Jessi CPR -Daniel

A shy young student, seemingly nervous, begins speaking in a very soft tone and doesn't wait long to share a quote from the person she is speaking about: "Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them." Instead of a boring life history, these carefully selected quotes illustrate Dr. Seuss' personality, values, and wisdom. Tying this in with other facts about  Theodor Seuss Geisel really brings the tribute to life while taking audience members back to their childhood days.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, 

nothing is going to get better it's not." 

A quote that embodies the self-less motivation of many,

one of the many universal meanings captured by Dr. Seuss.

Meanings that Jessi was able to so eloquently convey,

to an audience captivated simply by hearing the words written by this man,

words so eloquently spoken by Jessi's soft voice,

words chosen in a way that captured who this man was,

words.......rich in meaning.

As mentioned earlier, Jessi's speech was effective in engaging the audience for several reasons. Her use of Dr. Seuss quotes captures who he was as a person and also to take audience members back to their childhood. Her softer tone of voice caught people's attention, almost having them lean in towards her to capture her message. Also, her word choice was eloquent and made the speech easy to follow.

Some areas of improvement include making more eye contact, swaying less, perhaps speaking just a bit louder, and maybe even incorporating pauses or changes in tone/volume for the emphasis of certain parts of the speech. That emphasis would've worked especially well for sharing the quotes with the audience.

Alexander provides many good reasons for his advocacy of poetic responses, most importantly to engage students to reflexively view their own work in an alternative way in comparison to the traditional grading system. It essentially emphasizes the importance of reflecting on the work itself and not so much on the grade or how the work fits stringent rubric requirements. I think it also encourages the teacher to step outside the confines of traditional grading and teaching.

CPR Assignment

Although Marissa seemed a bit nervous standing at the podium as she casually swayed, she introduced herself and set up the context immediately. Marissa gracefully explains the honor felt to be the maid of honor as the husband's close friend while adding humor with the fears or work associated with speech-making. Compliments, adoration, and well wishes are showered onto the couple. Then, Marissa shared a light-hearted, personal story to illustrate exactly why she admired  Brent. The speech ends with Marissa specifically addressing the bride.

Brent will be Brent.
Brent will ensure everything is how he wants it to be.
Brent will practice his French speaking skills his way.
Brent will stop at nothing to cherish the time and experiences he has with friends.
Brent will meet the girl of his dreams.
Brent will hook her for life.
Brent will have the craziest and wildest adventures with the people he loves. 
Brent will have every wedding attendent wishing him and his new wife the best.
Brent will be Brent.

Marissa clearly respected and demonstrated excitement for the couple.  When telling her story, her tone was much more casual and her hand gestures became effective at engaging the audience. I believe Marissa's strength lies in conversational speeches where she can make eye-contact with her listeners, joke, and speak "off-the-cuff". Her little "I don't know why..." quotes added character to Brent and lightened the mood. Toward the end, Marissa out-right stated what she like about Brent--a very effective and clear purpose for her speech. By specifically addressing the bride to conclude the speech, Marissa represented her relationship and support for both the bride (as a cute girl-to-girl talk) and the groom as she wished them the best.

The sentences in the speech were well-defined, however I would have appreciated more time to process what Marissa was saying. For example, immediately after she said, "...and he actually hooked her for life," I would have liked time to reflect on the promise and commitment the couple made to each other at the wedding. I enjoyed the comparison of the relationship to a seed. To be artistic, that metaphor could be extended throughout the entire speech. At the beginning, there is a hint of an "up-tone" but Marissa gains confidence, that behavior subsides and the speech is very enjoyable.

Alexander advocates to use poetic/artistic responses to evaluate student performances because he believes in the power of performance. The holistic aesthetic impact of a work is often overlooked or not properly acknowledged today. Everything that entails recreating a performance forces an audience member to be more sensitive to the performer as well as more thoroughly reflect upon the accumulations of experiences, interactions, and symbols that caused the audience member to feel what he felt. CPRs specifically are a way to build trust within a classroom.

CPR

When Max stood up at the podium his body language indicated an open nature to which he would deliver his speech. He stood up in the front of the room not only confident in what he was about to say to the rest of the class but also eager to share his thoughts in the moment. In the opening lines of his speech he managed to create a formal atmosphere by referring to his father in formal manner while simultaneously creating a conversational feel to his speech as well by the different ways he spoke of his father.

Father

A man worthy of a sons respect

Husband

A man that treats those he loves the way they deserve

Hero

A man that leads in an honorable way

Leader

A man who is not afraid to advocate for his family

Richard Robertson

Throughout the entire speech I was in awe with Max's confidence and the way he delivered his speech. His demeanor was extremely positive which allowed me to fulling develop an understanding of the type of influence that his father has had on his life. His conversational tone made it very easy to follow along with as well as the way he carried himself. I feel as though I have developed a genuine understanding of the type of person that Richard Robertson is. One of the only moments of distraction for me was fairly rare during his speech. There were only a few times when Max would start out a point strong but finish it with less emotional investment and more as a statement that he wanted to get through, although this is just a slight shift in the speech as a whole.

Alexander advocates strongly for using a poetic or artistic response in regard to the evaluation of student works. By incorporating this method, he engages the students in a new way which proves to be more beneficial for the advancement of a students work as opposed to the stereotypical evaluation. Using a poetic or artistic response is much more suitable for the critique of a student's performance.

