Monday 1 June 2009

Experience

My Community Project does not finish untill October this year, therfore i am working there right up untill that date( 6th oct 2009). so far i have enjoyed working in schools and with the community on various other projects. The course has encouraged me to apply for taecher assisitant jobs working in secondary schools as well as consider applying for my PGCE in 2010. i Am glad that i shose to do this course as it has provided me with a key insight to tachering as well as been a fundermetal experience for me. It has enabled me to feel more confident as well as giving me a taster of what i want to do in the future.

I have enjoyed this course very much and the cousre has been a grate end to three years at St Marys!!!!!!!!!1

Wednesday 13 May 2009

Shakespear Festival

I am working closely with year 10, of which is a very talented year. i was taken back at how talented several of the students are. i was very suprosed to hear that many of the students hate English lit, yet are extreamily good at reading and understanding Shakespeare. I think this class are very lucky to have Pete workibg with them as he really takes time with this particualr group, he is even trying to get several students into the Brits school.

The shakespear School Festival is an arts-education initiative open to students from all bavkgrounds. since 2000 they have put 65,000 11-16 olds from 3,075 secondary schools on stage in 203 professional theatres. each teacher director involves recieves a full-day directors workshop, run for the first time this year by the National Theatre Discovery program. each cast recieves a workshop run by the National Theatre of Great Britian.

Relationship between staff and PUPIL

The students at Stanley Park are all very loveable and very talented and i have noticed the strong bomds and relationships drama has brought into the classrooms. They have a very open and friendly relationship with Pete. I have increasingly noticed how they buy him presents and give him a hug in lesson. I spoke to Pete about it and he said the students have done that since he became a drama teacher, Pete is a former science teacher, the school didi nit o drama so Pete was on a trail basis to save drama, the children all love pete and love drama. To begin with i was uncomfortable about the students hugging me as they started showing me the same affection as they do Pete, often giving me a hug. However i have since become used to the relationship and friendlyness within the classroom. I think it is a good thing to have a happy and welcoming mood to work in as this will encourage the students to work better.

Many students work closely with Pete, for their work experience at the Poker Theatre. Pete preforms alot on stage and has a company of which several of the students have joined since his performnce of Around The World In 80 Days.

starting At Stanley Park High School

To start with i was really scared how the students would react to me, as i remember hating new people coming in to teach when i was in high/sixth form. maybe because we was nearly the same age as the teachers. However i had nothing to worry about as the students were all very nice and welcoming to me.

From 3.30-5pm i run workshops for yr7.8 and 9, who are performing Skellig by David Almond at the end of term to parents and friends. I watched what they had done so far then went around and helped small groups. As the students rehersed i spoke with Pete, the drama teacher in charge. Pete old me a little bit about each student. one girl called Jess hated school dueto being bullied. Dramam was her only way of expressing herself and made her happy.

At 5-7pm i run workshops for year 10, who are rehearsing for The Shakespeare School Festival held in Fairfeild hall, croyden this october. We focused on voice games which reminded me of A Comdey Of Errors rehearsal in second year. They showed me what they had done so far, and i was really impressed with how well they read Shakespear and how talented they were. Myself a Pete gave feedback after each scene which was vital to the progression if the scenes.

Parkside Project

St Pauls community centre runs alot of community projects which is valued within the estaes community. the Parkside Community Project runs parenting workshops, which enabled both future, new and existing parents to meet and share with other parents. the workshop aim is to help find soultions to problems and share and help each other. this is held evry friday morning.

The Parkside Project also runs a scheme called the Befriending scheme, which I think is a valuable and extremely benificial scheme. The scheme consist of a group of volunteers who visit older people in their homes for a chat, cup ot teas, walks, but most importantly roviding company for the elderly people within the community.

The commmunity centre also holds community events every month, which enabled people to met and feel safer in the neighbourhood. They provide a playgroup, youth club and a table tennis club. During the day they provide for the elderly and young and of a evening run youth clubs for the estate teenagers.

I have joined the Befriending scheme as i think its a really constructive scheme and i spend alot of time at St Pauls community centre training with my dance coach. therfore i see and have become friends with the people on the estate. The volunteers consisit of a variety of ages which is nice, especially as two of the volunteers are two boys from the youth club. I wish thay had a scheme like this in my community.

