Week Two

This week we had our first workshop with Professor Lewis. We started off class by splitting into groups and being given 15 minutes to come up with an innovative way for the class to learn our group’s names rather than using the typical “name game”. I found that our group came up with a lot of good ideas, but we struggled when it came to deciding on which route we should go. I think the reason that we struggled so much was because the directions were so undefined that none of us really knew what the boundaries were and what was expected of us. I also believe that our group didn’t have clear leadership which made it harder because no one really was stepping up and taking the lead. Our activity was called “Action Name Game” where each member of our group said their name, did an action of an activity that they liked and that also began with the first letter of their name, and made a relating sound effect to that activity. Once our entire group had presented themselves, we tested the class by pointing to a group member and making the class do the action and sound of that member. It was a contest between the class to see who could remember that person’s action, sound effect, and name first. The activities of the other groups were “Name Hangman”, “Human Knot” and “Name Game Boogie”. From this activity I learned that in the future we may have to plan an activity on the spot, and whether or not everyone agrees, you have to stick with it and make the best of it. This activity also taught me that you don’t always have to think outside the box, but can use a game that many know-such as the “human knot”-and simply modify it to fit your goal.

After all the groups presented, we sat down and graded our own group along with the other groups. It was great to hear other groups’ feedback because it helped me understand the many different ways that people learn. It also allowed me to see what some of the thought processes were that made the other groups choose to do the activity that they did. I think that all of the groups came away from this discussion with some valuable feedback.

The second activity that we were introduced to was the many different ways that tape can be used as an art form. I had never heard of this before but think it is a really great way for groups to work together and create something that has meaning to them. In class, each group got to practice making things with tape and plan the type of model they were going to make next week for the theme “The Great Outdoors”. This activity is definitely something that I could use in the future depending on which population I am working with. I am excited to see what each group creates next week! 

This week I learned that I should push myself to step up and be a leader more often. I feel I am a good leader, but I don’t like to step on others toes or have them feel threatened by me. When our group was struggling with choosing an idea as well as running short on time, I should have tried harder to get us to pick our activity sooner so that we would have had more time to perfect it. I believe our activity could have been much better and our group would have felt more confident in it had I stepped up. This week my way of “striving for excellence” was to be a beneficial team member and to work towards getting to know my group better. I think it is very important for me to know my group members as our group is going to be working with each other a lot throughout this semester. I find it hard to lead class sessions if your group is unfamiliar with each other and doesn’t get along. I look forward to getting to know more about each of my group members throughout the semester!