keyhole. The Mini Cooper's engine wasn't noisy, and it picked up speed quicker than the Nissan Altima.
I liked the rainbow lights inside ( like a mood ring ), and the sun roof. The Mini Cooper was like a giant giga pet ( but drivable ); it beeped when it was low in fuel. $10 worth of gas lasted for 1.5 days. Overall, the Mini Cooper was fun to drive ( like bumper-cars fun ), and it made me forget ( for a while ) why I was driving a rental car in the first place.
In spite of their technology and other fancy accoutrements, I'm surprised that both cars' headlights didn't turn on automatically, and both doors didn't lock automatically. It was more fun to test drive the Mini Cooper than the Nissan Altima, BUT I'm glad that my 2009 Toyota Corolla is back!
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