Week 4 Term 1 - Preparing for Close Viewing (Level 3 English - 91480)

PREPARATION

the action or process of preparing or being prepared for use or consideration

When I am chairing a meeting, I am the type person who needs to write all my questions, discussion points and possible responses that I may get. I like to go into a meeting prepared knowing what I am going to say and anything else that may arise. This type preparation can be draining but it is rewarding because I feel equipped for what I am going to cover. I have spoken before about the importance of being proactive rather reactive when it comes to the pastoral and academic care for my students. 

The first assessment on the calendar for my Level 3 English class is 91480 - Close Viewing. In preparation for this assessment I have tried a different approach. The premise of this assessment is close viewing of a visual text with a focus on the student responding critically and perceptively to the significant aspects of the film (film techniques). As mentioned in an earlier post, my Segway into Close Viewing is through Close Reading. The purpose of this is to hone in on the skill of 'close reading' - the skill being the ability of unpacking a text by: 

1) Identifying the key techniques (language or film techniques) used by the writer/director in the text (written or visual). 

2) Understand both the purpose of the technique, the effect of the technique and how the technique influences the overall text. 

3) WIDER CONTEXT - Understand and identify the writer or director's purpose in using this technique. 

4) WIDER CONTEXT - Understand and identify how these techniques work together to create meaning. 

5) WIDER CONTEXT - Understand and identify how these techniques highlight who the target audience is. 

6) WIDER CONTEXT - Understand and connect the text, the techniques used and the writer/director's purpose to the student's own personal experience or to society. 

The purpose of starting with a close reading of a written text, considering that the assessment is centered around the close viewing of a visual text, is to highlight that skill of 'unpacking a text' is transferrable. Regardless if the text is written or visual, the skill in knowing how to identify the key techniques used and how they work in a text is vital. 

PRACTISE

perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to acquire, improve or maintain proficiency in it.

As with close reading, close viewing is a task that requires time and practice. The more you put in, the more you will understand and attain. Initially I would focus on the study of the film first when it comes to Close Viewing. There would be a specific focus on the development of character and major themes in the film. The actual practice of close viewing would be something that I would leave at the end of the film study. By doing this, the results of the close viewing highlighted that the knowledge of the film was sufficient but the skill in close viewing was lacking. We start this phase with revisiting the important film techniques that they need to know (Film Technique Document)

This time around I have focused on the task of close viewing. This week I will be providing different close viewing tasks centered around the same focus questions. 

1) How does the director develop character in this scene?

2) How does the director develop conflict in this scene?

3) How does the director develop tone in this scene?

The questions require the students to think about 'HOW the director develops a, b and c' - The HOW in the questions require the students to think about the elements the director uses (film techniques). Encouraging the student to unpack the text as opposed to proving a recount of the text. The questions mirror the type of questions that the students could get in an Unfamiliar Text exam paper. The visual texts linked in the assessment are also unfamiliar in that they are texts that we do not cover in class. Again mirroring the nature of the Unfamiliar Text exam paper. 

Below is an example of close viewing prac that I am currently covering with my students. 

We are looking at the opening scene from Ron Howard's 'A Beautiful Mind'. Attached is the close viewing analysis document that accompanies the scene. The purpose analysis is to give the students a scaffolded framework for the students. The scaffold framework is broken into 5 parts. These 5 parts are specific to how the assessment is designed. They are: 

1) Describe the scene 

2) Identify the key techniques used in the scene

3) Link to the question

4) Target audience

5) Director's purpose + connecting to personal experience/society

Opening Scene Close Viewing Analysis Document

I look forward to reviewing this phase with my students. My ultimate goal for this phase of the preparation for the close viewing assessment is that I want my students to know how to unpack a visual text. I want them to feel confident and comfortable with this and I know that practice makes perfect! Stay tuned. 

