Monday, September 4, 2017

Prep for the Occassion....

There are plenty of things I remember from my general education courses at Ball State University, and plenty of information that has been filtered out of memory at this point in my life. I do remember, however, my Theatre History professor preparing us for our assignment one day (which was to go to an Off-Broadway show on campus) and he concluded the lecture with, "Dress Up. Go to Dinner...not at a place with a dollar menu. Spend time fixing your hair for the show. Why? Because you can always walk in and sit down at a show to see the show. But, taking the time to prepare for the show and making an evening out of it ...THAT'S what makes it a memorable experience."

At the time, I'm sure I questioned this professor's logic to a degree, but I would take any opportunity to get off campus for dinner as I could, SO my friends and I dressed up, had a nice dinner, saw the show and had everyone over afterwards for some quality time around the firepit. I remember that evening like it was yesterday (I wore a black dress, we had dinner at Johnny Carino's Italian restaurant, saw Cabaret, had s'mores and adult beverages while trying to figure out what we just witnessed on stage). I've seen plenty other shows on stage, movies in theatres and been on dates that were more planned/put together than others, and the events that resonate so vividly in my memory are those which came with just a little extra effort. So maybe there really was something to my professor's theory!!!

Think about the students in your class. You want them to prepare for presentation day, yes? Well, how are you supporting them in making this is a special occasion, and not just another "stand up and share something in front of the class" experience that they are part of every day? How about trying some of these...

  • Rearrange your classroom to create a different look/feel for presentation day
  • Find another place in the school (or even a place off site perhaps) to allow students to present in a different location than the classroom they learn and collaborate in each day 
  • Arrange for students to share their knowledge with an outside audience member (physically bring them in, or go to them, or communicate electronically) during their presentation that would care about how they've applied their knowledge (I know YOU care about how they apply their learning, and the other students do too, but wait until you see the difference by bringing in an outside expert too. The way students operate with a level of urgency that rivals every other day is simply beautiful.)
  • Message that the presentation day is a chance to go beyond showcasing their learning but an opportunity to inspire others with the way(s) they've applied their knowledge and thinking..... MAKE IT WORTH DRESSING UP FOR!!! 
Think about yourself in your next upcoming staff meeting or staff PD. You walk in that room every time hoping it's not a waste of your time, right? Well... are you treating this as a special occasion in your daily work routine or waiting for the "actors on stage" to do all the memory making for you? How about trying these....
  • Take 5min before walking into the meeting to "turn off" the noise of the day or week leading up to that point. Use that 5 min to name ONE thing that you hope to get out of the experience. (And consider stating that to the facilitator too!)
  • Keep a special notebook or Google Folder dedicated just to your learning from staff meetings and PD conversations... use it as a running log of the knowledge you're exposed to & thoughts it leaves you wrestling with
  • Sit next to someone different than you usually sit with. (We don't want this to feel like your lunch time...we're going for a special environment here!) Choose to sit by folks who you don't always agree with as a way to push your thinking (and make note of how it's being challenged in your notebook)
  • For those of you facilitating the meetings and PD sessions: Design the time so that this is a chance to go beyond sharing information you probably could've sent in an email! Create a space for new learning, challenged thinking and conversation among those in attendance... MAKE IT WORTH DRESSING UP FOR!!! 
You get the idea....put in a little extra effort. I promise it will make more of a lasting impact than going with the regular flow. 


Peace, love, and fancy pants,

Sarah



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