Reflections on Deconstructing Disney

A Penny for Your Thoughts...

Reflections in Response to

Deconstructing Disney

This reflection is a way for you to look at your interpretation and compositions of Disney texts and the Disney Corporation, before and after the unit. This reflection is broken into two parts. You may choose to do Part I or Part II today in class. The other part is your homework.

Please remember: Use your pseudonym on all materials. You need to post both Part I and Part II on your personal Google website.

In Part I, you will write in response to a series of prompts. You should write in multiple paragraphs. You should organize your writing so it flows in a way that’s meaningful to you. You do not have to answer every question, and you do not have to answer questions in the order provided. Rather, answer questions that speak to you as a literate learner. Describe using rich detail.

In Part II, you will create a representation of the thinking process around your co-teaching lesson using Google Drawing.

PART I of two parts: Think and write self-reflectively

Examining our own myths

In “Deconstructing Cinderella - Helping Students Explore Their Personal Myths,” Tim Newfields states, “There is compelling evidence to suggest that myths are vehicles for instilling core cultural values and defining complex variables such as gender, power, and notions of right.” Now that you’ve completed a personal study of a Disney text, how does Disney create myths?

Deconstruction

“Deconstruction” is a process of critical exploration. It is a process of systematically taking ideas apart. What was it like for you to deconstruct Disney? How fully did you answer the “Questions for Deconstructing Disney” that were posted at the top of the Unit Three page of the class website?

The Disney text itself

What was the theme of the film you interrogated? What was the argument that you decided upon and which formed the core of your project? How did you come up with that argument statement? Looking back, would you change your argument? Why or why not?

Disney Terms-to-Know

Near the beginning of the unit, we shared our definitions of terms specific to deconstructing Disney. Afterward, Dr. Carolyn created a Quizlet of these terms for your reference. How well did you come to incorporate these terms into your Disney film deconstruction? Which terms now have personal meaning for you?

Disney project design in general

If you had an opportunity to redesign your Disney project, what would you do differently? How well did you rise up above personal responses and plot explanations to the more sophisticated levels of incorporating the Disney Terms-to-Know and Theoretical Questioning?

Multimodality

How did you choose and how well did you incorporate your visual, video, audio, and digital texts? What particular meanings did these texts have for you? In what ways, if any, do these texts reflect your identity? How well did the different modalities support your argument and further enhance your peers’ understanding? What will you do in the future to use multimodality to deepen essential messages within your presentations?

Public speaking leadership

How did you prepare for the oral presentation? When you have an opportunity to lead a small group again, what will you do differently? When you are required to do a longer presentation by yourself for a class, how will you do so? What strengths and challenges do you have as a public speaker?

Viewing students’ presentations

After seeing other students’ presentations, what ideas did you get? What did you learn by listening to your peers argue about Disney? If you had a chance to incorporate some of your peers’ ideas, which ones would you bring in? Why?

Comment on any of comments.

Think back to any of observational notes that you received as students listened to your presentation. What additional memories, ideas, personal recollections, corrections, or your own observations might you add? (This is called “fact checking” and is an important component of qualitative data collection.)

Social and cultural constructs

This unit on Deconstructing Disney was designed to help you and other students to explore the relationship among society, culture, identity, and myth. How deeply did you explore the relationship among society, culture, identity, and myth from the beginning to the end of this unit? Are there any spaces in which you now wished you were more engaged? If there was a particular shift in your understanding of these constructs, when did that occur, and what triggered it?

Looking at yourself as a literate learner

How was this assignment different than those you had in previous years of English? What are your goals as a learner this year in English class? On what areas of new learning do you plan to focus? How will you prepare to participate in class in future learning events as a full and rich learner? How are these goals different from the goals you set for yourself in other school years?

PART II of two parts: Create a visual to explain your thinking

Draw some diagram, flow chart, or schematic to explain your planning and implementation. How do you envision the different components of your project?

The individual components

What components did you incorporate into your Disney project?

Ø theory

Ø required content

Ø multimodal opportunities

Ø intertextual links

Ø Disney Terms-to-Know

Ø Understanding your audience

Ø Others…

Relationships

How do these components relate to each other?

Accomplishments and potential for growth

What areas represent your greatest successes? Which areas present opportunities for future growth?