Midterm Assignment

Mid-Term Paper: In Depth Peer Critique

• 1200 - 1500 words
• 3 parts:
1. Write-up of your CPR
2. How the evaluative process has changed the way you think about your own work (past and future)
3. How your own cultural/political/experiential perspective, the identities you perform and the expectations inherent therein, affect both the way you responded to/critiqued your partner's speech AND performed your own speech.
• Emailed to me, not posted on the blog
• Due Friday 4/25 at Midnight

CPR :)!

CPR
Anna's speech was beautifully delivered and was easy to relate to because of her use of appropriately chosen examples and anecdotes. She invited her listeners to join her in her appreciation of her family and parents while simultaneously allowing them to understand certain family dynamics.
"What"

• At the beginning of the speech, there was a slight lack of focus, but it was quickly regained!
• Anna maintained eye contact with the audience throughout the speech
• The tone was conversational
• Articulation showed that Anna was reading from a script, but it did not take away from the quality of her speech!
• Conveyed emotion through intonation and facial expressions
• Brought up specific examples and anecdots to stress her point throughout the speech

CPR
She let me into a beautiful world
of comfort and love that a family holds
and I heard a powerful lesson which mentioned
that uncertainty is okay
and she always knew
that an answer was not always needed
but she never understood it until now

"How"
Anna's speech was particularly effective when she related her message to her meaning...she emphasized that her parents were not perfect, and then she proceeded to give examples about how lack of perfection is okay...for instance, she mentioned that her dad did not always have an answer, but that the answer could be the mystery of the question. She also mentioned that her mom would "tell her it's all good," and that sometimes "it's not all good but that's okay."
On emoment of distractin that occured was at the beginning of the speech when Anna didn't seem to be entirely focused. Fortunately, she quickly gained presence and maintained it throughout the speech!

Discussion:
Alexander advocated for using a poetic/artistic response because it causes the person to reflect more deeply about the content of the speech. It requires more thought which often brings up new ideas and perspectives. It is also a critique that allows the responder to show how the speech appealed to his/her emotion, which is important for the speaker to understand while considering his/her delivery.

CPR Assignment

What;

The way Mary opened her speech was almost invitational to a conversation. She seemed very candid about the way she was presenting her speech that it practically opened a door into her family's life and the life of her brother. The immediate juxtaposition of Andrew and Eddy to each other (serious academic vs. troublemaker) instantly drew a connection between Eddy and the audience; nearly everyone has known a class clown or has that one friend that always seems to get in trouble. Right from the get-go I could relate to Mary's tribute. 

CPR;

For some, it is not important to know what your plan in life is.

For some, living in the moment is good enough.

For some, this is the only way to find their calling.

For some, all that needs to be done is live life and wait.

For some, it's about forging your own path.

For some, there needs to be a higher calling.

For some, they answer it.

Within this group of unique individuals, we find Eddy.

How;

The moments of effectiveness were definitely how easy Mary was to relate to. She made her family seem so real and each individual in her family feel like people we have all known. Mary's conversational tone also made it easier to get involved in her tribute. The way she clearly laid out Eddy's train of thought helped with the audience's following of his growth as an individual as well. 

A moment of distraction in Mary's tribute was an inconsistent tone. When she would tell anecdotes or asides about her brother that got into detail, you could see her imagine these moments and relive her experience with her brother and with that her face would light up and it was impossible not to relate to her or engage during these moments. However, when she would go back to explaining the overarching timeline of her tribute, she would draw back the emotion a little bit into a less energetic tone. 

Discussion;

Alexander suggests using a CPR as an evaluation because it is much more personal than just a standard rubric. It's also a much more involved method of grading a speaker. Instead of just ticking off boxes as the speaker gives their speech, the CPR requires involvement from the evaluator in order to really listen and take in the information being presented. Overall it's a more effective and involved process of evaluation/critique than a standard rubric.

4.21.14

Meet up with your partner to read or explain the CPR you wrote for them and discuss: What evaluative insights you gained from watching the video and creating a CPR, and how this differed from your initial reactions to the speech

• The differences in reaction to the CPR written about you versus the feedback session after your speech
• How evaluating your partner’s work made you think about your own work differently
• What you see as the benefits and drawbacks of Alexander’s approach

• Peer Critiques and Cultural Perspectives

• "Perception Sunrays" activity - You are going to be disclosing different aspects of your identity and other class members are going to be responding with perceptions of that identity. Remember that your words are powerful and as communicators, we must be respectful of all. While stereotypes you may use might be negative stereotypes, hurtful statements will not be tolerated.
1. Draw a small figure in the middle of your paper representing yourself. Leave enough room for lots of added content around it
2. Add four lines like the rays of the sun; again be aware of leaving room.
3. At the end of the lines, draw two lines forming the letter "V"
4. Walk around the room and add perceptions regarding two of your classmates' identities
5. When done, please return to your seat and examine your sheet
• Reflection questions
1. Which perceptions were accurate?
2. Which perceptions were stereotypes?
3. Did any of the perceptions surprise you? Why?
4. How do people's perceptions of your identity affect how you feel about these identities?
5. How do you think these identities/labels have influenced your speeches?