CCD Symposium (18/9/12)

Day 2 

Alvin Tan – The Necessary Stage Singapore

Uniquely Singapore

Activity 1: Find a spot in the room, walk to the spot with eyes close. Arms up to protect yourself from banging onto each other.

Activity 2: A and B. A do a sound that B can identify. B close eyes with arms up. A has to lead B with their sounds. B has to identify and follow.

Acitivy 3: A and B. Two straight lines. Do a mirror image of A’s pose. 10 secs. B cannot try the pose. Then After 10 secs, B do the action. Layer: Twos, and Fours

Activity 4: One straight line. Hands on each other shoulders. Specs out. Using your hands, feel the person’s facial features in front of you. In one straight line. The first person leads the line. Eyes closed. Break free. Now, find back the person of that is standing in front of you.

Activity 5: Card games – Using no. 1 – 10. Choose a card. 1 represents the least. 10 represent the best. Without seeing your card, put it on your forehead so that others can see. Base on the no., treat the person according to that. Then, on the scale, arrange yourself what u think ur no. is.

Activity 6: With scenarios. Take a card and put on forehead. Two volunteers. Taxi and Doctor scenes. Base on how the other party treats you, find out the no. on your head.

Activity 7: SPICE. Self-development on characters and personality. Get to know their individual personality better. Builds their character. By impersonating or creating characters, they explore the different characters and may even find their ‘self’. Builds their improvisational skills. Aspects of individual:

S – Spiritual

P – Physical

I – Intellect

C – Cultural

E – Emotional

Theater for Young People

Going for the symposium was an enriching experience for me. I get to see the director of TTNS, Alvin Tan. I was quite excited to see him because he directed a few plays such as the ‘Singapore’, by Haresh Sharma, which I watched last year. And to get to learn a few ideas and pointers from him is really a privilege. The activities, which he explained, are a warm up and get-to-know-you activities. It makes the script performance easier because people know each other better through these games. It creates a comfortable and familiar environment for people to work together.

It was interesting how Alvin did the layers by increasing the difficulties and levels. I felt these activities could help build rapport with the students that I might be working with in future. 

He also introduces various projects and theatrical plays that he directed and worked with. He focused on working with original works of intercultural theatre, most of them found in Asian theatre. These works had themes, which aim to deal with problems concerning the mixture of cultures. Singapore is a migrant country, where our ancestors came from many different countries. Hence, we do not really have a one true Singaporean today because it is made up of many cultures and races, so we may have Singaporean Chinese, Singaporean Malay, etc. Whereas in Japan for example, the people are called true Japanese, because they are the natives of the land itself. The reason why he wanted to work with intercultural theatre was because he wanted a Singaporean voice, a voice that is made up of many different kinds of languages, practices and speeches. This uniqueness of Singapore is then brought out.

In the 1970s or earlier, Alvin explained that acting is only for English speaking people. Native language, dialects and other mothertongue languages were not considered as acting. Our Singaporean identity was not brought out. He wanted to promote the uniqueness and identity of Singapore through intercultural plays because Singaporeans are not well aware of our strengths yet. The media is always portraying good English, which hinders our growth and pride of our multi-cultural and intercultural society.

Interculturalism is not a bad thing because we learn the different cultural practices of one another. There is deeper mutual understanding and harmony within the different races and cultural groups. Understanding others requires love and patience, not tolerance. Tolerance has a limit or breaking point with a little hint of reluctance maybe while patience, acted from love, does not. We look at different perspectives and views through sharing and learning.

Some of the theatrical plays he introduced:

-       Theatre that touches the heart and mind

-       Fundamentally Happy

-       Gemuk Girls

-       God Eat God

Reflection Journal 11 (14/11/12)

Conclusion

'Every talent is a measure of gold' - Dr Eugene, I. from NIE, Improvisation lesson (Music)

I totally love this statement because we are all given talents that we can invest in the lives of other people. We are blessed with talents that are considered gold. When we invest our gold in other things, we see multiple of it. For eg, investing gold in a bank may reap more gold. However, some times our investment might not reap back what we expect. It may be lost but it is not wasted. Investing our talents are never wasted because it is a learning experience. Talents should be driven by love and the passion to want see social change. If talents are driven by fear or selfishness, it is like a dull piece of metal with gold coating. It is not pure and it only looks good on the outside. Same for this project. When we invest our talents in our students, they gain. We do not know the exact dynamics of our success, but it definitely changed something in them for the better, and we are really satisfied with it.

What I would do if I had more lessons in future with them

The process of 'naming of the world' as what Friere (1970) described has to involve everyone and that 'it cannot exist with love, faith, humility and critical thinking. (Pg72) It is a dialogical process where everyone is communicating, providing, interlocking and discussing their ideas with each other. Through actions and dialogue, we can create and change the world. I believe that we should move into more discussions where their critical thinking skills are being challenged. Through critical thinking, they are able to understand and develop empathy for each other. It doesn't just stop here. They then work and collaborate with each other towards social change. According to Govan, Nicholson& Normington (2007), they stated that 'collaborations between professional theatre practitioners and community-based participants are often intended to improve the lives of the participants, to extend cultural democracy and contribute to the process of social change.' (Pg 73) They desire for social justice and change in this world so that the world will become a better and more beautiful place to live in. Not just for themselves but for the people around them as well. The reflection process helps them to think of their actions and consequences. 

