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  • 1.  Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Posted 03-27-2022 09:50

    Hello Theatre Educators,

    I will be teaching an undergraduate Theatre Methods online course, Summer 2022 at Dixie State University. The course fulfills state requirements for a Theatre Methods course for state licensure. I taught the course last summer but want to update the module, "Almost Everything You Need to Know About Being a Theatre Teacher (that you didn't learn in your education classes)."

    This is what I have so far:

    • The ABC's of Being a Theatre Teacher
    • Working with Administrators
    • Working with Parents/Boosters
    • Establishing an ITS and Drama Club 
    • Fundraising
    • Theatre Budgets 
    • Theatre Teacher self-care and burnout

    What are your thoughts about this list of topics? Should I change anything or am I missing other important topics? I'd welcome your comments to help improve the module.

    Thanks for your support,

    Russ



    ------------------------------
    Russell Saxton
    Theatre Education
    UT
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Posted 03-28-2022 07:40
    Edited by Suzanne Katz 03-28-2022 07:41

    Hi, Russ.

    I'd consider some 'cross talk' between their education courses and your class. For instance, in some EDU course, they likely have been taught to create cooperative groups. Expand on that to address what that looks like in a theatre classroom or a rehearsal process. Similarly, somewhere in EDU classes, your students have been taught classroom management techniques. Address refining those specifically for a theatre classroom.  Finally, consider cross-talking what they learned about student brain development and how that impacts things like helping students memorize lines, visualize and internalize blocking, and even deal with the SEL elements of a theatre classroom. 

    -Be safe, be well, and be of good cheer,



    ------------------------------
    Suzanne Katz, Ed.D.
    Two Rivers PCS
    Washington, D.C.

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Posted 03-28-2022 23:54
      |   view attached
    Russell, please spend a bit of time on how to create rubrics with math that makes sense.  I worked with quite a few student teachers over the years, and most of them did not have a firm grasp on the math of fair grading when they came to me.  

    My grading policy stated that a student fulfilling the requirements of an assignment or activity would receive no less than a C, and all of my rubrics reflected that.  Like many teachers today, I gave assignment grades to equal 1000 points for each grading period.  Daily participation or rehearsal grades were 15 to 20 points, depending on the activity.  Major project grades were 50 to 100 points each. 

    Student teachers came in with ideas of how many points they wanted to give each assignment, but for a 15 point activity, their rubrics might read A = 15 pts.; B = 10 pts.; C = 5 pts.; D-F = 0.  On a 100 pt. scale, this is A = 100%; B = 67%; C = 33%; D-F = 0.

    I'm attaching a rubric I used for Theatre I participation grades, because I fear I have been as clear as mud.  





    ------------------------------
    CJ Breland
    Retired Theatre Arts Educator
    NC
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)

    docx
    Participation Rubric.docx   15 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Posted 03-29-2022 08:54
      |   view attached
    This is an excellent point.  It's taken me a long time to learn how to use rubrics (reasonably) well and they're a useful tool.  Several years ago, I decided to start doing my grading on an 8 point scale (0-7) and then convert that to percentages and letters by setting 7 at 100 and stepping down 5 points at a time from there (with a bigger bump down at 0).  What that does in practice is let me give a range of scoring options while the students still know that the top 5 of those 8 points are As or Bs.  This helps me manage the very real tension between my attempts to inculcate the idea that rehearsal (and theatre more broadly) is about failing creatively until you create something wonderful and the fact that their grades have real or perceived consequences for them in terms of college placement and parental relationships. 
    More recently, I've gone from a straight 0-7 rubric to a 4x3 grid.  So they get a score from 0-2 in each of four categories.  That results in a range from 0-8 instead of 0-7, so I just convert *both* 7s and 8s to 100s.  8s are rare.  
    I honestly don't know how much my students think about any of this.  But that's kind of the goal - to get the grade out of the way and make the verbal or written feedback the important thing. 
    I've attached my document with different rubrics I use in different situations, in case that's useful to anyone.

    ------------------------------
    Rob Kimbro
    Director of Fine Arts
    Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart
    TX
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)

    docx
    Rubrics for Theatre.docx   29 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Posted 03-29-2022 09:39
    Real-World Theatre Education was written specifically to prepare new theatre educators for the things that most Theatre Ed classes don't cover, things not required for certification but ready to smack you in the face once you start the actual job. Your list is a good start (and all those are included), but how about casting blowback, writing college recommendations, dealing with publishing houses, community resources (and conflicts)...oh, so much more. It tracks season by season for situations likely to come up then.

    It finishes up with an appendix of 26 templates that can be customized to save teachers time and sanity, everything from a questionnaire to find the best fit of school to sample curricula and play production contracts.  And it's spiced with many "Real World Moments," anecdotes that - yes- really happened along the way of the 60 years' experience of its two authors.

    Yesterday I spoke with Theatre Education students in Illinois who use this text (via Zoom), to answer their questions and share experiences. It was fun for me and useful for them. Get in touch if you'd like to do the same this summer. 
    Online talk to Theatre Education class
    BTW, Educational Stages also offers Teaching Tech You Never Learned and Theatre Safety Manual as eBooks.
    Most students will have to be "the expert" on everything! These can help!
    Let me know if you have any questions.

    ------------------------------
    Douglas "Chip" Rome
    Theatre Consultant
    Educational Stages
    Burke VA
    http://EducationalStages.com
    https://bit.ly/RWTEOview
    https://bit.ly/eTeachTech
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Posted 04-19-2022 23:02
    Edited by Russell Saxton 04-19-2022 23:03

    Original Message:
    Sent: 03-29-2022 09:38
    From: Douglas Rome
    Subject: Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Real-World Theatre Education was written specifically to prepare new theatre educators for the things that most Theatre Ed classes don't cover, things not required for certification but ready to smack you in the face once you start the actual job. Your list is a good start (and all those are included), but how about casting blowback, writing college recommendations, dealing with publishing houses, community resources (and conflicts)...oh, so much more. It tracks season by season for situations likely to come up then.

    It finishes up with an appendix of 26 templates that can be customized to save teachers time and sanity, everything from a questionnaire to find the best fit of school to sample curricula and play production contracts.  And it's spiced with many "Real World Moments," anecdotes that - yes- really happened along the way of the 60 years' experience of its two authors.

    Yesterday I spoke with Theatre Education students in Illinois who use this text (via Zoom), to answer their questions and share experiences. It was fun for me and useful for them. Get in touch if you'd like to do the same this summer. 
    Online talk to Theatre Education class
    BTW, Educational Stages also offers Teaching Tech You Never Learned and Theatre Safety Manual as eBooks.
    Most students will have to be "the expert" on everything! These can help!
    Let me know if you have any questions.

    ------------------------------
    Douglas "Chip" Rome
    Theatre Consultant
    Educational Stages
    Burke VA
    http://EducationalStages.com
    https://bit.ly/RWTEOview
    https://bit.ly/eTeachTech

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Undergraduate Theatre Methods Course Assistance

    Posted 04-19-2022 20:12
    Edited by Russell Saxton 04-19-2022 23:05
    Thank you all for your terrific suggestions on how to improve my Theatre Methods Course. I'm less than a month out from teaching the course (completely online via Canvas) and I will certainly include your brilliant suggestions. BTW Can anyone add links to texts you may have used when you took a theatre methods course? I use "Real-World Theatre" and "The High School Theatre Teacher's Survival Guide" as texts. 

    If anyone has additional thoughts on the original topic I'd appreciate your thoughts. 

    With gratitude,

    Russ

    ------------------------------
    Russell Saxton
    Theatre Education
    UT
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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