I was happy that we learned about the different types of myths in class because it helped me determine what kind of myth I wanted to create for my website. I think it is easier for me to be creative when I am given some guidelines to follow. I think I would have struggled with writing a myth if I had never learned about the various types. Once we started doing our presentations, I realized that I would really like to write a trickster myth because I could incorporate a little humor into the story. I would have felt restricted in my writing if I had never learned about how a creation myth differs from a trickster myth. I feel like before this class, I had only ever read about creation myths. I wanted my myth to be something different so knowing I had options allowed me to more creative.
This experience has taught me that I should give students examples before having them work on a creative assignment. I think it is beneficial for students to get an idea of what their teacher expects from them before they start working on a new project. I always appreciated it in high school when my teachers would show our class examples of projects from prior years. It gave us a chance to think about how we could improve on these projects and make them our own. Do you like when teachers show you an example of a creative project or would you rather come up with an idea on your own?
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Hi Amanda! You know what? I completely agree with the fact that it is much nicer when teachers give an example of an assignment. I’ll never forget how stressed out I was when one of my teachers gave an assignment and refused to give examples. Lets just say that the entire class was so confused that she finally caved in and showed us what she wanted. I think a presentation of all the different types of myth would be an excellent ice breaker. After all, as much as I like studying mythology, I have to agree that mostly creation myths are taught in school. So by presenting students with other types of myths e.g. trickster, male/female divine, sacred places, etc. , it could really help students spark their creativity. I can also see the appeal of the trickster myth since it involves humor. I’m pretty sure that students would have plenty of ideas for tricksters.
ReplyDeleteHey Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI am super glad you got inspired with our presentation! Hehe I thought the trickster myth was fun and gives you more room for creativity. I agree that we would all be lost if we hadn’t read and watched all the presentations. I loved the presentations because it gave all of us an overview of what we read. It will definitely be helpful to do this in our future classrooms. The students will feel more prepared and comfortable with writing their own myth. I am still working on my myth and the website. I am looking forward to seeing what everyone came up with. I think that will be the best part of this entire assignment!
Hey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that totally grabbed my attention in your blog post was how you find it easier to write when you have guidelines to follow or a prompt. I feel the same way. It is hard to be creative "on the spot". When the pressure is on you to "be creative" it does not seem very organic or very productive.
As I wrote to Natalie, I like the trickster myths also and I think it is great that you want to incorporate humor in your myth.
I also agree that it is good when a teacher give you examples of a project before you go do them. Many times, teachers have expectations of students but the students are unsure and then both student is unhappy because of the grade they recieve and the teacher is unhappy because the assignment did not turn out how they wanted it to. So I think it is better when you have an example. Then, even if you have a different idea how to complete the assignment, you can approach the teacher and ask if it is acceptable.
Good luck on your myth and website!
Hi Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI think this is the first time that i have ever posted on any of your stuff:)
When i saw that you had a teacher give you examples of previous works i thought that was a great thing that your teacher did. I didn't actually get that opportunity from my teachers until i got to college. I think if my teachers in high school had done that then it would have been soo beneficial.
I completely agree with you that students should have some type of foundation before actually diving right into the myths and i think it is a great idea to show them what you expect from them so they don't feel nervous or overwhelmed!
Hey Amanda! It was really great working on the creation myth presentation with you and the rest of our group. I learned a lot from the work we did, as I did from the other groups. I am doing a trickster myth as well, and I agree that you can make it humorous. I tried to make mine funny as well. I think you are right about providing students with an example before asking them to complete an assignment. I remember feeling lost in so many classrooms when I was growing up because the teacher expected us to know exactly what to do without an example. I would struggle because I was too embarrassed to be the one who “didn’t get it.” I’m glad you are willing to do the extra step and provide your students with a template. So to answer your question, yes I do think that providing an example is a great way to start students off, as long as they come up with their own ideas and do not simply copy the example.
ReplyDeleteHello Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was helpful to learn about the different types of myths and to be given some background information about them before we were forced to create our own myths. This concept can also be applied to our students Some will like creation myths more than trickster myths, and so on and so forth. I think that education can involve a lot of different choices, and that those options are what will keep students interested and engaged.
Also, as you stated, giving students examples will certainly aid them in creating their own myths. I do not think that it is enough to simply explain and have them learn about all the different types of myths and have them go off from there. Sure, that works on most college students and high achievers in the secondary setting, but providing examples will really help solidify concepts for anyone.
Hey Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! I think that it was great to see examples and learn about the myths before given our assignment. I know that I was stumped on writing my myth after seeing examples, and I can only imagine how clueless I would be if I hadn't read any other myths. I had no clue that there were so many different types of myths and it was interesting learning more on that.
I also think that you hit the ball out of the park when you stated that from this assignment you learned to provide examples for your students. While doing my observations a teacher told me that "You have to not only tell but you have to show." He also stated that we would have to do this more than once, just for it to click in all of our students minds.
I have finished writing my myth and am now working on my website. Hope everything is going smooth with your myth writing and website designing process. =)