Contextual Background:
As an associate lecture, I was teaching 2nd year students from BA Contemporary Theatre and BA Acting and Performance courses, on the Collective and Collaborative Practices Unit. My contact with the students was 3 hours a week and the task was to tutor the students on movement based theatre in a devised performance piece, to be placed within the music festival Boomtown. The contact time of these students was shared with lecturers from sibling courses, such as Costume and Theatre design, and the students were working for the first time with their peers from other (design for performance) courses. In terms of diverse needs, the group was composed of some students with differing levels of experience as well as diverse learning or support needs. For example, some held ISAs, for neurodiverse reasons (such as ADHD and Dyslexia), and others didn’t, but expressed going through physical health issues. I also noted that there were varying levels of confidence within the group, as well as varying levels of English as a second language. Some fluent and able to express themselves fluidly and coherently, others less so.
Evaluation:
My approach for the sessions followed a structure of check in, warm up (physical), creating or activity (skills and knowledge), showing (performing work in progress) to peers, feedback (crits), close. Upon meeting the group, it was clear that that there was a disparity in knowledge and skills, as well as differing ways of being present (2022, Harris K). Some students proactive, enthusiastic, and confident, others not and some with a reluctance to collaborate and a reluctance to engage in the ‘physical in theatres’ (2016, Murray S & Keefe J). The attendance was irregular, in the contact hours and in the independent rehearsals, which was a huge challenge for all involved, since working as an ensemble relies heavily on the act of being present. Inevitably my enthusiasm and confidence wavered at times, when meet with a “split group”. Some students arrived with work done and ideas to share, others arrived often blocking said ideas and some didn’t arrive at all. Overall, it was a continual balancing act of; How to include the absent members of the group, without stunting the progress of the work? Especially when my enthusiasm mirrored that of the group and dipped and I found I had less energy to try and include those who weren’t present. All this said, the group were able to come together and find a sense of ensemble to create an immersive performance piece.
Moving forwards
The check in
As time went on, and faced with a sense of disappointment, Check ins sometimes became less in duration with a sense of urgency to get to the: ‘making and creating’. It’s at these very moments that a check in is important. This is the moment, I can attune (1985, Stern D) to the group; quickly assess their needs and adapt my approach accordingly to where the group are at, as opposed to where I think they are at, or where I, ideally would like them to be. For example, in the check ins I was able to establish how the students with physical pain were and adapt the following warm up to include them. Similarly, in the check in, I could gage how much energy the group were arriving with, to see if I needed to bring energy level up, or find a middle ground between differencing energy and attention levels (2014, Lutzker P). Check ins became less, as also the group arrived later and later to the class. However, it is important to maintain the check in for all the above reasons.
Warm ups:
These were important, and I found that the group were perfectly able to lead these themselves. If I were to do this again, I would encourage the group to lead the warmup themselves and join in. I believe this would have given space for the students with English as a second language to be able to lead and therefore be more included, as a movement warm up does not need to rely on language.
Creating/activity: PLAY
I included two skills-based practices (Laban, and Viewpoints). Whilst these worked well and enabled the students to use some of these methods to create, I could have included more play. This was a reflection fed back by a student stating that the group only began to play with one another towards the middle/end of the project. Play builds a sense of cohesion, enables trust, and allows for a playful sense of error (1993, Nachmanovitch S). Play is core to my professional practise, and I have previously always used it at the beginning of sessions to build a sense of ensemble, and to create an environment for exploration, improvisation, and creativity. I have seen that it helps hugely with students who have ADHD, in bring their attention into the present. Play is also known for building confidence and trust. This would have helped the students who were less confident to feel safe to “fail”. So, it begs the question why I left this out with these students? Perhaps the rush to produce overtook, or the 3 hours only meant that play took a hit.
Showing and feedback
This was an intrinsic part of the process and was important for the group. The showing/or the performing, and in the beginning, group discussions/feedback or Crit was shared. However, with time being pressured, the feedback became tutor to subgroup, and subgroup to tutor. Here, I felt that the peer-to-peer whole group reflections should have been a weekly thing, as opposed to a bi weekly thing, as I felt there was a risk of “cruising through and dispensing wisdom” (2017, Orr & Shreeve) as opposed to really working collectively with the students.
Close. Generally, this worked well, but what I saw was that the more silent members of the group perhaps were not given the right kind of space to feedback, perhaps “the pressure to actively participate actually [became] counter-productive”(2002, Harris, pg 103). I.e. I could have found a way that was not reliant on the verbal for other members of the group to close or check out, again, particularly relevant for the EAL students and the less confident members of the group.
References/ Bibliography:
Harris K (2022), Vol 5 / Issue 1, Embracing the silence: introverted learning and the online classroom, pp. 101–104 , Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal
Lutzker P (2014), RoSE – Research on Steiner Education. Vol 5 / Special issue pp. 65-72 Attunment and Teaching.
Murray S & Keefe J (2016), Physical Theatres a critical Introduction. London:Routeledge.
Nachmanovitch S, (1993),Free Play: Power of Improvisation in Life and the Arts: Improvisation in Life and Art. New York: Jeremy Tarcher.
Orr, S., and Shreeve, A. (2017). Art and design pedagogy in higher education: knowledge, values and ambiguity in the creative curriculum. Routledge
Stern, D. N. (1985). The interpersonal world of the infant: View from psychoanalysis and development psychology. Affect Attunement. New York, NY: Basic Books.