In general the feed back from an evaluative survey was very positive. I often find it difficult for peers to evaluate and critique each other in a “brutally honest” manner. Many participants who filled out a survey commented on the positive environment and the pacing of the class that allowed for gentile, yet powerful discoveries to take place. Below are a few passages from places where participants could elaborate on those points.

                  “ The calm and clear direction of the improvisation-based exercises and the exploratory nature created an environment for discovery.”

                  “Loved tying exercises to St. Olaf campus experiences, It became very real, immediate.”

                  “Having the focus of the exercises articulated more would have felt like sculpting rather than smothering.”

                  “The set-up of exploring something new through an activity followed by discussion was helpful in developing a fuller understanding of what we did. The gradual addition of new information to think about also let us fully evaluate one way of thinking about something before continuing on to the next.”

                  “Having a welcoming environment allows the student to more easily have the comfort to make new discoveries – guided discussion and instruction also helps, however sometimes more time to think independently is good and you allowed time for that. Both strategies were well balanced.”

Interestingly several of the people who filled out a survey only attended the final session. I found this final session the most challenging for me because I had planned it to wrap up everything that had come before in the previous two workshops, however, having more new participants than returning participants made this challenging. I found myself so wrapped up in bringing the new participants in that I forgot to tie back to the beginning of class. Considering my workshops more generally, I think bringing a theme full circle in a more explicit manner could help tie a class together, especially for new participants. In planning my workshops, I think I was so focused on what I would do in the middle that I didn’t pay as much attention to the ways they ended. Reflecting now I can see that if I want my lessons to leave a lasting impact, careful crafting of the end of a session might even be one of the most important parts. The ending is what they leave with and so it had better pack a punch.