Creative Process

What I learned about the creative process...

Throughout the past two semesters, I've learned a lot about what it means to teach and lead a class. Leading a workshop as someone who struggles a lot with anxiety around public speaking was definitely an experience that required a lot of trial and error. The CPSA 260 course was definitely insightful in that regard; getting to learn from the Arts Scholars program directors gave me a lot of direction that I was otherwise lacking. The most important part of teaching, I've found, is to engage with the students and promote interactivity. My first handful of classes was more lecture-style (which was sort of expected, due to the way I laid out my course syllabus), but after switching to activity based lessons, the workshop was far more successful. CPSA 260 specifically suggested the concept of changing the space from a regular classroom environment to something more flexible, promoting "active learning spaces". I implemented this by moving the desks around, allowing for group activities clustered around the whiteboards, round table discussions, and gave the students more opportunities to talk to each other face-to-face in a way that regular grid desk patterns couldn't. 

This workshop was incredibly daunting at first, but I'm glad I did it. I'm so incredibly proud of my students and what they've accomplished in one short semester-- they've made leaps and bounds in their animation ability. I learned a lot about leadership and interacting with others, and the schedule of weekly lessons kept me on track! I would definitely recommend leading a workshop to future Arts Scholars.