Week 3 Term 1 - Again

Now I done felt a lot of pain

I done see a lot of things

From struggling and broken hearts to fancy cars

And even though my money change

I tried my best to stay the same

But you know with mo money, mo problems came

I have felt connected to music where the lyrics represent the artist's testimony. In a time where there is so much going on in the world, the quality of voices that we consume - from politics to music - can be at times questionable. Authenticity is rooted in the truth that one is grounded in and in music, I am attracted to the authenticity in the lyrical content of a song. Don't get me wrong, I have my fare share of mindless and at times lyric-less songs on Spotify - which I enjoy. But as I 'age' I find that my taste and preferences in what I listen too matures. Currently sitting at home, in a three day lockdown - the first thought I had once the lockdown was announced was 'here we go again'. The word 'again' is defined by 'returning to a previous position or condition'. For many people going through the motions of another lockdown can conjure up anxiety and panic. I was tempted to go to the supermarket once the announcement was released, yes, I panicked. This the reality of the times that we live in. We try our best to be 'calm' and 'kind' but there is a sense of desperation when restrictions on how we live are put into the picture. 

How does this connect to teaching and learning? Well I have been sitting on this verse for a bit, trying to think of how the notion of 'fancy cars' and 'mo money' aligns with that of a teacher or student. This is a bit of a stretch as I wouldn't necessarily associate 'money' with 'education' (HA!) However I have found a connection, in that all in education have been through the experience of lockdown before. It has been painful in that we are unable to have the physical interaction with our students. We have been there and we have done that, knowing that our practice and our influence can be transferred online. If we 'try to stay the same' - teaching to the timetable whilst in lockdown - the response from our learners can decrease. Stretch I know, but it gets better. 

If I had to do it all again

I wouldn't take away the rain

Cuz I know it made me who I am

If I had to do it all again

I've learnt so much from my mistakes

That's how I know He is watching me

One of the best things about teaching is the practice of reflect and review. Something that I did not too much as a beginning teacher (many moons ago) as I was trying to keep my head above water. I understand the importance of reviewing everything, it can be draining as I can focus on the grey areas and how I can fix them, often neglecting the achievements that I should appreciate. Going into lockdown again has been a shock but also the novelty of online learning - the newness and unknown - has somewhat softened. I know what does not work for myself and my learners and I have learnt from this. For me, as I reflect and review on my teaching career especially in a global pandemic, I have learnt that mistakes are necessary. Nothing is ever going to be perfect and there will always be issues with learning, in person and online, but it is these parts of the journey where we can learn so much, I know I have. I am more prepared with my online learning platform and I know what I want for my learners. Whether my learners engage is another thing in itself but it is OK. The well-being of myself, my colleagues and students is first and foremost. 

Nobody knows what life may bring
It might make you happy it might make you sad
Sometimes yeah but I know
There is a reason for everything
(But I know)
That is why I keep believing
Whatever is meant to be it's going to be

Once we find our feet in a challenging situation such as this, once we are comfortable, feel supported and have an idea on what we need to do, our well-being is nurtured. In the last 3 years I have learnt that at any moment your life can take a sudden left. In this I have found that there some things that I cannot control. What I do have control of is how I approach it, how I see it and how I choose to experience it. Being in lockdown can impose all types of stress on anyone mentally, physically and emotionally. But we do have a choice on how we want to experience. For some this choice will come easy as we are able to adapt and adjust. For others, it can be challenging. I have learnt a lot about myself while working from home. I have learnt what is most important for me in my job as a teacher, as a dean and as a colleague. I understand what I CAN do. I also understand I can impact my learners online just as much as I can if I was in person. I appreciate the response to the lockdown that my principal and the senior leadership team have encouraged for our school. That we are patient with the process and that we find a good balance between work and home life. I find that this response allows time for everyone, teacher and student, to breath and to find our feet. 

Week 2 Term 1 - The ART of CLOSE VIEWING

In recent years I have found myself becoming more critical around the quality of  my student's assessments for NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 English. Prior to this, I became accustomed to teaching to the assessment criteria with a focus on the text (novel and/or film) as the main driver for learning. As a result I found myself guiding my students through a program where their knowledge of the text was more sufficient than the skill on how to write a text (essay) and provide a critical analysis. 

This year one of my goals with my senior English classes (201ENG) and (301ENGLit) is to focus on the 'skill' on how to craft a text, how to express their critical opinion, how to identify the author or director's opinion and how to link this back to either their own experience, opinion or perception of society. Sounds ambitious? It is BUT I know that this is needed. I believe that focusing on the skill on 'how to' will have a positive impact on their learning. Skills can be transferable if used right, it can transform a student's experience in their learning journey. 

