Two completely experiences, but both provided a unique set of skills that the other can not. Studying a myth was much more within my comfort zone, as breaking something down, looking at the content, and making it a collaborative effort are all things I’m used to within the school system. It’s how most of my favorite classrooms and lectures operate, as dissecting text from a culture you are not apart gives a new perspective, and being able to show and appreciate that culture within a group only enhances that experience. In comparison, creating a myth felt completely different, in a way that was out of what I’m used to. I do enjoy the creative process, but having to navigate through the site, making it out of AI, and just the overall execution was something I wasn’t too fond of. I enjoy the idea of what I created, as it sounded fun when I was making it, but the result isn’t something I’m proud of.
Within an academic field, these two kinds of projects are vastly different, and it’s important to understand how they operate since many students will have a preference, much like I did. As a teacher, I always want my students to feel like they have options, as how can I teach English without giving them different options based on their opinions? It’s something that teachers within our field should strive for. Another important lesson is keeping up with the times, as these students won’t like many of the old finished ways of teaching. Staying modern and fresh will keep my passion for teaching everlasting, and will also be a better teaching experience overall for my students.
Hi Sean!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely that the myth presentation and the myth creative project require different skills and approaches. I also had an easier time with the presentation, although I eventually got into a groove with the creative work. It's so hard to switch gears when I've been polishing only one skill for like, my entire college career.
I didn't think about how the presentation and project both help students (and us) better appreciate different cultures. That's very insightful. I think operating a classroom with that mindset is crucial -- keeping your worldview small will keep your students' worldview even smaller!
It's unfortunate that the creative project wasn't something you were proud of at the end of the day, but your takeaways seem valuable enough to make the whole process worth it. Just because one thing doesn't work out doesn't mean it was all for nothing, I think. :) I could be barking up the totally wrong tree here though! Lmk if you want to punch me in class two weeks from now or something (joking, of course).
Sean,
ReplyDeleteAs I, too, have completed creating my own myth, I understand where you are coming from about the difficulty of creating one rather than learning them. I, too, believe that reading and learning about myths is much easier because one is learning/reading something that has been created. However, you also mentioned that you enjoyed the creative process, and I agree. It was quite interesting to learn about them and to apply personal creative ideas that may have arisen during that.
I understand your perspective from your experience with this assignment, and that this is not something you feel strongly about. With that being said, you mentioned how you would like to teach something more modern, which, of course, is understandable. We are living in a time of profound technological and informational change. As myths being experienced and symbolic readings from centuries ago, I can see how you believe it will not be something appealing to students nowadays.