Sunday 1 March 2009

First Day

Wednesday 25th Feb 2009

Today I completed my first three and a half hours of community work and I really loved it.To start wuth I was really scared how the students would react to someone new coming into their classes, as I rememeber always hating the people who came in to our dramam club back in high school as sixth form, partly because we were nearly the same age. However I had nothing to worry about as the students were very welcoming of me. At 3.30pm I helped run the drama club for year 7 and 8's. They are rehersing for a play by David Almond. To begin with I watched what they had done so far, which to be honest was not much. I then went around the group as they were split into small working groups and given 20 mins to learn a small section of script and perform it to each other. I was really impressed how well they acted considering the amount of time they had. As they rehersed I spoke with the Drama teacher, Pete. He told me a little bit about each students, there was one girl called Jess who hated school due to being builled, and that she only would attend Drama classes. I thought it was really intreasting that drmam was the only subject she felt confident in, maybe because she cuold hde behind dirrent characters as she acted. Then at 5pm untill 7pm I helped with year 9 and 10's, rehering fir the Shakespeare Festival, of which they are doing A Midsummers Dream. To start with they focused on voice games inorder to warm up, which reminded me of rehersals for A Comdey Of Errors, as we played similar games. They then showed me a scnen they had been working on. then in a circle each pupile had to say something they thought worked or did not work. This was a vital ellemnt of the club as everyone worked together on each scene.

I really enjoyed my first few hour and I am looking forward to next week to she the progess of the work. I attend the school evevry Wednesday for three and a half hours.

Shakespeare Festivial

My Role

For my placement I am attending an after school club at a locial high school. From 3.30pm untill 5pm I will be working with year 7 and 8, Then from 5pm untill 7pm working with year 9 and 10 on the Shakespeare School Festivial which will be shown at Fairfeild Hall in Croyden, in October of this year. My role is to help with the rehersal process, directing some scenen , as well as helping with any costume/poster design.

Friday 20 February 2009

American Drama

American Theatre

For this semister I am doing American Theatre, We as a class are looking into American Immigratation and common trends within the United States. I done some research into Amercian culture looking at social and political views. There community seems completetly different to ours, seemingly on a l;arger scale, yet it does not appear as close. I was intreasted how different places hold differnces in communities and values and meanings towards the idea of communities of people both alike and different to one another.

Sunday 15 February 2009

I love to DANCE...

Dancing.

my dance partner (Lee) and myself have been asked to do another demonstration during the half term for a carers home in my area. They run event days for the people who live there. All of the people at this articular home have to be over the age of 55 years old, and many don't get out much, In 2006 they built a community hall wherby the residents can use, originally they had just a tv in there. However since them it is frequently used to hold cake sales, fates, bingo, film events. we was approached by the onsite warden,Mary, who asked if we could do a selection of Ballroom and Latin American dances during the afternoon.

Placement

Placement...

Originally I was going to work along side Emily, however we found it hard to find a placement willing for us to work for 40 hours. Therfore we decided to split up as was more easier to find a placement for 20 hours. I contacted many places and was lucky enough to have several replies.
I wanted a challange and decided to work with older children, such as a yourth group or high school, in the end I decided to pick a locial high school within my commnuity.

I am attending a locial High school, running a after school club for year 7-9, and staright after that working with year 11 students, who are rehersing for the Shakespeare festival.
I am starting my hours after the half term, originally I was only going to do 20 hours there however the teacher in charge has asked me if i would like to help out in after school activities gaining more experience and confidence within my role.

I am really looking forward to this project, I have visited the school and had many chats with the teacher in charge about possible ideas for the production.

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Ian Cook

Meeting Ian Cook
Tuesday 20th January 2009

This evening I went dancing in Wimbledon/Putney where I train, my mum came along to watch us tonight. As we left the building a man in his late 30s approached us, and said “My car has broke down, any chance you have a pound?”

