Issue #152 - The Spaces in Between

Orange Eye Drops

There’s been a pattern to the last few weeks of warm glowing midweek evenings with fiery red sunsets, and then weekends when the temperature dips back to big coats and woollen gloves if you’re outside, or hot chocolate and covering yourself with a throw when you’re reading on the sofa. This evening as I write, I can feel the cold approaching and I’ve just clicked on the little portable oil-filled radiator by my desk.

snowdrops - photo by Stephan

I haven’t slept well this week and wonder if I’m coming down with something, there seems to so much illness around at the moment that I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m just hoping that I make it to the weekend when I can rest and recuperate.

It is busy outside on the street, a water main has burst at the junction, so cars are being diverted. Our road is cobbled, so the traffic rumbles past loudly. What’s fun is seeing my bus go past, I wonder if they’ll call for me, or whether I have to head the few hundred yards further up to where the actual stop is located. I hope they get it fixed soon, cars are discovering that we’re a rat-run and I certainly don’t want them getting in the habit of using our street to cut the corner back onto the main road.

Stephan

---

Teaching & Learning

I’m planning my courses for the Fall and even beyond that to next year. It sounds crazy but actually it is quite helpful to know what’s ahead. In that way, when I find new references or interesting articles that I can add to my courses. It’s also useful to know what reading I need to do, especially when there’s so much of it. At the moment, I’m getting through a book every few weeks. I can sometimes read two at once when one of them is more technical, but I can only read one fiction book at a time, which I think is probably normal, right? I’ve never attempted it mind you, but I can imagine I would get easily confused between plot lines and remember characters.

This week in class we talked about one of my favorite topics', Loose Parts Theory ,that I’ve mentioned in this newsletter countless times. It’s always fun to see how new students pick apart the material, where their focus is. We used Louisa Penfold’s Playful Shapes, which you can download from her website. I provided a few prompts, such as build a home, make a robot, or anything you want, without requiring a prompt. I printed out the .pdf, about 10 pages, and cut the pieces out, there are about 50 or 60 shapes in total, and although I was wondering whether it would be worth cutting out a second set, it turned out that this was more than enough for the students to play with. I am going to get these shapes printed out onto acetate, which means you can overlap them and glue them to windows and enjoy the colors. I’ve just sent a quick question to see about the possibility of getting some of them lazer cut in a thicker acetate sheet. I like the idea that you could make a mobile or hanging piece with them.

ideas - photo by stephan

The students loved them, it was a fun activity and again, there’s so much discussion that you can have while you’re doing it. This needs to be facilitated, my students in particular go quiet when they’re concentrating, so conversation needs to be encouraged. I wonder if that’s the case in knitting circles or other crafting sessions when you’re all around the table or seated together. In fact I know that’s true because in many of these gatherings, conversation, discussion and debate are actively encouraged, and that’s possibly where much of the activism and engagement that these circles are known for emanated from.

See what the students made on padlet

---

Lost and Found

Here are a few links and recommendations, things that I came across that I thought you might enjoy.

Oh my word, where was this feature twenty years ago…text based editing function on Adobe Premiere Pro, just a note this is only available in Beta, but once it works, you’re off and running, and I’m sure it will soon be included in the full version.

@theaimindset1984Adobe Premiere just dropped a game changer. Text based editing is so amazing!!! Legit cuts editing time in half if not more. It makes the A-roll process so much easier. Have you tried it? #videoediting #adobepremiere #premierepro #film #video #videography #adobe

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

My brilliant colleague Dr. Kenya Dworkin introduced me to StoryMap a few years ago and I’ve recommended to countless people as a great storytelling tool and incredibly useful for language learning. There are some good examples of this in this week’s FLTMag issue.

Teaching Bilinguals (even if you’re not one) from CUNY- NYS is a fascinating web series for educators that supports language practices in the classroom and suggests approaches and activities that center diversity and inclusion.

accidentallywesanderson

A post shared by AWA (@accidentallywesanderson)

This roller-rink is sadly closed, but the sign on the outside is amazing and wonder if it looks even more incredible now than maybe it did in its’ heyday. Of course, it is absolutely Accidently Wes Anderson.

I like this quote that leads this week’s The Line Between, a wonderful newsletter about animation, making and creativity, with links to beautiful content, I’m thinking that I’m going to read it more regularly and upgrade to a paid subscription. I have a modest budget every year and try to alternate where I can, I would love to support many more writers and creative people, but do what I think is manageable.

45. Pieces

---

Thank you

So, there we go. Just a few things this week. I am trying to decrease hours online and increase hours with the printed page. I’m reading some of the books I talked about last week and also started watching Poker Face starring Natasha Lyonne (of Russian Doll fame) which is like an old fashioned detective serial, or series with a central character who moves from town to town, like Six Million Dollar Man, The Hulk, The Fugitive, Kung Fu, or even Quantum Leap.

It has been fun introducing (some) Americans to sausage rolls, and I know that you know that the pinnacle for this particular delicacy is a Greggs sausage roll. Our neighbor Sue tried the recipe and shared some if the results, which were delicious. You need good flaky pastry and don’t over flavor the filling, which needs to be quite plain. I’ve also used a Jamie Oliver quick cheating recipe which is also nice. You can also make vegan ones!

Also just a quick note to say that I’m having a cup of tea before proofreading, and would apologise for the lack of quality control these past weeks. Remember, the web version is always updated when I spot mistakes, which I know is too late for about 78% of you. Sorry and promise to do better.

Enjoy the weekend, there’s no rugby on telly, but plenty else. We’ll be hibernating indoors with books and lego, and possibly heading to Uptown for a coffee.

Take care, see you next week.

---