After every drama activity, I will do a reflection discussion where they have to think why they did that and how they can improve the situation from there. It is very much like Boal's theatre of the oppressed. I would like to work on drama conventions and forum theatre with these students to expand their creativity and imagination skills through exploration and experimenting, because it was evident when they did still images in week 3! Things that we did not expect them to do, they did it out of their own imagination! The results were amazing. I believe that when we do forum and process drama, they can change their perspectives and in turn be the life changers of society. Because when they do these drama activities, they identify problems and issues of everyday life and experiment in these issues to uplift the oppression. 

If I ever had the chance to work with students again, I will be gladly to take up that position because I find joy and satisfaction educating them and seeing transformation in them. 

Bibliography

 Freire, P. (1970) The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. England: Penguin group

 Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R. (1993) Reflective Practice for Educators: Improving Schooling Through Professional Development. Newbury Park, California: Corwin Press

Reflection 10 (26/10/12)

Ahmad, Joanne, Carmen and I were talking over breakfast after the performance. Here is what each one of us were talking about.

- The performance in front of the entire secondary twos (2 NTs, 2 NAs, 1 express)

- The different approaches of each group. How they devise their play. How they work and re-strategise their plan according to factors such as schedule, time, absentees, props, etc. 

- How Drama as a learning tool not only in itself but also in other subjects such as English, Literature, History or even Math, which Cheryl is doing. Especially in this Speak Good English Movement.

- How we as facilitators are doing multiple roles (Facilitator, Friend, teacher, etc.) Which is the first priority? why?

- How our group act as a director while doing blocking, while still maintaining that freedom of expression and imagination. How they think or feel that their character should stand, position themselves, stance, actions, etc. 

- Very important to come as a group before performance and after performance. To brief and de-brief. To do warm-up exercises to prepare and release stress and tension in their bodies. 

The whole process of this Theater for Young People module is really difficult and tedious. Alot of troubleshooting, replanning, strategizing, coordination and teamwork. It is really what Osterman & Kottkamp (1993) describe 'experiential learning theory... learning is dialectic and cyclical process consisting of four stages: experience, observation and reflection, abstract reconceptualization and exprimentation' (as cited in koib, 1984, Pg 3) When we find out our problems and issues, do we just say it is because the students are not smart enough and therefore my theory is still faultless? Or do we go back to our theories to reconceptualise, replan, readjust in order to cater to their learning needs? How can we make the learning process more effective? Is this workable? Sometimes we may not find what we expect until we experiment them in class and it is totally fine because the teaching process is also a learning process for us teachers. When we go back to our strategies, we are not only relooking and developing them but also recapping our minds the subject and objectives.

But at the end of the day, our hardwork pays off. I really felt a workload off my shoulder and it felt really good because we see our results and they were successful! The feeling of watching students perform and having those smiling and victorious faces. I was glad that not only I benefitted from this but also my teammates, students and even for Dr Jane, Cheryl, Library and Miss Angela (literally everyone).

Our 'Job' and roles 
Because we do not come to school with a role of a teacher, our default role in this project is a facilitator.  I don't really like the sentence where 'we come in to offer something to the kids that could benefit their lives' I absolutely disagree with the fact that we come to offer something that we can gain material or fame selfishly. It is also not a 'take it or leave it' matter. However, I think that it is not accidental that we are placed in this project because we are here to impact their lives. It is because WE WANT TO and not because WE HAVE TO.  It must be our heart's desire that we want a life transformation in their lives and to have this desire in our hearts, we must have empathy in their life situation. It is our duty then to bring about revival in hope and faith to press on towards their dreams and goals in life. 

We play multiple roles according to the situations that the students are facing, not just being a facilitator. How we react and respond plays a huge part in their search of answers in life. First and foremost, we are their faciltators, where we encourage, motivate, guide and smoothen out their learning journey. We are their teachers because we teach, show and explain techniques and drama conventions. We are their counselor, quick to remind, warn, give alternatives and explanations to help them understand and make right decisions. We are their comforter because we provide a rest for them from all the conflicts in life. We also have the role of reviving their childhood experiences and memories, which may be dead or lost in their library of memories. 

Drama as a medium for teaching language

  How the Nian was constructed with his body gestures



We came up with two approaches in teaching language using drama.

Performative language
- Because they are kinesthetic learners, performance is not just textual but has the involvement of actions.
- Actions, body movements and positions help them to memorize their lines better. They are able to take cues better. Eg. When the Nian jumps, he will say 'I AM HERE!' or when the Old man stands up, all of us are suppose to stand up as well.
- We also use descriptions to help them with their movements. For example, 'Nian' is described as ferocious, how then can we make it ferocious with their gestures and facial expressions.
- Increase their performative vocabulary with words such as stage left/right/center. Audience and stage.
- We audify their actions by making 'overacting'. Each time they do an action, we make the action louder and bigger.

Instructional language
- When we do blocking and devising, we instruct them how to move, express their words and actions.
- They learn to take cues and listen to instructions.


Process = Product? 

















We suddenly came to a realisation that process is very much important to the product, which is the performance. Process and product are interdependent on each other. Though learning outcomes of both process and product are different on their own but they contribute to holistic learning. Without drama processes, the product would not be as good as it is, because it is only in the process that students gain skills, such as performance skills and drama skills, to be able to apply them on stage. We believe that they need to attain a certain level of skills to have an effective product. Through questioning and dialogue, we use reflective questions to probe and scaffold their thinking during the devising of our play. It then allows us students and also us to gauge their performance level and skills. For example, we would ask them 'Would it be better if we stand in a semi-circle or a line? Where should our homes be? It is only through process can they explore and experiment how effective their methods are.