Straight away my mum said no as I reached for my purse, he said ok and walked off. The area we dance in, is a rough estate which attracts a lot of youth and alcoholics and drugs. Which I think is shame because he could have been genuine but the area has such a name for its self, that it is hard not to think otherwise. My mum and my dance partner said he was just after money for drink. As we drove off I could not stop thinking about him, I thought even if it was for drink, he must be very desperate to ask for a pound. I could not just drive away so I begged Lee and my mum to turn around and look for him. My mum and lee no me better then anyone and no what I am like. So we drove around for about 5 mins, then I spotted him asking someone else. I said excuse me and he looked really puzzled. I said I feel really bad that we said no, and I want you to take this money, all I had was £3.oo on me, and he looked at me and said “No one has ever done that for me?” And he asked my name and kissed my hand. He told me something I thought was really sad, he said he asked two people and they looked at him like dirt, and one man laughed at him. I thought how rude and horrible that is to treat him like that, ok, he most probably does want it for drink but he was desperate and I think that a little bit of help from a genuine person goes a long way. That £3.00 was just in bottom of my purse,. He told us how he had broke down, which to be honest I do not believe but I felt better in myself for going back and looking for him. I was really taken back to his reaction, he seemed really surprised and touched. He kept saying how no one has ever done that before, which actually made me feel sad for him. He said he was 43 years old, called Ian Cook, a painter a decorator, he was brought up on Wimbledon Common with his father, worked all his life. He asked our manes, kissed me and mum on the hand and said that he would never forget what I done. I was really touched and even my mum and lee said they were pleased we went back.

Community Work

Extra Ideas for Community Based Work

Around my area there is not much available for both the youth and older people to do. From doing a few dance demonstration for different events it has made me realise how my community lacks in social and community based things to do. I would like to be able to provide something for my community, such as afternoons with the elderly or workshops with the youth. I danced for a group of elderly people at my Nan’s church and they really enjoyed it and said that it was nice to know that people of my age are doing something for the older generatation Originally I wanted to go into a school and run a workshop, however I am now thinking of maybe putting on small dance performance for different venues in my area, particularly schools and old peoples homes.

DANCING for others

Dance Demonstration

For those of you who don’t know I am a Latin American dancer. I compete as Pre-champion/amateur dancer at a nation level. Last year I came second in the country at Blackpool. I have been competing for a couple of years and go to a private coach twice a week. I have been asked to do a demonstration for a community event in December 2008. My dancer partner, lee and myself are very keen on doing events like this. We are currently attending community halls, old peoples homes, churches and venues and performing in the spaces. We are doing it a both a experiences and the enjoyment of helping and providing the community with something, of which we do not ask for money or funds. So far we have done four demonstrations, I have noticed that the elderly are particularly grateful as around my area there is alot of homes, which sadly does not cater for entertainment for the elderly.

Fiona and Mary

The best lesson with Mary and Fiona

Mary is 74 years old and was born in 1934, Fiona was 59 years old and born in 1949. Both Mary and Fiona had really interesting lives and told there stories which so much passion. I think they thought that they was boring us but I think I speak for the whole class when I say they engaged and captured the whole class with their stories and memories.
We went around in a circle and introduced ourselves, I noticed that when I said “hello my name is Flick” they asked “What does that stand for? Felicity?” which I find every elderly person does, they are not familiar with nicknames or arbitrations.

The group asked some question to encourage them to talk. Such as “What was you doing around our age of 20/21?”

Mary worked for Scottish Widow which she stated is now a coffee bar, she recalled that the city at that time was a very interesting place to be, (1952)men wore suits and hats and walked with umbrellas. Mary talked about the old King dieing and there being no TV, so the family gathered around the radio to hear the news about the king. Mary also talked about the Royal exchange, watching the test match, she recall it was like a big cricket switch board which people all gathered around. Her mother had died in west ;London and she lived with her father in Fulham.

Fiona also lived in Fulham, she said had a very boring job and wanted to get away so she went to America (Washington State) with a friend. She said that the American people had never heard English people as they never went there. Fiona said that the Americans never went outside where they lived, they never used public transport such as the bus. Fiona talked about post Vietnam war and northern Ireland, at the end she said it was a holiday of a life time.

We then started to look at the props and costumes that Tina had brought in. Mary picked up the 1950’s dress and talked about petit -coats and how light and pretty they were. Recalling fond me memories of making the dresses, and passing them down to her daughter in her teens. Mary talked about visiting the costume museum and seeing one of her dresses in display cabinet and made her feel old. Mary then talked about how the dresses where free and made her feel like a woman, she lastly said that this memory made her feel very youthful again and brought fond memories back.

Mary then picked up a string vest and talked about how unseen it was that her father used to take his shirt off and reveal his string vest. Then the mood changed and she talked about cancer, talking about how in them days people were unaware of cancer and used to get sun burnt through the tops and skin cancer was evident, people got skin cancer but there was no advice or information about it then. In them days people were unaware that smoking was harmful as well, everyone smoked.

