Recap: Mini-NESA

Last Wednesday, the students of ISOI started their Eid vacation and the staff headed to a day of professional development.

Mini-NESA is a trial run for individuals wanting to present workshops at the annual NESA conference (Bangkok, 2006). I presented "Brainstorming on Service-Learning" and helped with "Theatre: Improvisation."

First of all, I was both very happy and stressed to present at this event. I respect my profession, which entails growth throughout one's years. I enjoy contributing for the first time to the knowledge base of professions, but feel pressure to uphold standards in this tradition of professional development.

A dozen staff members came to my workshop on Brainstorming on Service-Learning. We discussed our views of the definition(s) of service-learning, and I proposed that we use a working definition of 1) academics, 2) service, and 3) reflection. Or,

• What curriculum standard(s) will you address?
• What need(s) in the community will you address?
• How will you assess the link between community service and academic learning?

We watched a video clip on service-learning, and then spent most of the time developing new ideas that can be utilized at ISOI in small groups (English and French, social studies, math and science), which presented their results to everyone at the conclusion.

I was pleased to see each small group applying the idea of service-learning to their curriculum fields. One group hammered out a service-learning plan in a few minutes - and all individuals saw a place for this approach to learning in their classroom.

My second feature of the day was my participation in Theater: Improvisation. Here, I played the role of Konstantin the border guard as directed by a fellow teacher, and workshop presenter.

My colleagues put it kindly when they said,

Congratulations Scott on your first performance on stage! It went as well as we could have hoped, with the limited amount of rehearsal time we had. You knew your lines well enough to get them all out and it still all made sense to the audience (even if they weren’t in order). I’ve been in only a few plays and this happens all the time.

and

Just wanted to say a big big thank you for helping me out last week.

I have had lots of positive feedback.

My thanks to the support of my director, fellow actors, and a former student who advised:

Usually when I'm trying to memorize lines, I practice while I'm moving- driving, walking or even dancing. This helps because you don't have a certain image in your head while you're trying to memorize your lines and it's easier to get on stage and move if you haven't praticed just staring at the paper or a wall ... Write down ten things you say about yourself and ten things others say about you. This helps you get an idea of the type of person you are and the "character" you usually portray in life as well as helping you step outside the box and become many different characters- or actually becoming the part.

I'll never pay the rent with acting, but it's fun. I need to branch out of my rigid persona.