In the process, we are also learning where there is the process of negotiation amongst facilitators. We constantly get together to discuss how to prepare ourselves before each rehearsals. We did blocking in three parts, where each one of us will take one part to do blocking with the students. We helped each other. Sometimes we intervene but it is all part of the collaboration process.

In the process, games are the best to relate to because through games, students are in their freest form to explore and experiment without fear. It helps students understand the dramatic elements portrayed with the use of the body, facial expressions and gestures. For example, constructing Nian's body similar to Hen and Chicken game, where all the chicks line up behind the chicken.



Product is important because it is where their spirit, teamwork and confidence level is being tested. We all have a common goal to work towards. We learn to support each other, give and take cues from one another, rely and work with one another. They also learn to perform to the audience and not only to themselves.

Therefore, we believe in our group that product is the reflection of our process.

Difficulties that we face

The group dynamics are different compared to the Arts group. No doubt we have drama major students to our advantage but it was quite difficult to work together because they are independent learners. I really admire and am inspired by the work that they do because there are so much that I can learn from them. They opened up my perspectives of having ideas and doing drama in classrooms. Ahmad really helped me and Joanne in group work because he constantly gave us questions that will help us in our essays and also in teaching 2T2.

However, it was quite difficult to come to an agreement at times because some are not willing to compromise. We then have to empathise with each other and understand what each of the group member is going through. We have to compromise and give in what we can do. What I learn is if I have to do the extra work, so be it because I gain something out of it and I treat it as doing something for the students.

Bibliography

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R. (1993) Reflective Practice for Educators: Improving Schooling Through Professional Development. Newbury Park, California: Corwin Press

Reflection journal 9 (18/10/12)

Rehearsal 2 (17/10/12)

During the two weeks which we did not get to meet them, they did not practice their lines and movements. It could be exams and we do not want to put false blames or falsely point fingers but we, as facilitators, need to re-plan, re-devise, re-strategise our plan. Because terms change and we need to re-plan according rather than giving up on the students and the performance. We shortened the scripts, gave them less props, shorten their lines. Syahiran also did not come for rehearsals so we decided to take him out of the script.

1st rehearsal Joanne and I could not attend because of lessons at NIE. Ahmad did blocking with them for the first half of the rehearsal.

The 2nd rehearsal we decided that each one of us (Joanne, Ahmad and I) will do blocking sections by sections so that the work is spilt equally and each of us get a chance to do directing and blocking with them.

Performance Day (18/10/12)

Students were all present on that day! Unfortunately, Syahiran did not come for the two rehearsals, so we did not assign him a role in the play but we did assign him to be our cameraman. Even though he could not take part (apparently, we could see he regretted it), the little role of a cameraman gave him a sense of ownership that makes him feel that he is still part of the team. He has to learn the hard way of not coming for rehearsals because if we allow him to be involved in the play, it is not fair to the rest, who really practiced very hard for their play.

The students were really confident and there was a sense of team bonding. Whenever their friends forget their lines, they will encourage. They even know which movements are the next! I was really thrilled when they were engaged in the play and how they worked so hard to memorise lines, be focused, know their cues, etc. Everyone, especially the Nian, was acting so well in their characters. We did taught them characterization, imagining how their characters will be like. We did help them with their actions by modeling it for them, like how the Nian should swing his tail, or how the old man should walk. Modeling enables them to visualize better by forming the characters in their minds. The students were so nervous and afraid because of their lines and actions, but it was heartwarming to know that they do feel a sense of nervousness instead of being reluctant in doing this project because these students were quite reluctant during the first few lessons of drama.

Today’s performance was a breaking point for everyone, both facilitators and students because we are all tested and our strengths and weaknesses are exposed. I was satisfied with working with Joanne and Ahmad because we were able to negotiate well and compromise with one another. We help one another understand and plan. However, when it comes to working with the other group, it was quite difficult because some times we cannot come to a consensus and there are many misunderstandings. One matter we faced for example was who should bring the props up from the art room? Should our group help to take their props up? Should we bring the kids back to school after the performance? What if some of us cannot make it during that time? How do we compromise each other?

Compromise needs to have the openness of heart and mind.

For first timers (Ju Ying students) of performning a play, I feel that the performances were very successful. Make up was good and I think it was necessary because it makes them feel part of the performance. It makes them feel real and look good on stage. Very pleased with the outcome though at first we were worried about the time frame and how they are working with it. Venue for performance was good because glass door enabled the people walking outside to look in and sets the curiosity of the onlookers. It attracts the on-lookers. But within the glass door, it is our world of fairytales, where we are in character and we have the responsibility of creating this fairytale for the 45 minutes for the audience. It was a magical experience and it was every student's individual job to make that dream or magic happen.

