(Moblogged on my phone) I’m Sitting at the Hartford Airport. My flight is slightly delayed, probably the standard Chicago afternoon delays. I’ll land there in a few hours, rent a car, and drive up to Fond du Lac, Wissconsin.
Tomorrow I speak at the WCON Online Learning Symposium. I’ll be talking about blogging and podcasting in a breakout session, followed by a keynote about contempory literacy.
Today was a great day of presenting and enjoying the wonderful Massachusetts hospitality. Last night, after the webinar, the folks at Discovery Educator Network invited me out to eat with several DEN employees and some DEN members, including some amazingly innovative secondary teachers.
I also had the added treat of eating with Kathy Schrock and Deneen Fraizer-Bowen. It made me even more sorry that I missed Deneen’s keynote. It was interesting listening to her talking about being an actor, and it got me to thinking about similarities between that profession and teaching. I’m not sure what those similarities are, but I am going to let that idea cook a little bit. More tomorrow. A long night ahead.
Hi David, I was at the MassCUE conference and enjoyed your keynote and literacy sessions. You are right about the similarities between acting and teaching! It is our duty and responsiblity to “perform” for our students. The entertainment factor has to shock and awe! Admittedly sometimes educators, myself included, get tired of being “on” all the time. It can be tiresome and exhausting, but oh, so rewarding.
Have a safe trip and thanks for the inspiration. I can’t wait to set my first class blog up!
Michelle Sylvia
Here’s an article on the very topic you raise regarding the relationships between acting and teaching:
http://www.teqjournal.org/backvols/2001/28_2/v28n203.pdf
There are also a couple of books I’m aware of on this topic:
Teaching as a Performing Art by Seymour Sarason and
Acing Lessons for Teachers: Using Performing Skills in the Classroom by Robert Tauber.
This is a very interesting subject and I’d love to see you write more about it.
Oh, aren’t there too many similarities to count?
Here’s some thinking I was doing on the subject recently:
http://teachertalk.edublogs.org/2006/11/09/teaching-as-performance-podcast/