I have started to apply this approach with both of my senior English classes for their Close Viewing assessment. Here is a little part of the journey that my 301ENGLit class have taken so far in the first two weeks of Term 1. 

301ENGLit - Term 1 Assessment: Close Viewing Assessment (91480)

Respond critically to significant aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence.

This is an achievement standard for NCEA Level 3 English. The assessment criteria is as follows. 

Achievement: 

Respond critically to significant aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence.

Merit:

Respond critically and convincingly to significant aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence.

Excellence:

Respond critically and perceptively to significant aspects of visual and/oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence.

The key words from the marking criteria are critically, convincingly, significant, aspects and close reading. These terms indicate the level in which the student needs to respond in order to achieve the standard. 

Action: 

What am I going to do to help my students understand the skill involved in close viewing?

Usually I would start with a film study when we start this Close Viewing assessment. Sounds about right huh? This is true - in English, whether it is Junior or Senior English, we associate close viewing with film study. We watch a film, analyze specific scenes, discuss film techniques used in the scene and explain why we think that the director used and what is the overall effect and purpose. Yes, this is a typical and totally acceptable practice with Close Viewing. However I have found that this approach limits the potential for my students to close view and analyze critically, convincingly and unpacking what the significant aspects are in the film. 

I trialed this new approach last year and the results were great. This year I have decided to continue with this but build on it. To start off with: 

I have had a discussion around 'What is close viewing?' - I want to see what their understanding of close viewing is. In this discussion the students have shared what they think it is and what I have discovered is that they have associated film study with close viewing - which is good. In these discussions I have shared with the students that close viewing is more than just a film study, it is a skill. It is a skill that is focused on how we as a viewer can identify: 

• Film techniques - what are they, what is their particular affect in the scene/film, why did the director use it and what is significant about this technique - targeting the key terms from the marking criteria  'significant, aspects, close reading'
• Director's purpose - What is the director trying to show the audience in this scene or through the use of this technique? A focus on understanding other's perspective is an important discussion and topic that I am going to dive into - targeting the key term from the marking criteria 'convincingly'
• Target audience - Who is the target audience of the film or scene? How do we know this - what elements in this film give us an impression of who the target audience is? An understanding of 'target audience' is another topic that will incorporate in my teaching of close viewing. This is such an important part as it helps the students to understand the 'why' and 'who' with film study. It will also help them understand there perspective as a viewer - targeting the key term from the marking criteria 'critically'

Following this discussion the students undertake their first task. The task is a close reading activity. My students were confused at first as they thought that close viewing was something that we only did with film. This highlighted how conditioned they have become. It is not their fault. It is no one's fault. There is no blame in this for me, it only highlights our collective understanding on what is REALLY important with these assessments. Yes the credit achievement is the ultimate goal but HOW you achieve and WHAT you learn and gain from it as a result is most important for me. 

I explained to my students that close viewing/reading is a SKILL that we can use with any text - whether is close viewing/reading a novel, poem, film, conversation, relationship - it is about understanding how to unpack a text - anything - identifying the key elements that make up the text, identifying the purpose behind each element and the effect of these elements. The thing is that the SKILL on close reading/viewing is one that we can learn from and apply to anything. 

We start off by revisiting key elements in written text - see the document here - Language Features

This is a great exercise, it is an opportunity for students to revisit some of the staple language features used in all forms of written text (Emma Harris "On being lost for words"). We spent time discussing what they are (in length). From here we read through a prose and until recently just finished unpacking the text. We have done the following: 

• Read through the text three times
• Class discussion around - what is the text about, writer's perspective, underlying messages
• Identifying language features - what has been used? why do you think the writer used this particular language feature? how affective is this language feature?

What I am planning to do from here is discuss who the target audience is for this text - based on the writer's perspective and the language features used. This should be interesting. What I have found so far is that this new approach - whether this has a great impact on the final results for the actual assessment - I am enjoying the process. I think the students are to. I think that for the first time in a while, the process to learning and understanding the art and skill of close viewing is becoming the priority. The results will happen. For me it is HOW the students get there and what they GAIN in their learning which is more of a priority for me. It is a priority because I trust what I am doing. 

