Friday, 23 March 2012
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Questions working towards my final project
So I almost certain that my final project will be based on issue based theatre. My actual line of inquiry- and what questions I want to ask and answer is still blury. However I have created a questionnaire and have pilotted this questionnaire with numerous members of staff at the Chickenshed Theatre Company, who have all been involved with Chickenshed issue based theatre work in one way or another.
These are my questions, feed back and critsim welcome so that i can improve it and then send it out to a much wider target group;
The layout of this is much better when on paper im just not very good on work to be able to do it now. Ive also started on the ethics regarding my possible project which it proving harder than I originally expected.
Please let me know what you think
Jojo x
These are my questions, feed back and critsim welcome so that i can improve it and then send it out to a much wider target group;
- What does issue based theatre mean to you?
- Do you think issue based theatre is effective? Yes if so why No if not why
- Chickenshed has tackled many issues over the years using issue based theatre as the medium between Chickenshed and various target groups. Has there been any contraversy atttached to any of these pieces?
- What three issues do you believe can be most effectively challenged using issue based theatre? (Consider factors such as contravery, ethic, causing offence, and how genuwine it is, please circle 3) Racism, Sexual Abuse, Knife Crime, Rape, Murder, Domestic Violence, Peodophilla, Sex Trafficing, Prison System, Mental Health, War Replecation of real events, Cancer and Politics
- Rate your own personal belief on the effectiveness of issue based theatre from 0% (not effective) to 100% (eniterely effective)
- Should you prevent issue based theatre becoming too artistically creative? Yes No
The layout of this is much better when on paper im just not very good on work to be able to do it now. Ive also started on the ethics regarding my possible project which it proving harder than I originally expected.
Please let me know what you think
Jojo x
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Struggling....
So the pressure of trying to balance getting all my work done and also working almost full time is beginning to become a strain. However after my first assignment I have noticed my self asking the questions which are require for the course- and also trying to think of methods to answer these questions.
I cannot hide that my confusion of the this course asks of me has lifted but I will continue to persevere to TRY and full fill this. So i am going to start getting used to the blogging circle so see if any of my fellow student who i hope felt the same way when they started this course can help.
I have been a cast member of a show call "Crime of the Century" now for around 2/3 years. I have gathered a scrap book together with interviews that i have gathered from Brooke Kinsella who was formally on Eastenders and also lost her brother Ben to knife crime. As in 2008 I lost my cousin Shaquille Smith to a similar event we have become quite close in our passion to over come this issue. She has given me a number of interviews which i can use, and also says that she will be willing to partake in any extra research which i need on this topic.
Also last summer i attended a meeting at the Ministry of Justice, about victims and their treatment after a crime has been committed. Baroness Helen Newlove has also given me some material on her views on the issue, which i think will be useful as she is now a member in the House of Lords.
Other than that i have countless experiences and testimonies from young people who i have worked with over the years which i can use as evidence. As my Passion for this subject and also the ease at which i can gather material is enormous i know i definitely want to base my final project on issue based theatre.
So .... I have material and what i want to do....but now what to actually start doing has meant Ive hit a blockade can anyone help me please?
I sooo confused!
I cannot hide that my confusion of the this course asks of me has lifted but I will continue to persevere to TRY and full fill this. So i am going to start getting used to the blogging circle so see if any of my fellow student who i hope felt the same way when they started this course can help.
I have been a cast member of a show call "Crime of the Century" now for around 2/3 years. I have gathered a scrap book together with interviews that i have gathered from Brooke Kinsella who was formally on Eastenders and also lost her brother Ben to knife crime. As in 2008 I lost my cousin Shaquille Smith to a similar event we have become quite close in our passion to over come this issue. She has given me a number of interviews which i can use, and also says that she will be willing to partake in any extra research which i need on this topic.
Also last summer i attended a meeting at the Ministry of Justice, about victims and their treatment after a crime has been committed. Baroness Helen Newlove has also given me some material on her views on the issue, which i think will be useful as she is now a member in the House of Lords.
Other than that i have countless experiences and testimonies from young people who i have worked with over the years which i can use as evidence. As my Passion for this subject and also the ease at which i can gather material is enormous i know i definitely want to base my final project on issue based theatre.
So .... I have material and what i want to do....but now what to actually start doing has meant Ive hit a blockade can anyone help me please?
I sooo confused!
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Module 1- Finding my own proffessional practice?
