"I have come to believe that a great teacher is a
great artist, and that there are as few as there are other great artists.
Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human
mind and spirit." -- John Steinbeck
10. ~ Design and the Experience, “Form” used as a verb, and My “Work of Art”… Understanding the difference between “Design” and “Experience” and the use of “Form” as a verb was the key for me. How the “Design” of things is related to the overall “Experience” whether you are a Photographer, Graphic Artist, Teacher, etc. The “Forming” of something dictates the quality of the experience. Once I fully understood these meanings and concepts, kept them in the forefront of my mind, every assignment was more meaningful to me. Transforming an average picture into a more compelling “Work of Art” completely drove home just exactly what it means to manipulate forms to create a special image ~ This is a favorite because I was still cloudy after the Eisner article, but after this project everything about NDCE and creating them seemed clear to me.
9. ~ Being Passionate… Ken Rockwell in How to
Make Great Photographs ~ I was drawn to the section on “Passion”. He states: “Photography is communicating passion
and sparking excitement in the mind and body of another person. If you don't care about the subject
then the results won't get beyond the basics. Care deeply and incredible things happen. Don't care and you
are quickly forgotten.” This is a
favorite because because it speaks volumes about what teaching should be, and
that is communicating
passion and sparking excitement in the mind and body of your students. If you
don't care about them, then the results won't get beyond the basics. Care
deeply and incredible things happen.
8. ~
Less is More… The
“reduce and simplify” concept discussed in the Photography module made a huge
impact on me. In all of the video
projects, being way over the established time limit, I learned how to trim,
trim, and trim. Somehow, making
things more compelling by leaving more to the imagination, zeroing in on the
most compelling of images, and actually saying more by showing less.
7. ~
Observation, Reflection and Contemplation… I’ve
taken this away from the course in the sense that I observe things in a
completely different, more meaningful way. In my life today, I can’t help but notice compelling
architecture, movie scenes, commercials, artwork, music, etc. It has caused me to slow down in the
hustle and bustle of everyday life, observe, and take time to reflect on what I
am seeing, what it means to me, and those around me.
6. ~
Filmmaker and Teacher… Just
as a Director has a vision, so does a teacher. A good Director will
encourage his/her crew to bring fresh ideas to the table, and create an
environment where the various departments will strive to do their best. A
good teacher will encourage his/her students to bring fresh ideas to
assignments, and create an environment where students will strive to do their
best. This was a favorite because
it emphasizes the opportunity to inspire.
By creating the right environment, a teacher can motivate his/her
students to strive for something special. There is no greater reward than
seeing a young person achieve great things.
5. ~
Visual Storytelling… Graphics Designers and Photographers utilize their
knowledge and techniques to create a visual storytelling. This is a
favorite idea because I really experienced how a graphic design or photograph
could elicit an emotional response from the viewer; ultimately, stirring the
thought process. In a more direct
analogy, a teacher will utilize storytelling to elicit an emotional response
(i.e., provoke, motivate, etc.) resulting in engaged, deeper thinking
students. Just as a well-developed and presented image can hold your
interest and reach the viewer, teachers need to hold the interest of their
students and reach them with the subject they are trying to convey. A
less direct analogy would be with regard to composition. For a graphic
design or a photograph, composition can equate to… what goes where (placement
of items to draw your eye), colors, patterns ~ combining parts to form a
whole. For a teacher, composition is very similar in that how he/she
builds on the curriculum tells a story, pulling in different aspects,
structuring the curriculum such that every lesson supports each lesson,
combining parts or elements, leading to a harmonious result.
4. ~ The Power of Compelling Music… Until the music module, I had no idea
how compelling music could be.
I’ve always enjoyed music, but didn’t listen to it as deeply as I was
forced to for this module. I
discovered that a compelling musical experience could completely transport me
to somewhere else. Specifically,
John Mayer’s Waiting on the World to Change. When I closed my eyes to listen to it,
it took me to another place. I was no longer laying in my bed listening to my
iPod, I was sitting in an intimate, dark, smoky club in Chicago, it’s close to
2:00 a.m., but I can’t leave because this bluesy, Reggae tinged song has
captured my attention. This has
changed the way I unwind at the end of a long day with children. Instead of falling asleep watching
t.v., I listen to music with my iPod, really hearing the experience, listening
for each of the forms that make the piece compelling.
3. ~
Storytelling… A filmmaker tells stories every day. As an
audience, if we are engaged and find the stories compelling, we pay attention;
however, if not, we don‘t watch. A teacher tells stories every day, and
if she isn’t engaging or compelling, the students will tune her/him out. As was
written in Storytelling: The film-maker as storyteller, as a conductor uses his
power to make the orchestra powerful, a filmmaker’s job as a storyteller is to
awake possibility in other people. Look at the eyes of people in the
“orchestra” around you; if they are lit up, Great! A teacher in the role
as conductor uses her/his power to make the students more knowledgeable,
awakening possibility in them. A teacher must also pay attention to the
look in the eyes of her/his students, be mindful of whether they are lit up… if
they are, they are engaged and the lesson will more likely be heard and retained. This is a favorite because it really
emphasizes the importance of keeping students engaged and working off their
cues. I reflected on the
storytelling readings and discussions when we had to tell the Jerry Seinfeld
joke. I needed an audience to be
engaged in order for me to perform, I also needed to move forward with the joke
based on the cues I could see on their faces and in their eyes. You're waiting for a response to come
back. The sooner the audience/class responds, whether it's hundreds of
people watching a video at the same time (or a class of 30 students), or
speaking to an individual, the sooner the audience/class experiences the story
and really feels something, the better the story/lesson is. After all,
that’s the objective… to have the person really experience something, and
retain the information conveyed via the experience.
2. ~
The Importance of a Good Space… I believe Architecture and Interior Design play a role in teaching in that a
school’s physical design can improve or worsen children’s academic performance.
The example I shared in my original blog entry had to do with my search for a
school for my children. After
narrowing it down to a choice of two, the deciding factor was based on the
buildings themselves. School ’A’ was very dungeon like. The elementary section
was allocated to the basement of an extremely old building, where the
ceilings/walls had deteriorations, no windows, low lights, and narrow hallways.
In this situation, I could only imagine that my productivity would be low, and
I couldn’t imagine it would be any different for my children. It was a
depressing atmosphere, and didn’t matter to me how academically appealing the
school was. In stark contrast,
School ‘B’, the school I chose, has a wall of windows in every classroom
allowing natural light to seep in, a glass wall in the library, wide open
corridors, masses of light throughout the entire school! I have to believe the quality of
their surroundings has an influence on their academic performance. Upon reflection, I took so many lessons
away from the Architecture and Interior Design Module. Aside from wanting to rebuild my house,
I felt confident in the fact that I chose the right school for my children, and
very confident that I don’t like being kicked out of places for taking
pictures! ;-)
1. ~
The Importance of a Sense of Humor… Working on each of the projects brought both my children and me some
serious laughs! The laughs we
shared (especially over the “Getting Ready for School” video) made it very
clear to me how valuable it is to maintain a good sense of humor. An engaged student that learns can be
exhilarating, and it is clear to me that creating an atmosphere full of
compelling experiences is the way to engage them. In my life, I laugh so much on a regular basis that I have
often wondered if that quality would be detrimental in teaching. After all my reflection during this
course, I’m no longer concerned with that. Laughter is good; who says the emotional punch line can’t be
a joke most of the time? Once you
see the smiles brought out of the special needs children I’ve worked with, you
can’t imagine an experience any more compelling than that!
