STUDENTS ACTING OUT
Actor teaches Liberty-eylau students cooperation, concentration skills
Using the techniques of an actor, Sean Layne on Thursday created scenarios for Liberty-Eylau Independent School District students to check themselves when it comes to class cooperation and concentration.
Layne is a visiting artist from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The center is partnering with Texarkana Regional Arts Center and local school districts to integrate arts into the classroom.
The actor taught C.K. Bender Elementary students about self-discipline, positive peer pressure and other subjects.
Layne began his lesson with 18 third-graders, who were observed by teachers from both Texarkana
school districts and LibertyEylau.
Layne had students name things used in acting, such as the body, voices, costumes, scripts, brains, imagination, makeup and staging. He then demonstrated how to use the body, voice, imagination, concentration and cooperation in a controlled and calm manner.
Layne asked all the students to stand, bend over and touch their toes and slowly move their hands up to their throats, taking a big breath to represent the voice. The students then were asked to move their hands to the sides of their eyes, pause and use their imagination.
“I am at a carnival in Africa,” Layne said
Next, the youngsters extended their arms to their sides and placed their hands on classmates’ shoulders in a symbol of cooperation.
Layne called the entire movement “signing the contract.” He played music to cue the students to “sign the contract.”
Layne next had the students participate in an exercise involving concentration.
As a classmate walked by, the students had to keep their composure and not show emotions.
“Who thinks they are strong enough to be the boss of their brains?” he said as another student walked by making funny faces.
Cameron Dotson, 8, said he has a way of staying focused when a classmate is being disruptive.
“If there is a class clown, you could make a focal point and ignore him like that,” Cameron said
Each accomplishment was called a level. Not making a level put the whole group in another place in the room designated as the observation tower.
At the third or fourth level, after students had shown individual restraint in concentration, it was time for the group to learn more about cooperation.
Layne asked the students to form groups of four by putting hands on shoulders. At the end, two students were left out, so all 18 students were sent to the observation tower.
“Is that fair?” Layne asked. “I can make things unfair.”
Layne next asked for groups of more than four, but two students were still left out. The actor asked students to think of ways to incorporate everyone.
After Layne’s encouragement, the students again were asked to form groups of more than four. This time, the youngsters developed ways to incorporate everyone.
“Nobody was left out. It was kind of good,” said 8-year-old Chloe Cox.
Layne later asked the students why the cooperation exercise would be good for the classroom.
“If I were a teacher, I’d do this every day,” he said.
Students said the exercise could help classmates work as a team, improve concentration and make the school day less stressful.
After the session, the students returned to the classroom as teachers discussed the teaching methods and the students’ responses.
C.K. Bender second-grade teacher Teresa Robinson and third-grade teacher Karan Wilkes said they began using the techniques Wednesday with good results.
When students were not using good classroom etiquette, Robinson said she would ask, “Are you going to make a strong choice or a weak choice?”
Robinson said she had to catch herself from saying “Don’t do this, or don’t do that.”
Layne said instead of asking students about strong and weak choices, teachers should ask the other students to suggest choices for a peer.
“When it comes from their peers and not from you, that’s more powerful,” he said.