I have not blogged for a while as currently i have been part of the the Christmas Show performance of Cinderella at the Chickenshed Theatre Company. This has consumed alot of my time however through looking back at notes and theories which i have encountered through module one i can now gain an fuller understanding of the models and theories which i have come across.
The Honey & Mumford model of "experience" is one that stuck out for me- originally in quite a negative way, as i thought (possible quite ignorantly of me) that far too much time was being put into an "experience". And that it simple was what it is called- and experience end of! However every thought and every action is based upon a life experience whether it be positive or negative from appearance, life, love, socially, professionally etc, and maybe mistakes are continually made in ones life by them overlooking the importance of an experience and reflecting upon this. As the Christmas shows have dominated so much of my life for the last 6 weeks i thought i would follow Honey and Mumfords model but relate it to my own experiences and see if through this i can start to develop my own reflective practise.
1. Having and Experience
During this Christmas show I was/am a signer to signs for Cinderella, Buttons and a few other smaller characters. This on first glance was not a different experience to what i had done the previous year- however this year i was given much more responsibility in that when my signing teacher was not there i had to ensure all the signers was there, in the correct light, cover any absences and ensure the signing was always being performed the way it was taught. This i had to do for all 4 rotas which equals out to about 60 shows excluding dress rehearsals and the preview nights.
2.Reviewing the experience
This experience has become significantly relevant to me, as i believe the extra responsibility which i had been given for the show, has forced me to have more confidence in what i do, and that i can do it- which is always something that holds me back, and also has developed me professionally in having to manage a group of signers, most of whom had no previous experience of signing on stage- which can be very daunting and isolating at times. The pressure at times was massive- and if I'm being honest particularly low moments during this process has been more of nuisance and i have felt restricted by the responsibility. Although through reviewing the situation i can now see that the feeling of irritant which i experienced is my own personal protection method which i do when things start getting difficult and there is a chance that i could fail at a task. By making it an irritant- i can pretend i don't care if it went wrong.
3.Concluding from the experience
Concluding this experiences has shown me many factors about myself in a profession setting which i had not been aware of before now. As my life in professional practise has been insignificant before now i had not noticed traits which i have which can in fact hold me back in my future. I have always worked since the age of 16 - and in 4 years have had several jobs ranging from teaching assistant to barista at Starbucks Coffee company. My times in these jobs have been limited and through reflection i can see that is because i opt out of a task when it gets difficult- or the first time i make a mistake. And therefore leave. My work at Chickenshed however is very different- as i hope that i will work at Chickenshed for many years to come i cannot leave or turn my back on it and the work. So therefore i have to put myself on the line and complete everything which is given to me. As quite a critical person its shocking that i have only learnt this about myself at the age of 20- which explains so many mistakes of my past.
4.Planning next steps
This experience has further enhanced my love of teaching, managing and creating. I always new i had this passion but never before have had the chance to put my passion into practise to see if it was just a fantasy or my reality. Therefore i will put myself forward to more teaching roles in order to gain understanding of what it is to be a teacher, and also develop my own style based on great role models i have in my life at the moment. I also have learnt to not take sign language for granted, as to me it is just a pass time to learn another skill and i think it look beautiful- but to someone who relies on signing to communicate it is essential and needs to be more accessible that it is at the moment. Through speaking to a lot of the members from the deaf community in recent years it disgusts me how limited signing is in contemporary society- and how much money it costs in able to make it accessible. I do not know how i would help this but i am going to continue through to my BSL level 2- and try to become a part time interpreter, and see where that takes me.
I found simply plotted my experience to Honey and Mumford model so satisfying to my own development as i don't think people put the time into reflecting on a experience in order to draw conclusions which can further develop their practise.
"It is important to find your own reflective practises through doing that finding you own professional direction or "artistic vision"
This note which i made from the reader has stuck in my head through out this whole experience as i what to discover my own "artistic vision" but do not know whether it is something you develop. or you always have it, or you either have or do not have it, etc.
I do not know how to do about finding my own reflective practise- i can relate a great deal to other people but not my own
And do not know where to start
The Honey & Mumford model of "experience" is one that stuck out for me- originally in quite a negative way, as i thought (possible quite ignorantly of me) that far too much time was being put into an "experience". And that it simple was what it is called- and experience end of! However every thought and every action is based upon a life experience whether it be positive or negative from appearance, life, love, socially, professionally etc, and maybe mistakes are continually made in ones life by them overlooking the importance of an experience and reflecting upon this. As the Christmas shows have dominated so much of my life for the last 6 weeks i thought i would follow Honey and Mumfords model but relate it to my own experiences and see if through this i can start to develop my own reflective practise.
