The World is Watching!

3 Comments

Comment by Skip Zilla on December 8, 2007 at 6:07pm

Paul,

As long as there has ever existed a dynamic at play between performers and audiences, performers have been motivated quite self-consciously to work at improving the reception of their performances. You kids are taking themselves seriously as performers; they're motivated to evaluate themselves as "good" at what they're attempting to do so that their audiences will value that good in them, too. What a wonderfully positive way to draw out the personal and collaborative energies of these kids into work that in its creation benefits them and in its performance benefits their audiences as well.

Your own work in facilitating this learning and doing for your kids, while personally exhausting and possibly not in the end going to receive the recognition it deserves, is inspiring. Thanks for bringing it our attention.

Comment by Sue P on January 1, 2008 at 3:05pm

I can relate to everything you have said here, as well as the need for the nap! I launched my own site this year and I have similar experiences. I think it is a good lesson for all of us ( teachers and students) as we will be critiqued by others for the rest of our lives. That is part of life in all relationships! Some more public than others, but the goal is to achieve excellence. We do it because it is the right thing to do! The rest... we cannot control. I just do the best I can, keep an open mind, and try not to worry about the rest. Yes, they are out there...

Keep up the good fight! :)

Comment by Helen Otway on January 1, 2008 at 9:49pm

Hi Paul,

I also relate to what you are saying. Each year I like to provide my class with opportunities to tell a story or debate an issue through claymation. Each time we have had an audience, either other classes at school or parents, or both.

A couple of years ago (2005) my Grade 6 class were part of the 'Re@ct' film festival which meant that they would have a larger audience. Well, the thought of having other schools watching meant that they wanted to up the ante. This meant that hours and hours were spent on scripting, filming and editing. We even went into school on a weekend so as to meet our deadlines.

When the film festival night arrived, my students were pumped. They were so excitied and keen to share their movie. They took video cameras with them and a microphone and created a behind the scenes look at the film festival. They interviewed people and got feedback from the audience. All this was captured on their 'documentary' of the film night.

Later that year we were lucky enough to secure a profesional animator to work with us on a community project for the Commonwealth Games in 2006. We created a 4 minute claymation about sportsmanship called 'Reportable'. As it turned out the movie was screened as a preliminary to the Commonwealth Games in our local area, and is currently touring the world in The Little Big Shots film festival. It was even shown at the Melbourne International Animation Festival last year.

This sort of public viewing gave my students such acknowledgment for their work that otherwise they would not have achieved.

Great work Paul. Your kids will benefit heaps from the experiences you allow them.

Helen

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