Awards
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Mentoring
Philosophy of Martin Berman
Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies
One of my greatest pleasures
teaching at Berkeley has been working with the GSIs in the Department
of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies. Each year, I assist a small
group of GSIs in undertaking the teaching responsibilities for the first
year acting courses in our program. By providing GSIs with constant encouragement,
guidance, and contact, I aim to spark their passion for acting, thus increasing
their confidence and allowing them to enter the classroom with enthusiasm.
Cultivating this passion is at the heart of my mentoring philosophy.
In addition to informing GSIs
about the guidelines and content of the introductory acting course, I've
tried to nurture and develop their impulses, instincts, and creativity.
I counsel them towards developing initiative, freedom, and a sense of
individual responsibility. By taking this approach, I am mindful to not
impose my own ideas about acting onto the students. Instead, I take care
to find ways of serving individual GSIs so that they can develop their
own methodologies. I view my role as one of a facilitator, trying to enable
the GSIs' self-discovery within the acting process, thereby allowing them
to realize their creative and pedagogical potential. During the process
of mentoring, I offer my knowledge, experience, insight, and time to make
this kind of self-realization possible.
Teaching acting in an academic
environment is unique since it not only requires intellectual rigor and
organization, but also emotional intelligence and understanding. As I
always explain to my GSIs, these are qualities that require time and patience
to develop. In the theatre, a director brings about a fully realized performance
by paying diligent attention to detail, and through continuous repetition
and rehearsal. So too, the development of the GSI must begin early and
have continuous reinforcement and support. Like any good director, I devote
a great deal of time and attention to the rehearsal process. A year before
teaching assignments are given out, I meet with interested graduate students
to assess their capabilities. Once they are chosen, we set out to develop
a comprehensive syllabus that will operate within the course guidelines.
This process can sometimes take many weeks as we try to pare down material
to what is realistic, practical and effective. After much research and
discussion, we forge into mock
classroom settings to test the methods and pedagogical principles we have
introduced over a 6-12 month period.
Once teaching actually begins,
I hold weekly meetings to discuss problems and successes, pedagogical
issues and student-teacher interactions. These meetings help GSIs to see
teaching itself as a learning process, rather than as something they're
supposed to pull off without any hitches. In addition, two to four classroom
visits are scheduled during the semester in which I observe a GSI's teaching
style and effectiveness. After a visit, I always set up a conference with
each individual GSI to provide them with feedback on their teaching and
to discuss whatever constructive criticisms may be necessary.
As a mentor, my goal is to
facilitate the explorations of GSIs to help them realize their own and
their undergraduate students' creative potential. I take this calling
quite seriously, keeping in mind that for the truly talented and highly
motivated undergraduate, this endeavor will lead them to the professional
world of theater. For other students whose chosen fields lie in education,
law, medicine, and politics, this kind of creative work will provide greater
communication skills and a stronger sense of self confidence, poise, and
presence. When taught effectively, the acting course will offer students
an appreciation for the many elements involved in the world of a play
(psychology, history, art, philosophy) and provide an opportunity for
them to gain greater insight into the human condition.
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