Reflection 4: Flashback/Flash Forward

Strategy: Flashback/Flash Forward

What is the Strategy?

            This strategy focuses on us having to act out a moment in time from the past and the future to tell a story. This activity can be done in forward and reverse and is done in tableaux style. There is no speaking in this activity and there is no major movement. Every scene is a moment in time so no movement except for the transition from one scene to the next. When we did the flashback activity the scene we were acting out was someone getting bullied and the events that led up to it. Each of the members in our group was playing either students in the class or the teacher. I was playing the child getting bullied and showing the emotions the kid was experiencing as a result of the bullying. This activity forced me to be a bit more serious and consider what would I be feeling if I was being bullied.

My Flashback Group: Bullying Scene

What is the Value of this Strategy?

            This strategy had a lot of personal value to me because it was something I could relate to based on my earlier experiences in schooling. When I was a kid I dealt with bullying so this was an activity that struck a bit of a chord for me. I had to draw on my prior experiences and remember how I felt when I was bullied as a kid, which is something I normally avoid reflecting on. During this process I felt a little sad because this activity made me think critically about the experiences kids are going through and the damaging impact it can cause to them and those around them. This strategy inspired me because it showed that drama can be used as a platform for meaningful student advocacy and I want to do that. This strategy holds professional value because I think it using the activity to show the effects of important mental health issues like bullying allows people to see the damaging effects of bullying and what some of the causes and consequences are. This strategy is also something that forces students to think outside the box because they can’t use their words or movement except for transition. This strategy forces them to be quick and plan out their story so they can go from scene to scene. This strategy could inspire my students because it will get them to see how events do not happen in isolation and there is always a cause and consequence. This can be beneficial both in their academic and social success and in building character. 

How Will I Differentiate For My Students?

            One way I could differentiate this activity for my students is by having students have to act out a longer story with more scenes. This would force them to engage in a longer planning process where they could even make a storyboard to go along with it. This would be cross-curricular because the storyboarding ties in with the language curriculum and writing. Another way to differentiate this activity is to get them to have to act out the scene forwards and then have to reverse the scene and act it backwards. This would build on their memory recall and also be a fun addition to see what it looks like backward. One final way to modify this activity is to have the students have to do a different action or exercise between each transition which ties in with the health curriculum and gets them active.