Memorable Events

Fiona at the age of 17 went to a Beetles concert, she paid for it from her first job wages. They played at Hammersmith Odeon which is now Hammersmith Apollo. She recall the traffic was so bad as everyone was going to the concert Fiona told us how she remembers standing on the seat and screaming non-stop throughout the concert that she actually could not even hear them. She made a point that they stood on the seats, which in 1967 was unheard off but everyone did. Fiona talked about her passion for music stating “Music was my thing“. Fiona said that Pink Floyd actually played at St. Mary’s University and she came along to watch them.
Mary then followed on and talked about Glastonbury, and about her daughter coming back home with loads of friends, referring to them as the League of Nations as they were all of difference in ethics. She talked fondly about her toilet, that they thought it was like a place compared to wheat they had been using.


Mary talked about Waterloo Station with such love and passion, for her 70th birthday her son meet her under the clock. The reason she has close memories was due to the time she spent at the station during the war, travelling back and fourth. She said “I could write my life around Waterloo Station.”
Memories of FIRST love


Mary told us that her first love was when she was 14 years old, she used to go and play tennis and there was some boys there who used to joke around with her and her friend, The boy used to carry her racket home for her. They developed a close friendship but he had to go away or the Nation Service, she recalls being heat broken. However in 1957 they married and lived together for a year and decided the could not stand each other and in 1964 divorced. The story was told in a very funny manner and the class found her delivery very funny.

Fiona told us about meeting a man in Piccadilly circus, she danced with a man, he feel over and she helped him up. Her friends up and left her and she recall them saying “he looks trust worthy” and they left. She told us a very funny story about his watch, that he had a really big and new watch that she assumed was for a 18th birthday, as in them days a watch was a traditional 18th birthday present, Fiona was 21 and in those days you went out with people of the same age. Anyway he was 22 years old, at the end of the night he said he would talk her home by car, Fiona recalls walking down Regent Street looking for his car as he forgot where it was parked. They dated for 3 years and married. Fiona celebrated her 33 year anniversary in 2008. Which I thought was a really lovely story.

RE-CREATING Fiona’s Story

We got into group and began to devise, the aim was to re-tell either Mary’s or Fiona’s stories. We decided to re-tell Fiona’s story about meeting her first love. I played Fiona, during the lesson I noticed she kept looking at a black and white dress, so I wore the 1960’s dress. We re-crated the club scene and her friends leaving her and looking for the car. We stuck as closely to the story as we could, even adding dancing around the handbags and false eye lashers. We downloaded the beetles and played it whilst performing.

Feedback
Fiona a and Mary came back and where seated ready to watch the performances. After all the performances they talked about them. They both said they really enjoyed watching what we got from there stories and that they brought back fond and vivid me memories of the past. Fiona said that she was surprised how much we managed to pick up about her and the memory from just by what she aid.
I really enjoyed this lesson and it has made me re-think my placement, originally I wanted to work with teenagers in a school but this had really made me consider working with the older generation for a community based project.


Reminiscence Theatre lesson - Preparation Lesson

We begin preparation for the arrival of our two guests, who are coming to talk and re-call past memories. Tina is going to bring a variety of props and costumes in to the lesson, therefore to encourage the guest to remember and talk about icon moments to them. The costumes will also aid as a mental stimulus which will help our guests to recall past memories. Once they have talked about the past and we have asked questions Mark, Molly and Tina will then take them off somewhere for a drink or tour of the university, and we will have half an hour to try and re-create and perform their past memories and perform them to them. I am really looking forward to doing this exercise, however I am slightly nervous about taking there stories and re-creating them. The most daunting part is that we will be performing them back to them. However I am looking forward to see what they think and feel towards our interpretation of the stories.

Questions to ask our Visiters

20/11/08

Two visiters are coming into our lesson, Mark suggested to prepare some questions to ask them and to research a little bit about past eras, so that we each have something to talk about. I begain writting basic questions down, such as When was you born? or Where was you born? I then started to narrow the questions down, such as What is your earlist memory? or what was the most memorible time in your life si far? First boyfreinds? and the questions seemed to flow more naturally.

I am looking forward to the lesson, I think this will most probally be my favourie lesson. I love listening to peoples ways of life and listening to the differences thay have experienced, compared to myself.