Collaborating with the students is a totally different experience. When I am sharing my experience of performing on stage with the students, I are also collaborating with them. Hence I become a partner or co-actor with them. We do blocking together and also I realise our presence and participation cause them to feel more energized and confident. The energy level is there because we are part of it as well. Our responsibility in the play is equally distributed. It is no longer a teacher or director-led play. According to Govan, Nicholson& Normington (2007), they stated that 'devised performance emphasises participatory working methods, it has often been regarded as an effective and flexible way to move from the individualism of autobiographical narratives to more collective forms of community participation and social identification.' (Pg 73). This social identification is very important to these students because they want to be recognised in society. Society has already placed a label on them base on their academic level. But then how can the society despise them because of their academic level? They may be excellent in other areas such as the aesthetics. Drama can help them identify their responsibilities and participation in community building. This devised performance, 'Nian', is a great way to build up their confidence because they have a stake or a part to play. They then begin to realise their importance in building and performing this play. They shift their thinking of 'unworthiness' to 'I am valuable in this "naming" of the world' (as what Freire mentioned, 1970, Pg 70)  When they succeed, they feel a sense of achievement and success and begin to look back and appreciate their hard work. Therefore, they shift from their own personal life and invest their talents in community building.

Old Man (Vernon)

The Princess (Qian Qian)

Old Woman (Eng Nie)

During the performance I was also involved in doing makeup for the students. I am really privilege to be able to put makeup for them because it was an intimate time where I am so close up to their face. At first it was quite awkward to be so upfront in their face but I enjoyed it because I get to talk and joke to them without any barrier between us.

Collaboration between JYSS and us

Terms and conditions for us to set – Should Mr Chen be allowed into the room? Because it may interrupt the funness that we have in class. We may feel the space violated. When I was the cameraman for week 3, Bryan was feeling uneasy that I was taking photos of them. What more of a human being's presence there in the class? Mr Chen may want to come in at some point of time to check on the class. Probably one of the facilitators could contact and update Mr Chen on the status of the class after each session. Otherwise, the presence of a teacher may just cause a hindrance in their learning.

Their expectations of us, Vice versa. Do they expect us to do something for them? Probably, we are expected to do a very grand and ornamented performance such as having alot of props, having very nice music background etc. However, drama performance is not just about these elements. These elements are there to create effects and are not must-haves in a performance. I find that our 'Nian' were the most simple play out of the three but our play is as strong as the rest and very tight even though we did not use any fancy props or background music. We definitely do expect them to do things that they should do. For example, shuttering buses from school to Jurong West Regional Library or providing food, etc. One thing that we expected them to do but rather quite absentmindedly did not do was to book venues for us to rehearse. They are quite late in their booking of rooms and timing.

We need to set terms and conditions so that we can follow the guidelines without stepping onto each other's toes. We also know what to expect from each other through the conditions. However, what are the parameters to student's learning? Will these terms and conditions build a parameter to the students' learning? Probably we can set certain rules and conditions such as simple housekeeping rules. Some other matters we can always negotiate it out.

Bibliography

  Freire, P. (1970) The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. England: Penguin group

  Govan, E., Nicholson, H. & Normington, K. (2007) Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices. London & New York: Routledge.

Reflection Journal 8 (14/10/12)

Lesson 8

We gathered on the 12/10/12 to discuss on the schedule, timings, goods claims, performance dates, logistics, props and whether we are meeting next Friday. The reason for meeting is to get the stuff settled and finalize everything. It is important because we meet face to face to discuss, so there will be no miscommunication. It is also faster that we discuss it face to face in a group rather than relying on messages or texts to relay the messages. If we did not come together, there might be confusion because it has been two weeks since we have seen the kids and the performance for the library is just a week away.

Roles

I volunteered for my group to be the one who will collect the receipts and pass them to Miss Angela. Though it is a minor role, but I feel that all minor roles are important as we work as a group. Every role is important, no matter big or small, so that it can be successful. Take the human body as an analogy; if we were to take away the small intestines, the human body cannot function because the minerals and vitamins are not absorbed into the body, the body will become weak.

Even in the Christian setting, the bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:12:

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

So no matter big or small, we all play a part.

It is the same for the analogy of roles in student’s performances. Some students may feel that their parts or verses are short, so they feel unimportant. And when they feel that way, they do not take it seriously. We, as facilitators, must then emphasize the importance of minor roles and explain it to them, using the ‘What if’’.Eg. what if the villagers are not there? It helps them to think the consequences, the cause and effect, instead of dismissing themselves as unimportant. That is why we had every student in our script to say a few lines. There were equal lines distributed among the students and so that the students have the chance to explore and experience the ‘limelight’ when it comes to their turn to speak.

Use of Props?

For the props wise, we feel that we do not need much props because it might distract the audience. We want to keep it simple also for the kids because it is their first time doing a real drama performance with live audience. We decided that simplicity is the basis so that they don’t have to think what to wear or what to do next with their costumes and props. Sometimes props and costumes may cause us to feel confused too. But we do still use simple props such as sword for the warrior, etc. Ahmad, Joanne and I decided how our performance was raw and it was good. We decide our performance to be raw is also because our students were weak in memorizing their lines and doing too much prop acting. Therefore, we emphasized on Theatrical, dramatic movements that requires alot of our bodies, movements and gestures to be in character.

Next week is a very hectic week for performances and practices with the kids. The practices are set according to how they are doing. Two practices before the performance is a must because we need to finish up the last part of the script and have a dry run of the performance. A dry run builds faith, confidence and encouragement as they go through the sequence and process.

props: Umbrella, kompang, chopsticks, pots and pans, walking stick, iron man mask

Reflection Journal 7 (27/9/12)

Game: Facilitator spots a catcher and describes the catcher. Catcher has to identify himself/herself when he/she thinks it is him/her. The catcher has to catch everyone. Those people caught have to sit on the floor. The purpose of this game was to warm them up in their physical and mental bodies. It also creates self-awareness of what they themselves are wearing and also becoming aware of the people around them as they have to observe what they are wearing. They also learn to listen properly and be sensitive to the people around them and themselves.