I believe that the ART of learning can often get lost in the machine that is NCEA. I believe that we as teachers have an opportunity to impact our learners in way that we probably were limited to in our days in secondary school. I look forward to seeing how this goes but for now, I am enjoying the journey. 

Term 1 Week 1 - What does 'good' look like?

Teachers can be really good at expressing their expectations on students that student can often become lost. For me personally, I am really good at telling students what I want, how I want it and when I want it done. My approach this year is to not change that completely as I believe that this is the type of structure that students, willingly or unwillingly desire. However I do want to incorporate more student voice into my teaching practice because I want to know what I can do to help the students more and how I can improve. 

GOOD

Having the required qualities; of a high standard

A good starting point for me is the question 'what does good look like?' Whatever the situation or circumstance, reflecting on what 'good practice' looks like is helpful in that it provides a measure to use to work towards. I met my Year 9 class yesterday and in our first meeting I went through the usual expectations that I have for them and the program that we are going to undertake this year. I expressed my goals for the class and what I want them to achieve in English. In my 12 years of teaching, this has always been the angle that I have taken with all of my classes. I understand now more than ever that teaching is all about relationships. Relationships are built on the concept of give and take, it is a two way street where partners should meet halfway. In the same light so is the relationship between the teacher and the student which prompted me to ask them the following question. I asked the students 'what does a good teacher look like?' Their responses were enlightening and a reminder that I need to them halfway too. Here are some of their responses. 

"A good teacher is helpful when I don't understand what is going on, they need to help"

I asked what does 'help' look like for me as their teacher. They were honest and said that they would like for me to make my instructions clearer and if they are not sure, that I explain it more than once. They also said that they want me to check in on them one on one as they are still shy. 

" Treat everyone the same. I don't like it when they treat kids better because they are brainer, it feels sad"

We spent a lot of our discussion going through this response. One student in particular was very brave and honest in sharing their experience of how they were treated unfairly because they were not doing as well as the others in his class at his previous school. This is a reality of many of our teachers and students and I do not think that there is anything malicious behind it. But it is something that I can even attest to, in that we can often find ourselves making examples of others for their achievement but this can impact those who are not doing well. The complex that it gives our students is very real and I appreciated this response in that it reminds me to be aware of my approach to my students. I do not want to water success and I made this clear, success should be celebrated and it can inspire others. 

" I think a good teacher is easy going. Not always stressed out, that makes us stressed out"

An important part in resolving an issue is to own your part of the problem. I can admit that I have projected my own stress onto students and in turn they are uncomfortable and unsettled. Again this was a good reminder for me in that I need to ensure that my student's well being is supported and projecting my stress is going to have a negative impact on them. 

" A good teacher is someone who is respectful - they know who we are and respect it"

Respect is a value that is very important. Knowing and understanding who your students is a game changer in that you are aware of your student's context. You can navigate your student better through their learning journey better the more you get to know them. Respect comes into play because there is an understanding of who they are and who you are. Another great gem from our discussion. 

" A good teacher is someone who is honest - they don't lie to us"

Integrity is an important value. The student's want me to be honest with them especially with feedback for their work. They want to know if they are failing too and in return advise them on how to improve. Again this was a great reminder to hear it from the students is more confirmation that they do not desire for innovative teaching but simple and effective teaching. 

" They give us the space if we need it, even we are angry and talk to us, not yell"

One of the students shared that they like to have space when they are upset and angry. They want to be able to have space to regroup and to talk about it in their time. I get it. As a dean I know that space and silence is just as effective as talking about the issue. It allows those concerned to reflect, to calm down and to be still. My response to this was that I appreciate it and I may need it too. 

I appreciated this conversation with my students. If building whanaungatanga and relationships is a essential element to our teaching practice, having honest and robust conversations is key to driving that. I look forward to learning more from my students and to seeing what 'good looks like' for them. Sometimes what we think is good is on a totally different page to our students. It is valuable to know their perspective.