1. Having and Experience
During this Christmas show I was/am a signer to signs for Cinderella, Buttons and a few other smaller characters. This on first glance was not a different experience to what i had done the previous year- however this year i was given much more responsibility in that when my signing teacher was not there i had to ensure all the signers was there, in the correct light, cover any absences and ensure the signing was always being performed the way it was taught. This i had to do for all 4 rotas which equals out to about 60 shows excluding dress rehearsals and the preview nights.
2.Reviewing the experience
This experience has become significantly relevant to me, as i believe the extra responsibility which i had been given for the show, has forced me to have more confidence in what i do, and that i can do it- which is always something that holds me back, and also has developed me professionally in having to manage a group of signers, most of whom had no previous experience of signing on stage- which can be very daunting and isolating at times. The pressure at times was massive- and if I'm being honest particularly low moments during this process has been more of nuisance and i have felt restricted by the responsibility. Although through reviewing the situation i can now see that the feeling of irritant which i experienced is my own personal protection method which i do when things start getting difficult and there is a chance that i could fail at a task. By making it an irritant- i can pretend i don't care if it went wrong.
3.Concluding from the experience
Concluding this experiences has shown me many factors about myself in a profession setting which i had not been aware of before now. As my life in professional practise has been insignificant before now i had not noticed traits which i have which can in fact hold me back in my future. I have always worked since the age of 16 - and in 4 years have had several jobs ranging from teaching assistant to barista at Starbucks Coffee company. My times in these jobs have been limited and through reflection i can see that is because i opt out of a task when it gets difficult- or the first time i make a mistake. And therefore leave. My work at Chickenshed however is very different- as i hope that i will work at Chickenshed for many years to come i cannot leave or turn my back on it and the work. So therefore i have to put myself on the line and complete everything which is given to me. As quite a critical person its shocking that i have only learnt this about myself at the age of 20- which explains so many mistakes of my past.
4.Planning next steps
This experience has further enhanced my love of teaching, managing and creating. I always new i had this passion but never before have had the chance to put my passion into practise to see if it was just a fantasy or my reality. Therefore i will put myself forward to more teaching roles in order to gain understanding of what it is to be a teacher, and also develop my own style based on great role models i have in my life at the moment. I also have learnt to not take sign language for granted, as to me it is just a pass time to learn another skill and i think it look beautiful- but to someone who relies on signing to communicate it is essential and needs to be more accessible that it is at the moment. Through speaking to a lot of the members from the deaf community in recent years it disgusts me how limited signing is in contemporary society- and how much money it costs in able to make it accessible. I do not know how i would help this but i am going to continue through to my BSL level 2- and try to become a part time interpreter, and see where that takes me.
I found simply plotted my experience to Honey and Mumford model so satisfying to my own development as i don't think people put the time into reflecting on a experience in order to draw conclusions which can further develop their practise.
"It is important to find your own reflective practises through doing that finding you own professional direction or "artistic vision"
This note which i made from the reader has stuck in my head through out this whole experience as i what to discover my own "artistic vision" but do not know whether it is something you develop. or you always have it, or you either have or do not have it, etc.
I do not know how to do about finding my own reflective practise- i can relate a great deal to other people but not my own
And do not know where to start
Monday, 28 November 2011
Module 1- Reader 2- Reflective feedback
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this module reader, as unlike the first reader I can link what I am reading to the work in which I am involved in which more ease.
"Learning from experience"- was the first quote which i read and the one which has stood out the most. In my line on work at the present and the continuation of my career is always going to be based in education, and i have never directly linked "learning" which "experiences"- which through reflecting on this statement i see that this is in fact fundamental to ones journey through the educational system- whether that be positive or negative, successful of unsuccessful- a journey through education is based on ones experiences!
As the work at Chickenshed is a progressive journey (which it has to be in order to continually fulfil its inclusive ideology) Reflection is key in order to evaluate, adapt, change,progress and flourish in contemporary society. This key function for Chickensheds survival I have seen is directly linked to John Dewey who defined the educational process as a "continual organisation, reconstruction and transformation of experience" and he also mentioned the Arts as leading to a "unique and valuable experience". Which ties in exactly with how i would like my future in education to be shaped. I believe the Arts provide a much larger platform for individuals to learn and develop without the restrictions of exams and tick boxes- which at this present time is all that is being offered to individuals under the age of 16- ironically enough it is under the age of 16 where the success in education is essential in order to continue in further education.