Group Dicussion

We realise that there wasn't much time to continue with drama process activities so we went straight into doing our scripts. We did blocking where we decide who should stand where, do what, etc. in each scenarios while we did the whole script. We gave call their names through their roles so that they know which character they are playing. Ahmad then explained to them that if we keep playing games and activities, we can't give a good performance. The students were really understanding and gave their best to be in their character. When we gave them instructions or suggestions for improvements, they really did it! It was great working with these kids who are so understanding.

There is a scene where the villagers are all suppose to be in their homes. How we portray homes may not be elaborate but our positioning and actions are good enough to tell the audience that we are in our own homes. I feel that since it is their first performance, we do not have to be too elaborate for the props because the lesser props used may help them to think by imagining more. We needn't say back to the first position. Once we say 'go back to home position', they immediately went back to the home position. It was amazing how they know the position of being in their 'homes'.

Afternoon session was even better! We changed a little about the positioning. We did demonstrations on some of the scenarios.

Demonstration is a very powerful tool to teach students. It benefits those students who do not understand or who cannot visualize and imagine through their imagination. If we don't do demonstrations, there will be chaos when we just dive into the real activity. A demonstration shows the actions or words or expression that they need to do. Demonstration sets a standard or default that they could follow or imitate. Demonstration is a guideline to how it could be done in the same way or in different ways through a variety of different forms.

Unforeseen circumstances

However, we notice Khairul was not participating so actively compared to the first few weeks. He seemed distracted. Halfway through, I asked if he was okay and he said, 'His parents are going through a divorce.' and he went all teary. I pulled him aside and asked what happened. He told me the whole story. So then I encouraged him to not be distracted from the problem but to study hard now and maintain his position as a chairperson. His mum wanted to leave the house and take Khairul to another school. He did not want to leave his school because he has such great friends and he loved them alot. So I encouraged him and told him that the only thing he can do now as a child is to pray for his family (he is a muslim) and to work hard for his exams (exams are due next week), so that his mum knows how well he is doing in school and may even let him stay in this school.

I felt helpless in his situation and I know he also feels helpless too. It was really saddening that these kids are experiencing these kind of problems and they, as children, have no say. Family problems really affect them mentally and emotionally. They may even see marriage and family in a different way, which is not suppose to be! Sometimes we just want the parents to think more for their children and love their children even more, but we just could not because we are the strangers. We don't have the power. Much less a facilitator compared to a teacher. The teacher could at least have some power to persuade the parents. But I am sure that encouragement and love are what these kids lack and need most. Because love doesn't come from their own kinsmen, they seek love in the wrong places. I believe that whatever encouraging words and comfort words we speak do matter to them. I gave him my fb and no. so that he could contact me if anything happens.

Too authoritative as teachers facilitators as middleman to cope with the students. We are there to help them to grow in areas like emotional aspects and other various aspects.
Good that the teacher notices that I spoke to the person. What if I stop working with them anymore, who does he account to? everything was planned out nicely but some things cropped up and we had limited time to do rehearsals. but it is because of some unexpected stuff like home issues that crop up or school issues that hinder our performance progress.
It's all WIP - Work in Progress.

Attendance issue - say to the students 'You are part of this' instead of 'you must come'. we have to see that they are all part of this process. It's not an attendance thing but instead they have to see that the whole process is a collaboration process. We can't force them to be there when they do not want to be. They don't like authoritative rule to be upon them. Instead, we should encourage them to come by giving them reasons why they should come. For eg, because they have a part to play in this scene, if they do not come, the story will not be complete.

Process is important. Many cases of family abuse and divorce that affected this group of students. It is our duty that we should help these students as much as we can. It is okay to feel for these children They don't have any consistency in life, why should they have consistency in this? They did not ask for this to happen but it is they are affected by the things that happen around them. Drama is where 'the child who uses creative activity as an emotional outlet will gain freedom and flexibility as a result of unnecessary tensions.' (Eisner, as cited in Read & Lowenfeld, 2004, Pg 32) They are liberated in their emotional states as they explore and reflect on their problems. When they face new situations, they can handle them because their emotional beings become stronger. They are able to adjust to new situations because they have grown stronger and their adaptability is stronger.

It is just saddening and unfortunate that these children have to carry the burdens of others on their own shoulders. We need to be compassionate and help them in whatever ways we can.

Bibliography

Eisner, W. (2004) The Arts and the Creation of Mind. New Haven & London: Yale University Press

Reflection Journal 6 (20/9/12)

Lesson Topic: Voice
Activities
1. Catching game (Jasmine)
Similar to the afternoon session of last week but instead of doing actions, we did only 5 actions with the 5 vowel sounds. (Ah, Eh, Ee, Oh, Oo)

2. Breathing Techniques and story telling (Carmen)
Teaching them how to use their diaphragm and their breathing techniques. Using sound effects to make the story telling more interesting. Allowing their imagination to create scenarios in their minds. Thereby, using sounds as a result of a visual image from their imagination. Students to experience the quality of the different sounds by exploring their vocal cords and also with the shape of their mouths while producing the vowels - what kind of sound one produce with the mouths wide open/ close. Such as open vowels, closed vowels?

