Focus Question: Who Are My 21st Century Multiliterate Students?
My group, which I shared with Gurkirat, is a group of 4 students from Esquimalt High School. Jet, Harbour, Angelina, and Ray, first introduced themselves as students who attended high school together but were not necessarily friends with each other. However, they were able to bond over their shared interest in film and theatre. This allowed them to develop a film project to address their concern relating to climate change and anxiety. Throughout the process of constructing their video for Waste Land: A Climate Anxiety Haunted House, I was able to see connections form between each student, despite Angelina and Ray being away for almost half of the Esquimalt visits. Even though they were absent for 2 – 3 classes, I still feel as though they contributed to the project and that we were able to connect with each other.

The Waste Land: A Climate Anxiety Haunted House in progress. Students were really excited to see the house at this point!

Day 1
On the first day, Gurkirat and I conducted a couple of ice breaking activities. The first being general chit chat about what subjects they enjoy the most in school and why. We also asked them if they could go anywhere in the world, where would they go? The answers were varied, and I was surprised to see how shy some of the students were. Their shyness changed to engagement and confidence by the end. The first day together helped to establish a bond between myself and the students, which was more challenging than I had anticipated. I expected the students to be excited, energetic and motivated about this fantastic new opportunity for them to learn alongside pre service teachers. While they ended up feeling that way by the end of our visits, their enthusiasm did not shine at the beginning, and I left feeling slightly uninspired. However, I was optimistic that the project we had developed would be attainable by the end of the month and that it would be something the students would enjoy working on together. Gurkirat and I left the class having explained clearly what each student should do for next week, and were pleased that we managed to create the framework for an entire project in such a short timeframe.

Project Accomplishments
– established project
– delegated tasks for each student to have completed for next week

Day 2
I was not prepared to hear the work we had asked them to do was not finished, let alone started. I felt nervous, flustered, and annoyed. What are we going to do? I came prepared, ready to move onto the next step, but now we faced a set back. I took a pause, and realized that I have to roll with what is presented to me, and continue moving forward to achieve our end goal. Keeping in mind that we aren’t running for an Oscar helped, too. Another set back presented itself; the students weren’t excited about the original idea of creating a theatre skit, and wanted to do something else. So, in order to make this project be something they’re excited about, we had to figure out what really excites them. We took the rest of the class to brainstorm and get to know each other a bit better, which helped develop a sense of camaraderie and trust between all of us. Gurkirat and I really persisted in getting to know the students, and by the end we all had a better understanding of who we were working with, what we enjoyed doing, and which direction we wanted the project to go. We decided that next class we would devise a sold plan to create our project. I left that class feeling much more connected to my group. Although we didn’t accomplish much on our project, we bonded and developed trust.

Project Accomplishments
– bonded; really got to know each other’s interests, especially as they pertain to the project
– developed trust

Day 3
Having left last class feeling much better than the first, I was confident we could manage the day ahead. As a group (minus Ray), we quickly developed a plan for our day. We also decided to have all the required work for completing the project done only within class time. There would be no more homework or outside of class activities given. Once we had a plan of action to make a film relating to climate change, we began. It was a full day. We had little time to sit down and relax, but I loved it and the students seemed to as well. Today was the first day where I really noticed them working together enthusiastically. For the first 20 minutes we developed an attainable plan of action; what we had to do today to be ready for the next class. The first series of tasks involved making a costume, seeking out necessary materials, and assigning roles to each group member. We completed all of our necessary tasks by the end of day, and even got some filming in! I again left the class feeling joyful at all we had accomplished in such a short time.

Harbour in his “Trashman” costume – bottles, cans, and plastic garbage is attached to his costume as well!

Project Accomplishments
– continued bonding, this time while working
– plan of action made
– made costume
– sought out necessary materials for film
– assigned roles to each group member
– we had a lot of fun!

Day 4
This day we really began working as a team, although Angelina and Ray were not present. Connections between each group member seemed to be a lot more natural and confident. Harbour and Jet both did a wonderful job at sticking to day’s plan, and we able to finish everything necessary to stay on track and get the project completed by its due date. They filmed almost the whole movie today, and had their costumes from the previous week ready to go. We did have to spend some time gathering some extra supplies, but that only took a few minutes so didn’t act as a major set back. Everyone in the group did a good job of contributing to that task. I was so proud of them for how hard they tried, and how they really took it upon themselves to make the project their own. They also seemed a lot more comfortable around me, and asking questions about the project and even about myself seemed more natural. This was the first day that I realized I would actually miss these visits with my group and a bond had been formed and we were starting to get along well.

Project Accomplishments
– filmed a majority of the movie
– began to feel way more natural and comfortable around each other

Day 5
The group was again just Harbour, Jet, myself, and Gurkirat. Perhaps it was the small group dynamic that made it seems easier or more comfortable, but today felt like a breeze. I really couldn’t believe how much easier it was to work with the group. We seemed to understand where each other were coming from a lot more clearly, and were getting things done with lightening speed and still learning and connecting in the process. The filming finished today, and we began editing a little bit in iMovie. Harbour was able to share with us his knowledge of iMovie. He really lit up when presented with the opportunity to teach us about the program’s many functions. I could tell this was an area of interest to him, and we all connected through his teaching of the program to us. We were each able to provide feedback about what we thought might make the film stronger; from special effects, to music choice, and playing with scenes and adding photographs into the film as a “subliminal message” sort of effect. This was one of my favourite classes as we bonded a lot over creating the movie, and I also got to see how confident Harbour is when he’s sharing something he has knowledge in.