Although I found this handbook interesting and did not have to force myself to continue reading, it baffles me that philosophers have identified that if individuals are engaged with their experiences they become a better part of society and therefore solving worldly problems. If this has been identified then why are there not more functions in order to aid this engagement? It seems like such an easy way to start to improve life- starting from secondary socialisation- a process which has been determined as the most influential processes in a young persons life.
Whilst reading David Kolbs division of experiences into different stages. I struggled to grasp the concept which was trying to be explained to me. Therefore i decided to use his diagram and directly link it to a process i am very familiar with- which is Chickenshed journey to where it is now. I couldn't figure out how to rotate it so sorry if you have to tilt your head.
This cycles has and continues to be used at Chickenshed- I can see this though its development of education, its shows for younger children and it workshops for older people. Through directly linking Kolbs theory to my life it made it a lot easier to understand "what is being defined to me as Grahman Mcfree states is very important.
My final point which I has stuck out to me in the hand book as to the point i am at now is Gardener and his theory of multiple intelligences. He provides eight different ways in which people learn. Through this I can see why Chickenshed teaching techniques are for the most part very successfull and why i believe the educational system is failing. Chickenshed in a session trys to hit as many if not all of the intelligences which Gardener referrs to with range from verbal-linguistic to bodily-kinaesthetic. This show the variety of methods which are needed inorder to attempt to teach several individuals at one time. These different intellegences are what i believe are the main fault in mainstream education as only one intelligent (verbal-linguistic) is the only one on the list identified which is valued and can therefore achieve with. This is another reason why i would like to tackle the educational system head-on in order to try and change this falut in the system.
"Learning from experience"- was the first quote which i read and the one which has stood out the most. In my line on work at the present and the continuation of my career is always going to be based in education, and i have never directly linked "learning" which "experiences"- which through reflecting on this statement i see that this is in fact fundamental to ones journey through the educational system- whether that be positive or negative, successful of unsuccessful- a journey through education is based on ones experiences!
As the work at Chickenshed is a progressive journey (which it has to be in order to continually fulfil its inclusive ideology) Reflection is key in order to evaluate, adapt, change,progress and flourish in contemporary society. This key function for Chickensheds survival I have seen is directly linked to John Dewey who defined the educational process as a "continual organisation, reconstruction and transformation of experience" and he also mentioned the Arts as leading to a "unique and valuable experience". Which ties in exactly with how i would like my future in education to be shaped. I believe the Arts provide a much larger platform for individuals to learn and develop without the restrictions of exams and tick boxes- which at this present time is all that is being offered to individuals under the age of 16- ironically enough it is under the age of 16 where the success in education is essential in order to continue in further education.
Although I found this handbook interesting and did not have to force myself to continue reading, it baffles me that philosophers have identified that if individuals are engaged with their experiences they become a better part of society and therefore solving worldly problems. If this has been identified then why are there not more functions in order to aid this engagement? It seems like such an easy way to start to improve life- starting from secondary socialisation- a process which has been determined as the most influential processes in a young persons life.
This cycles has and continues to be used at Chickenshed- I can see this though its development of education, its shows for younger children and it workshops for older people. Through directly linking Kolbs theory to my life it made it a lot easier to understand "what is being defined to me as Grahman Mcfree states is very important.
My final point which I has stuck out to me in the hand book as to the point i am at now is Gardener and his theory of multiple intelligences. He provides eight different ways in which people learn. Through this I can see why Chickenshed teaching techniques are for the most part very successfull and why i believe the educational system is failing. Chickenshed in a session trys to hit as many if not all of the intelligences which Gardener referrs to with range from verbal-linguistic to bodily-kinaesthetic. This show the variety of methods which are needed inorder to attempt to teach several individuals at one time. These different intellegences are what i believe are the main fault in mainstream education as only one intelligent (verbal-linguistic) is the only one on the list identified which is valued and can therefore achieve with. This is another reason why i would like to tackle the educational system head-on in order to try and change this falut in the system.
Friday, 25 November 2011
Using Web Tools task 1c
Despite not making a video specific to my BAPP course I was involved and feature in this promo video for Chickenshed Theatre Company. What i found interesting about this was the ease with which a video can be created edited and uploaded and can then reach such a wide audience through the platform of web-based audio visual tools such as YouTube.
This now means that the theatre can reach a wider audience expanding its community from an interest and location based group to that of a whole global one as many more can now access the company through the video and therefore their website and in turn the show, in person.
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