3. Story telling (Unintended) and Speaking Gibberish
We used Boom Chika Rocka Chika Boom as a gibberish sentence. It doesn't have meaning to it but it is familar in cheers, at least in Singapore, so there is a feel of familiarity while doing this activity. By using emotions and scenarios, it is an activity where students can explore the various sounds that they can make. Variation of speech using rhythm, dynamics, tone and texture of the sound. They come up with their own version of Boom Chika Boom. Eg. Boom Chika Boom in a very cold room.

Reflection

- first activity: points clear. short and concise. Students know the actions but brains dont work so fast while switching to another action. At the spur of moment they could not think immediately which action and sound. And when there is a time limit of 3 secs, they come up with their own actions and sounds. They lose momentum after a few rounds. the actions dont tally with sounds. But with the sounds and actions it was Easier to memorize compared to the last week afternoon session.

- second activity: the ma meh me mo mooo is abit messy. Difficult to do class management while they lie down. cannot be controlled. space in between needs to be wider, further apart from each other. Needed preparation to begin the saying out of words. like 1,2,3, Go. kids did their best to breath in and out using their stomachs. Facilitators to guide them along. Some boys talked with each other while lying down. Some keep laughing at the exercise. They think that it is boring. Eddy wanted more games. 

Storytelling: Story of The Red Riding Hood maybe too boring and not engaging. Some students were not engaged in doing the sound effects. Especially Zan, Ryan and Jia Cheng. They were giggling. We separated Ryan from Dan and Jia Cheng because he was the one making funny comments. Once we single him out, Ryan had to obey instructions while Harvey keep an eye on him. The unintended story telling in activity 3 that Daniel did but was not found in lesson plan, could be that The Red Riding Hood maybe too boring and familiar.

- third Activity: The story telling of the third activity is repeated again unintentionally because Daniel might have thought a story close to our experience is better for the students to feel the connectedness. He used a scene of a person experiencing a wet and rainy day. The students did it more engagingly than before because maybe the Red Riding Hood story is too fairytale-like and childhood story. I like the Boom Chika Boom using the different scenarios and emotions because students came up with their own scenarios and emotions and did their Boom Chika Boom version.

For a class of Normal technical to go through boring and mundane breathing techniques, which they do not see the need of doing it, it was quite well managed already. In other schools, I believe it will go wild. Some of the students really did their best to breathe in and out with their diaphragm. 

Role of Facilitators

I think facilitators are really important in facilitating their learning journey. Kaner, S. (1996) stated that  a facilitator 'strengthens the skills, awareness and confidence of individual group members; strengthens the structure and capacity of the group as a whole; and vastly increases the likelihood that the group will reach sustainable agreements' (Pg 5) Facilitators are :

- guiders

- monitors

- encouragers

- instructors

- preparers

- motivators

- providers

- participators

- supporters

- leaders

- Contributors

- Imaginers 

- fixer

- love-givers

I love the word 'love-givers' because without love, we are not able to do all things that are listed above. I believe that Love is the greatest. In the Bible, Paul wrote that 'And now these three remain: faith hope and love. But the greatest of these is love' (1st Corinthians 13:13, New International Version) If we do not have the love, we do not have the passion and drive to want to see change or renewed transformation in the students. Love pushes boundaries. It knows no end. If for example we say we want to volunteer in helping out at the  old folks home, without love, we cannot do much because we become selfish creatures. But when love intervenes, we sacrifice ourselves and go all out for the people who are less fortunate than us. We have sympathy as well as empathy for these people. We want social change and this passion to want to see change in the lives of these people. Same for these kids, facilitators must understand their circumstances and their background before they can instruct, prepare, contribute in helping to transform these kids. I believe our role is to make a difference, mould, transform their lives, thereby providing a hope in their lives.

Sure these kids may not want to do things that we instruct them to do, but as an encourager and motivator, we can make them feel to want to participate and want to be in the group, not wanting to be left out. It encourages community bonding and gives them an identity. Govan, nicholson and Norrminton (2007) stated in their article that 'participatory working methods has often been regarded as an effective and flexible way to move from the individualism of autobiographical narratives to more collective forms of community participation and social identification' (Pg 73) Moving away from individualism to socialism, selfish to selfless. When there are strong bonds made, there is teamwork and therefore more success.

What we can work on
I think we could have rehearsed the flow of the lesson before the actual lesson. We did not expect the kids to come for lesson so early. It was surprising that they were excited for Drama lesson. It was heart-warming but the flow did not go on very well. When we do not rehearse, the flow gets disrupted and the children either get confused or do it in the wrong way.

I realised these kids take a longer route to learn and needs more time to grasp the meaning. When I give short and precise instructions, they are still not sure of the actions and words. It is then appropriate to stop the game and re-instruct them and get them to do one round of the actions.

I agree that it is time for the kids to learn something more established (I wouldn't say more productive because I consider all our activities productive) for their performance instead of just having fun because performance is nearing. I felt the first few weeks were more of the fun activities rather than training on their techniques and performance styles, so it is good that now we start training on their voice and acting techniques. We could work on giving more simple, specific, clear and step-by-step instructions. Students knows best when we break down things in short and simple steps. It helps them to remember clearer. We could also repeat demonstrations so that they can remember better. Speaking slower also help them memorise better.

