#MediaMonday: Convention Practice
Good morning everyone,
Over the past few weeks, I have had many opportunities to speak with many of our STN affiliate teachers around the country and a common theme has emerged. When I have asked them what they have been working on, the answer has been largely the same: "we are practicing for convention".
Now, to an outsider, this might seem odd or even unnecessary. However, if you look at our programs like athletic teams and at Convention like Nationals, then the dots start connecting. Like with any skill, media production needs practice and repetition to maintain a level of excellence under pressure.
But, many of you might be wondering: how do I practice for convention?
Well, let's talk strategy.
First, if you don't have time to practice but just want to get your students into the right headspace, share my Instagram series on Convention Hacks with your students. They are quick and easy videos with basic tips.
But, if you do have time to practice, here is one way to approach it:
Download the contest sheets from the affiliate drive HERE.
Let the students know what teams they are on and who they are working with.
Have students exchange phone numbers and start a group chat.
Give the teams their contest sheets.
Have students watch previous winners on STN's YouTube channel HERE.
As the teacher, look at the past entries and make up fake prompts for practice that you can give the students.
Once you give the students the prompts, give them the exact amount of time as their contest to complete the practice.
To submit their entries, have them upload their videos to a school submission site (Canvas, GoogleDrive, etc.).
Once the practice is over, score the entries based on the judging criteria, discussing with with students where they excelled and where they deviated from the contest requirements.
Have the students meet with their teams again and discuss ways that they felt like the wasted time and how they can avoid those problems during the real event.
If you have the time, do steps 1-10 again.
While no practice method is perfect, any successful method will do these four things:
Get students in the right headspace before contest.
Simulate the challenges of the event.
Allow students to build trust within their team before the event.
Be critical of certain behaviors and mistakes in a safe environment that allows for learning and growth.
Best of luck to all of our schools this year and be safe!
What methods do you use to get your students ready? Share them out on the listserv! We'd love to hear them.
Talk to you soon,
Josh Cantrell