Harbour working on the Trashman vs Recycleman film

One of the “subliminal messages” about recycling selectively placed into the film

Project Accomplishments
– finished filming!
– began editing in iMovie
– continued bonding and developed a stronger group dynamic

Day 6
We finished editing, discussed where to place the film on the gallery walk day, and made a plan of what had to be done in order to have it all ready for the gallery walk. The first thing we finished was adding the final touches to the film in iMovie. Again, Harbour was elated to show us how to use it and we all bonded over learning about the program and sharing our ideas of what we think could be added to the movie. This portion of my Esquimalt visits really struck me. It showed the importance of giving students autonomy and allowing them to teach the teacher. I learned a lot from watching my group interact with each other; it showed me some really valuable ways to connect to students and also what they find engaging. I realized that they just want to be treated like humans, not necessarily “students”. They also really appreciate authenticity and humour (when used well), and feeling as though they are respected, and capable of making their own decisions and working independently. While these may seem obvious, I have seen and experienced feeling like a “child” in high school classes, mostly in front of power tripping teachers. It’s an awful feeling, and I never want students to feel that way around me or in my classes. We are equal, and while I am the one teaching, they also have so much to teach me.

Project Accomplishments
– secured a projector for the gallery walk
– secured a space to play our video
– finished editing
– uploaded video to YouTube
– further bonding

A photo of Trashman vs Recycleman being played for one of the first times!

Day 7
Gallery walk day! I couldn’t believe we were here already. Where did the time go? I felt excited. We were totally prepared and ready to set up, however, we did experience a minor set back. The spot we had originally settled on to show our film was now off limits. We had to find another spot, which ended up being easy enough, but it did take up 10 minutes of our time. We settled in a spot across from the auto shop. It was louder and a little hidden, so not ideal, but we rolled with the punches and did our best with what we had. There were at least 15 students that stopped by to watch the video. This, seemingly, gave our group members a confidence boost in that they were able to say they not only acted in the video but created it all in iMovie as well, and within a short time frame. I was so proud of them! Before going to view the other projects, we had a little debrief about how the project went; what the their final thoughts were on the movie, and if there was anything they wish they had done differently. We also talked a little bit about climate change and anxiety around that. For the most part, the conversations this time were a lot more in depth and honest. It didn’t seem surface level anymore. It made me really excited to know that they trusted me enough to let me see a part of their true self, not just them in a student role. Ray, who hadn’t been in class since the second session, was really impressed with how the movie turned out, and also created a conversation with me by asking how I was doing. We chatted about school and the business of being a teacher in training. This was, to me, a pretty big break through as I think Ray is maybe a little shyer than some of the other students, and also had missed out on a large chunk of the sessions together.

Things That Stuck
One our last day together, I asked the group what classes they enjoy the most, and why? The common thread amongst their responses is that instructors who are willing to do things differently or conduct lessons with some sort of creativity and outside the box thinking, is what really grabs them and makes them want to learn. I also discovered through this conversation that most students are not disinterested, but rather very tired. They often have a lot on their plate, and when they get home at night are just wanting to sleep or disengage. Adding the stressor of extra homework when its not really necessary isn’t something I want to do in my classes when I become a teacher. I’ve learned, by being a student myself, and by speaking with my group, that its best to keep the learning within the classroom; with the option of bringing it home if a student chooses. A tired student isn’t an engaged one, and having a teacher be there to facilitate makes for a supportive learning environment.

One reading in particular, the First Peoples Principles of Learning, really helped inform my interactions with the students and the approach I took towards facilitating the project. During set backs, for example the second day, I kept in mind the First Peoples Principle of Learning that “learning involves patience and time”. I realized that the process is part of the learning, and if in that process something isn’t working I need to make a change. The change I made in that case was to have all necessary work done during class; no homework would be given. Another Principle that guided me during my time with the group was “learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place). I realized early on that this principle would be key to forming any sort of working relationship with the students; we needed to feel connected to each other. In order to achieve this we took the necessary time to bond and form trust. Much of that was done on day 2, when it was clear to me we needed connection before we could go any further with the project and have it be an enjoyable and natural process. On the final day, I made use of the Principle “learning requires exploration of one’s identity”, and asked some final debriefing questions to the group. When we began discussing climate change and their views towards it, a natural discussion emerged between the students and they began to gently explore their own identities.

While the final goodbye was far less memorable than I had expected it to be (in my head they would have wanted to hug me and say how much fun they had – HA! I am too used to teaching children!), I do have a feeling that our time together was more than a little inspiring to them. Throughout it all I just hope they enjoyed the process, and gained something of value from it; whether it be feeling more connected to their peers, understanding their views on climate change a little more, or gaining some useful technical skills in iMovie and other computer programs. I really did enjoy my time spent with the group, and I hope they did, too!

The Final Film: Trashman vs Recycleman