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.

Govan, E., Nicholson, H., Normington, K. (2007) Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices. London & New York: Routledge.

Kaner, S. (1996). The Role of Facilitator. Retrieved from http://enrapkscurriculum.pbworks.com/f/Role+of+Facilitator+-+Sam+Kaner.pdf

Reflection Journal 5 (14/9/12)

My Thoughts

I was taking a jog today and did some self-evaluating time on some personal devotional time with God. I recalled on what Annie said the other day during the Twentieth century theatre on Monday about the fruits of the spirit on the tree, which we were talking about in Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot'. One of the fruits was patience. Patience linked to the games I used to play during my secondary school times, such as Metal Gear Solid. It dawn on me that such games actually train us to become patient in a way but we do not realise it. For example, the sneaky missions in Metal Gear Solid trains us to become patient and to wait for the enemies to pass by before getting caught. I remember how my brother would be so impatient and he would always fail the stage.

However, video games such as these does not really develop us mentally, physically and emotionally as much as drama process. Why? Because other elements of the video game overrides the goodness we see. For example, kids tend to focus more on the violence and bloodshed of the game rather than training endurance or patience. To put it in a simpler way, no kid would say 'I become more patient' after playing the game. Instead, they say ' wow, there is blood' or 'wow, it just whacked my head off'. Video games are not exactly the best to rely on. Even if it is not a gory video game, for eg. a math game, it only trains the mind, not the body.

What better way than to learn our physco-motor skills and gain personal growth by doing rather than receiving it from a media? When we do it, we experience it, we gain something from it. Experience is the best in learning. It trains our senses and emotions, not just our minds. We think, feel and sense all at the same time. It is spontaneous and alive learning.

Lesson (By Ahmad and Joanne)
Game: scissors, paper, stone.
Kids had to walk around in snake or eagle forms and find the same animal to play scissors, paper, stone. The loser had to become an eagle. After losing for three times, they were out of the game.
In the morning, the kids were not really very active but they responded to the game. There was an air of heaviness to this morning but they warmed up slowly to the pacing of the game. They did not act very well in their animal forms probably due to low energy level and tiredness.

Activity 2
Scenario: A crowded lift. Still images of this scene. What happens when incidents start happening.
The kids were very creative in their thinking, gestures and actions. They freeze really well. When Ahmad called out 'Carmen holding a crying baby', they had freezed images so creative. All of them took part as well. They were so involved.

These kids are very good in their physco-motor skills. I also noticed that most of them are kinesthetic learners who can learn through doing. It gets them thinking by doing and experimenting. It comes back to reflective practice. Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) stated that 'learning is most effective, most likely effective when people become personally engaged in the learning process, and engagement is most likely to becomes a stimulus for experimentation.' (Pg 3-4). Many of these drama processes involves alot of kinesthetic movements where they think and do.

Activity 3
Doing Still images on their own scripts. I feel that doing still images or tableaux are good exercises to get to know their scripts better. It also enable team building and team boding skills. According to These activities allow 'very controlled form of expression which creates pictures that can be interpreted by the class – a picture is worth a thousand words' (Pg 5)
 Our group (Ahmad, Joanne and Me as facilitators) were spontaneous and willing to learn. Khairul, the chairperson, was so willing to learn that I could even see that sparkle in his eyes when it comes to drama. The girls, even though they are weak in their english, were also willing to take up challenges and to imitate us. They imitate really well! We taught them a few gestures that they could use for their characters and they imitated us so quickly. Still images then gives them a rough idea of what their characters would look like and feel like. They get a sense of idea of their own characters so that when it comes to performance, they can embody their characters.

Reflection
Weaknesses:
Instructions were not very clear. Both facilitators speaking at the same time is fine but they had different way of explanations to the word 'Tableaux', so it was a little confusing. When someone speaks up for another person, there is a disruption of thought. I think it is best that only one talks and explains rather than having two to explain the same thing. It might be different in the way of explanation but the gist of the meaning is there. At least, there is lesser confusion.

Strength:
Even though the kids were of low energy level, I loved the way how Ahmad encourages them to be participative by he himself being participative in the game. The way he clapped his hands to encourage the students and how involved he was in the activities encouraged students to be more enthusiastic and responsive towards the activities.

I also like how at the end of every activity, Ahmad and Joanne would tell the students the purpose of doing the still images and Tableaux. Students will have a better understanding at why they have to do this. They would not be clueless and will be able to see the bigger picture. In the last two sessions, there was no explanation after doing the games and activities, which I find students may miss the main points of doing these. When there is no explanation, there is no understanding, Students would not be committed in doing their projects or scripts. They don't learn anything. Drama processes are not just to have fun without understanding the meaning and significance of doing them. As the objectives of drama as a pedagogical tool in education are to enhance their knowledge and develop their personal development, it is therefore necessary that they do not participate just for the fun but also they participate to learn and gain something from it.

The afternoon sessions were good. We had quality time with out group in working with the scripts. We specifically zone into their speech and language because it is about Speak Good English campaign, so we wanted them to pronounce the words right and increase their word bank. They were even willing to stay back to have drama sessions with us. It was encouraging and heart warming for us, or at least for me. I felt so touched that these kids were so enthusiastic about learning in drama classes.

Bibliography

Osterman, K. & Kottkamp, R. (1993) Reflective Practice for Educators: Improving Schooling Through Professional Development. California: Corwin Press.

