One of the most memorable moments in this course for myself was the class where we had a professional mime come in and teach us all about the basics of miming and even some improvisation scenes. I remember that class distinctly because we were all very excited to be participating in a drama workshop with Phil and the professional mime because we had been told how marvelous they were. When the workshop begun the feelings of our class at that moment remind me of a quote that I read in one of my readings; “tension is the secret, the mystery, the surprise, the dangling carrot, the time frame, and the space limit,” (Booth, 2005, p. 40) we as a class were not used to other teachers in our class and different pedagogical techniques and you could tell we were antsy with anticipation. The workshop continued and I could feel that the tension we held at the beginning was turning into energy that was bouncing off each other. We learned about the artistry and history of miming as well with of course the dramatic aspects of mime. A concept we learned was how mime is the theatrical display of movement, space, and time; this was interesting to me because I always just assumed mime was simply acting without speaking. I think the most memorable part of this class if you put aside learning how to run, walk, and so fourth was the feelings of collectiveness that were brought into the classroom. The professional mime had a knack at making every student in the class feel supported and feel like they were succeeding greatly, and it was when these people were shouted out by him when our class came together and congratulated one another. It was obvious in the moments when each of us would perform the movement solo and everyone would cheer and clap that you could tell we were a group that is genuinely supportive of one another. As all future teacher “we all long for the perfect class, the one where everyone gets along and where there is joy in learning about the curriculum…” (Lundy & Swartz, 2011, p. 5) and from the miming experience, I can say with confidence that we all wished that one day we could have a class that had the same emotional and physical connection as our class has.
Although I do not do as much role play drama as I would like… I think my drama class at UVic help me to love doing plays & performances with my classes… even though I refuse to step foot on a stage myself. I love to see the reaction from parents when they witness what their 7 or 8 year olds have just accomplished at a performance. Not to mention the pride and confidence that radiates from the students. Just like dance did for you, I think performing at a young age gives students confidence throughout their lives.
Glad you are enjoying you drama class so much! 🙂
I hope to use drama as much as you do in your class when I am a future teacher! It is so inspiring and amazing seeing what you can succeed in with your students!