Program Evaluation

What did you ask students to evaluate their learning? What was your rubric for evaluating them?

Our questions are below, we did not create a rubric.

During the middle of the program and on our last day we sat in a circle and as a group reflected on these questions:

How did we work together to create a short devised theatrical event told through techno music?

How did we write techno songs with a beginning, middle and end?  What technology did we use to do this?

In what way did we share a story about our summer's using given circumstances (who, where, why, what and when)?

What happens when artists use their imaginations and/or learned skills while engaging in creative exploration and inquiry?  

How, when, and why did our artistic choices (both as storytellers and as musicians) change? 

How do we as artists transform and edit their initial ideas?

What responses did you receive from students via your evaluation?

At several different times throughout the summer, we circled up and reviewed the evaluation questions.  Formative answers and additional question varied weekly based on the group of students available for the day.  It should be noted that our attendance all summer was inconsistent.  At times we had almost 10 students, but by the last week and a half we were down to 4.  Two of the students were sisters from Afghanistan.  They did not speak much English, and could only understand, but not read their native language, Pashto.  Another student spoke predominantly Spanish, but was also happy to engage in practicing English.  Between Mr. J, myself and a translator application on an Ipad we were able to asses her understanding of the questions and insight into the learning experience.  This left us with one last student who did the majority of sharing and demonstration of her understanding of the evaluative questions.  With all of this in mind, some responses to the above questions are as follows:

• QUESTION: How did we work together to create a short devised theatrical event told through techno music?

  • ANSWERS: "We created a short play with different types of techno music."  "We gave ourselves DJ names, such as DJ Kit-Kat and DJ PashTWO, and then played techno music on Mr. J's machines."  "We performed the little play Mr. Landis wrote for us!"

• QUESTION:  How did we write techno songs with a beginning, middle and end?  What technology did we use to do this?

  • ANSWER: "Mr. J taught us about rhythm, tempo and beats, and when we played music on the machines, we would practice these ideas."  "First we did beats, then we recorded our voices, and we mixed those two things together.  Mr. J would also add sounds from his computer on the different pads on the machine that we could press and make music with, or we could decide to play songs on the small keyboard he had connected."  Nicoll, our Spanish speaker, brought in a song from Carmen the Opera that she wanted to learn on the keyboard, and Mr. J showed her how to play it along with a techno beat.

• QUESTION: In what way did we share a story about our summer's using given circumstances (who, where, why, what and when)?

  • See the inserted actions and dialogue from the script we created for the showcase.

    • (DJ -J-J-J and DJ LanDisco walk across the stage a la Vanna White holding a sign that says, “What have you done this summer?”  The Students that are lined up, pantomime [silent acting with no words] what they have done)

    • ZOLA: Mimes roasting marshmallows

    • Nicoll: Mimes eating ramen noodles

    • Henna: Mimes combing her hair

    • Hela: Mimes lifting weights

• QUESTION: What happens when artists use their imaginations and/or learned skills while engaging in creative exploration and inquiry?  

  • ANSWER: We created techno songs, collaborated on creating a script to use to rehearse for a showcase, we practiced pantomime,  drew pictures and used markers to make props and set pieces for the showcase as well.  We also created a paper puppet or doppelgänger of one of the students who was with us the whole time, save for the final week and showcase.

• QUESTION: How, when, and why did our artistic choices (both as storytellers and as musicians) change? And, How do we as artists transform and edit their initial ideas?

  • Each time the students played techno music with Mr. J they improvised and spontaneously created new songs, we created choreography for a "Chicago Footwork," part of the show and had to revise our dance moves during rehearsals.  Also, because so many students left the program we had to revise and edit the lines and actions in the script we created for the showcase.

Waters Students Make Fast Techno

Reflect: How do students' responses inform your understanding of student learning? How does it inform your teaching practice?

Overall, the students work in the showcase essentially informs us of their learning because it acted as our Summative Assessment.  Live, in the moment, and, or watching a recording recursively, it is easy to see the students understanding of the many evaluative questions we asked of them.  It is the performance which demonstrates the students understanding of techno music and storytelling.

Program Documentation

What activities did you work on with students? Write descriptions along with pictures and videos of student work

• Daily warm ups

• Jazz circles with a variety of percussive instruments

• Learned how to keep a tempo, rhythm, beat, pulse with Kalimbas

• Pantomime games

• Listened to all styles of techno music and danced to it

• Journaling about the beginning, middle and end of the summer

• Rehearsal with entrances, exits, lines of dialogue, pantomime and dance

• Created a backdrop for our showcase that was done as a mural with academic words we learned about over the summer

The Script: This is the devised theater script that we created with the students.