Mr. Cowan's Teaching Philosophy :
I have developed a classroom that continuously challenges my students to "go where the fear is". I want to develop a classroom atmosphere that promotes discovery and encourages students to try new things, step out of their comfort zones and to trust their impulses. Each one of my classes begins with a WARM UP GAME. A warm up game is used to mentally, physically and emotionally prepare the students for the activities they will be participating in during a specific lesson. Warm up games help students develop surface level theatre skills like, co-operation skills, teamwork building skills, communication skills and movement skills. Taking risks is often a theme within our warm-up games, challenging the students to "put themselves out there." My hope is that my students become comfortable with sharing their ideas and collaborative creation. By taking risks, my students are becoming comfortable with making themselves vulnerable to failure. This is a theory that I believe is very beneficial to a students development. Taking risks also means sharing your creativity with others. Students will offer their ideas, thoughts and theories to others and learn how to give and receive constructive criticism . The world is full of taking risks, it is beneficial to develop students who have experience with risk and reward.
"Committing yourself the the moment" is a guideline that I learned while performing improv on a national level. I constantly tell my students (especially my grade 10's and 11's) that, "you will look silly if you're choosing NOT to participate rather than participating and looking silly." I want to be able to create an environment where my students are not worried about the social pressures that surround them. It is my goal to make sure that students are having fun in my classroom rather than feeling like they're being mocked or judged. "Committing yourself to the moment" allows my students to step outside of their comfort zones, become something totally different than who they actually are and to occasionally, act plain silly.
There is a zero tolerance for any negative/hurtful judgement or bullying in my classroom. My philosophy is that if you make others feel uncomfortable or if you insult someone for their efforts than you will be removed from my classroom. Drama is a safe space for all, regardless of your sex, gender, race, cultural background, religion etc. My students are encouraged to have open minds and to value people's beliefs. My main goal is to create a classroom atmosphere that not only tolerates and accepts others but also learns how to celebrate each others's differences. Our differences/weaknesses are part of our identity and that should be celebrated and not diminished.
- Take risks
- Commit yourself to the moment
- Judgement free environment
I have developed a classroom that continuously challenges my students to "go where the fear is". I want to develop a classroom atmosphere that promotes discovery and encourages students to try new things, step out of their comfort zones and to trust their impulses. Each one of my classes begins with a WARM UP GAME. A warm up game is used to mentally, physically and emotionally prepare the students for the activities they will be participating in during a specific lesson. Warm up games help students develop surface level theatre skills like, co-operation skills, teamwork building skills, communication skills and movement skills. Taking risks is often a theme within our warm-up games, challenging the students to "put themselves out there." My hope is that my students become comfortable with sharing their ideas and collaborative creation. By taking risks, my students are becoming comfortable with making themselves vulnerable to failure. This is a theory that I believe is very beneficial to a students development. Taking risks also means sharing your creativity with others. Students will offer their ideas, thoughts and theories to others and learn how to give and receive constructive criticism . The world is full of taking risks, it is beneficial to develop students who have experience with risk and reward.
"Committing yourself the the moment" is a guideline that I learned while performing improv on a national level. I constantly tell my students (especially my grade 10's and 11's) that, "you will look silly if you're choosing NOT to participate rather than participating and looking silly." I want to be able to create an environment where my students are not worried about the social pressures that surround them. It is my goal to make sure that students are having fun in my classroom rather than feeling like they're being mocked or judged. "Committing yourself to the moment" allows my students to step outside of their comfort zones, become something totally different than who they actually are and to occasionally, act plain silly.
There is a zero tolerance for any negative/hurtful judgement or bullying in my classroom. My philosophy is that if you make others feel uncomfortable or if you insult someone for their efforts than you will be removed from my classroom. Drama is a safe space for all, regardless of your sex, gender, race, cultural background, religion etc. My students are encouraged to have open minds and to value people's beliefs. My main goal is to create a classroom atmosphere that not only tolerates and accepts others but also learns how to celebrate each others's differences. Our differences/weaknesses are part of our identity and that should be celebrated and not diminished.