Brown, L. Introduction to Drama in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://citz.co.uk/images/fileuploads/Intro_to_Drama_Resource_Pack_v2.pdf 

Still Images

Reflection Journal 4 (7/9/12)

Discussion 

WHat does Good English mean?
Speaking Good English a hindrance to Mother-tongue language?

To me, speaking good english does not need to have a wide range of vocabulary or to speak in a profound way. The understanding of a word does not need to be so deep that no one understands. Otherwise, what is the point of using rich words that others cannot understand or even we cannot understand ourselves? When we can't get the message across, what is the point of speaking using those expounding words? Our job is not to dig out the meanings, which lies so deeply. Our job is to get the MESSAGE ACROSS. Can you imagine if during a protest or a rally, the minister speaks with such a rich vocabulary that the people cannot understand. The minister is addressing to needy people who come from different backgrounds and not addressing to ministers. Unless you speak to someone of royalty, which is not possible in Singapore's context. But off course, we should not use words that are vague, which may cause miscommunication. To me, speaking Good English for these needy kids of Juying sec, 2T2, means to help improve their grammar, sentence structuring, choice of words and pronunciation or words. In our Singapore context, where there is no royalty, there is no need for the use of royal language, where we speak in the Queen's language. Language in Singapore is a tool for us to communicate, satisfy our wants and needs, getting through and expressing the way of life. That's all.

Off course speaking good english will hinder our mother-tongue language, which is why our minister emphasize on bilingual or multilingual education. Because the grammar and vocabulary is different, it is not possible to direct translate english to our mother-tonuge language. Vice versa. Additionally, it will definitely impact our culture and way of life because we have English in our lives now and we will be influenced by mediums that uses english to communicate.

How do we use drama as a pedagogical tool to encourage the Speak Good English Movement?

What is pedagogy?

Speaking good English needs to be fun, especially for these kids of Juying Sec . The learning process must be meaningful, enjoyable and enriching for them. They should not feel a waste of time during this learning process. That is what drama is about! To use drama conventions as a pedgogical tool to encourage speaking good english movement.

Through drama conventions, I hope that students could identify problems in situations that they are facing, understand more of themselves, experiment and deal with their own issues. It is where personal growth occurs, where they are able to get out of situations and resolve conflicts in the way that would give them and the others peace. They would surely have inccidences that causes trauma or pain that they need to relieve from and this is where drama comes in. It brings the issues up front and allows us to deal with it in a sensible, intellectual and sensitive way. Not so subjective but rather to objectify their experience of life through drama, where in a space they can objectify their experiment or experience. Drama provides them with opportunities to release themselves from reality. 

The scripts not only help them in their language structuring but the play itself helps them to express every word that they say. This gives meaning and life to their words. The Speak Good English should not just be correction of the language but also how well they express themselves. Drama conventions such as enacting and devising scripts allow them to experiment and express themselves in many ways. Other than that, they learn from their peers as well. As our script has narrator speaking, it is considered very good that they can narrate a story to the audience. 

It also trains them to speak to a crowd of people, which builds on their self-confidence and self-esteem. Many kids do not have such a high confidence that they can achieve such a great mission as to stand in front of even 40 people (class size) to speak. Anxiety then makes them stammer. I believe when they are really involved in drama and acting, they can improve their self-confidence and bring out their expressions, gestures and words fluently and with conviction. Drama then becomes a vehicle of the Speaking Good English movement. 

Sometimes, it is because we are too used to this habitual talking since young, that it locks in our memory of how we use our english in our everyday lives. Pandidikan, S. (2009) stated that 'Habitual behaviour sometimes goes unnoticed in persons exhibiting them, because it is often unnecessary to engage in self-analysis when undertaking in routine tasks.' (pg 10) For example, 'three' is pronounced as 'tree' because it was what our parents say and we say it from young. It is then difficult to break away from the norm. But, reading from a script and acting it out will enhance the student's oral skills because in a way, they have to keep reading, practicing and expressing the words. 

Educators - Student Learning Journey

It is never a one way learning process throughout the journey, because it is a two way communication. If it is not a two way communication, it is dead. Dorothy Heathcote mentioned that she does not like teacher to be the dictator of the class, controlling the kids and giving instructions. Instead a teacher must do the same amount of work with the children. Drama is a collaborative work between both the teacher and students. Heathcote (2009) goes on to say that the teacher is a 'journey maker' and 'it's a journey of learning access to knowledge and responsibility for the access.' (Pg 9) A passionate teacher who wants her students to learn actively really requires herself to go through hard work or even extra work. It's where teacher embarks on a journey with her students on this learning process to gain knowledge and expand the boundaries.  The teacher is then the leader, facilitator, guider and usher towards the access.

Similarly, we even discuss in music lesson on the 12th september that music teachers should work in a collaborative environment and not she or he being the task master. Not task orientated but process orientated. In this way, students provide the situations and the teachers deal with these situations and develop strategies to deal with it. 

Bibliography

Pandidikan, S. (2009) Correlation between students' language Habit and Their Speaking Skill in SMPN I CISAUK TANFERANG. http://www.scribd.com/doc/23975189/Correlation-Between-Students

Annonymous. (2009) Learning, knowing and languaging in Drama: An Interview with Dorothy Heathcote. Retrieved from http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/AB109-DH-Interview-with-DH-Drama-as-a-way-of-learning-Knowing.pdf