Mandhir Singh Sambhi

Post-Class Reflection 3 - July 12, 2018

This class was the most conflicting for me yet. Although I appreciated the

initiative by “The Gardeners” and enjoyed the warm-up activity in the morning (the

Paper Puzzle), I could not bring myself to express “self and spirit” in the second

exercise that involved creating anything from raw natural materials collected from a walk

in the park and from recyclable materials. I could see the appeal in the warm-up activity

as it served a mental exercise in spatial knowledge and pattern recognition, but I could

not think of ways to combine any of the things that lay available. As frustrating as it was

for me, I did not want to disappoint “The Gardeners” or make them feel like they did not

do an adequate job with the activity, so I combined a few dried prickly Holli leaves with

two feathers and two twigs, tied them with a limp strand of a runner vine. I manufactured

a meaning that I conveyed to classmates who passed by, the “patrons of art” who

showed interest in my creation. Perhaps I consoled myself with the manufactured

meaning, but I eventually settled with my interpretation: the twigs were placed behind

the prickly leaves, with the points facing away from the next layer, the two feathers

placed symmetrically diagonal. I perceived this arrangement as a representation of

society, where some stiff personalities (the twigs), some thorny personalities (like the

leaves), and some sensitive people (the feathers) coexist. They may not get along well

together, but precautions can often be employed to make things easier (prickly feathers

facing away from the feathers). Though very different, all members are tied together by

common interests, represented here by the soft and flexible vine.

My expression of self and spirit was not as colourful, interesting, or skillful as my

classmates’, but it seemed like the only output I could extract. On one side, where I tried
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to analyze this result from an educator’s perspective, I could not help but see how

students would perceive this experience. They could also feel helpless beyond their

abilities when they come across an activity, assignment, or assessment which isn’t

compatible with their skills. I can not identify why no “artistic juices” were flowing at the

moment I needed to express my most authentic self, but I was not satisfied with the

result. Conversely, I did not want to leave the session incomplete and disappoint the

facilitators who had put so much effort into planning the activity. Further, I had stopped

some members of “The Gardeners” for advice and inspiration. They were very

encouraging and provided some hints that eventually helped me distill some thoughts,

but then I felt like I was only responding to what the facilitator may expect. The resulting

output did not seem authentic expressions of self and spirit. Thinking from the learner’s

perspective, I feel that students could go through years of schooling by just fulfilling the

minimum of expectations and not showing their full potential if educators do not

recognize the need to be mindful of student interests. Given that the activity laid out by

“The Gardeners” was meant to manifest what the “learners” were feeling, thinking

about, or genuinely interested, I felt that the level of front-loading left a little lacking. I do

not wish to put the responsibility solely on “The Gardeners”, but prior notice and

instruction could have conditioned me a little better and sparked the thought processes.

It may not be necessary, but prior notice could serve the function of accommodations

and differentiation for a variety of learner types.

Considering my experience in a positive light, I recognize that tasks that allow the

freedom to express self and spirit can offer multiple avenues for students to explore the

limits of their imagination and creativity. The differentiation granted by the activities can
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cater to students of all academic strengths, and even students with special needs.

Students who learn better by interactive hands-on experiences may enjoy the wide

array of possibilities to arrange and combine different elements. Students are free to

pursue outlets of their interests. This way, the student will be empowered and motivated

to take charge of their education and academic growth. The teacher facilitates this

growth by providing resources and communicating with the learners. “The Gardeners”

did a very good job facilitating the students in the morning with the warm-up activity and

when we all went out to collect raw natural materials from the park. Once the activity

was completed, the circle talk helped debrief the exercise and share experiences that

expressed self and spirit. The discussion helped me visualize how others perceived the

activity, and I could then imagine ways I also could have completed the activity and felt

satisfied and content with the result. I could not spontaneously express myself in this

activity, but it did help me learn that just like myself, any number of students in any of

my classes could feel the same way about my teaching on any given day. I will need to

be more cognizant and sensitive to the classroom culture and its environment to

perceive when a student is engaged in a task so that I can change my tactics

accordingly. Whether I was able to express self and spirit during the activity laid out by

“The Gardeners” will remain a question in my mind, but I definitely benefited from this

learning opportunity to get to know myself in the process.