SPE-510 - Final Project (Creative Synthesis of Course Material)

SPE-510 Final Project - By R.Dobosz

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES: A TEN MINUTE ANIMATED FILM

The assignment to create an original synthesis of the course material inspired this final project. Professor Conklins choice to permit the project to take any form or format motivated me to seek out a new approach to presenting the course material. The Tools for Teaching textbook is presented in a very casual, accessible format and Dr. Fred Jones, himself, is an animated and humorous presenter. With this line of reasoning, the material from the course and the text easily translates into a humorous, light-hearted animated presentation. I personally found this approach to be pure genius!




Having never created an animation, of any length, before, the learning curve was steep and I found myself well out of my comfort zone. Producing the animation required a significant investment of time, creativity, and persistence, and in the end was incredibly rewarding. Similarly, teachers trying Tools for Teaching classroom management strategies for the first time may find the methods foreign and uncomfortably challenging, but in the end, effective and worthwhile.

Interestingly, while searching for audio to accompany the animation, I uncovered fantastic public domain films from the 1950s that address the very topic of classroom management. Some films are incredibly outdated and irrelevant for our time, but there are snippets of information embedded in these films that precisely align with the Tools for Teaching methods. These snippets made the research and animation project even more gratifying.

Throughout the production process, I reflected on how natural teachers simply perform the skills that Fred Jones teaches. They manage a classroom without much difficulty and are often unable to explain what they do to maintain a positive classroom environment. Their innate ability is enviable and rare to be sure. For those teachers who arent blessed with this instinctive gift, providing effective techniques and skills is critical to their success in the classroom. Greater success naturally results in retention of qualified and enthusiastic teachers, thereby benefiting the entire educational system.

As this assignment inspired a burst of creativity in me, so too could the Tools for Teaching inspire creativity in teachers. Through new and innovative teaching strategies designed to support the classroom environment, instructors could find themselves opening the floodgates of creativity and excitement for learning. I created this video so that teachers who might be struggling, but have no idea where to turn, will be inspired to seek out and use the Fred Jones Tools for Teaching methods. Trying something new is always challenging, but the significance of the outcome directly relates to the effort involved in the process of change.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Classroom
• Management
• Project
• 0001

[audiotrax2000]

The naïve editing has created a new art form.