Category Archives: Child’s play

Change Through Laughter

  By laurelfelt | February 28, 2013 - 11:53 pm | , , , , , ,
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Viola Spolin and kidsIn the early 1940s, social worker Viola Spolin developed a suite of theater games to stimulate creative expression and build community among Chicago’s diverse immigrant populations. Spolin’s son Paul Sills, founder of legendary theater The Second City, offered up his mother’s games to his comedic ensemble; and ever since, improvisers the world over have played them in order to hone their craft.

But here in Los Angeles, since the founding of non-profit Laughter for a Change (L4C) in 2007, these games have returned to their original context and purpose: helping to build confidence and meaningful connections among residents of underserved communities.

During 2011-2012, L4C founder/director Ed Greenberg ran an after-school workshop with a dozen predominantly low-income, Latino high school freshmen; a trained improviser/doctoral candidate acted as a participant-observer during this year. Through analysis of ethnographic fieldnotes, surveys, and interviews, they found that improvisational theater games provided a no-tech context to practice skills vital to media literacy, such as negotiating trust and exploring identity. As articulated by Felt and Rideau (2012), developing these skills, even in no-tech contexts, prepares learners to apply them in mediated contexts.

In terms of products, participants reported less shyness, more self-confidence, increased comfort with public speaking, greater participation in academic classes, a broader view of teamwork, and fun. L4C’s use of games may help to explain its educational effectiveness. According to USC’s Project New Media Literacies, play “supports constant learning and innovative responses to our surroundings” (Reilly, Jenkins, Felt & Vartabedian, 2012, p. 6). Positive affective climates such as L4C’s also predict such educational boons as greater academic risk-taking and increased motivation (Meyer & Turner, 2006).

L4C’s website claims, “Laughter is powerful. Laughter heals. Laughter builds community.” This study’s findings suggest that L4C’s pedagogy is powerful too, and might help to leverage formal and informal educational settings for healing challenged communities.

Skill Composites

  By laurelfelt | January 24, 2013 - 3:17 pm | , , , , ,
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In 2009, I began examining the intersections between new media literacies (NMLs; Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Weigel, & Robison, 2006) and social and emotional learning skills (SELs; Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, n.d.). I was a student in Dr. Henry Jenkins’s first seminar at USC, and the final paper was looming. I had recently been introduced, via Dr. Michael Cody, to Alexandre Rideau, the director of Senegal’s non-profit Reseau Africain d’Education pour la Sante (RAES) (or, in English, the African Network for Health Education). Alex wanted a proposal for revamping his youth communication for social change program, Sunukaddu. So I completed my assignment in Henry’s class by pitching a NML-rich modification to Sunukaddu for Alex, and adding in the dimension of SEL, which happens to be my passion.

Felt, L.J. (2009). Participatory learning methodologies for enriching an HIV/AIDS intervention to Senegalese youth: The Case for social and emotional learning and new media literacies. Unpublished manuscript.

Both boys bought it, and two important, collaborative relationships were born.

In terms of Alex and Sunukaddu… During the summer of 2010, I traveled to Senegal and spent two months co-designing and implementing Sunukaddu 2.0 with a group of extraordinary colleagues: Idrissa, Tidiane, Charles, and Amadou. Later, Brock also joined our brigade.

There was innovation on the educator level.

Formation Curiculiu, 350
There was learning on the participant level.

IMG_0592

Among both populations post-intervention, growth and advancement:

“You gave me self-confidence thanks to these skills” (Educator Tidiane Thiang, personal communication, September 22, 2010).

“…I saw [Sunukaddu participant] Mami who told me that she’s working in a retail establishment right now and [Sunukaddu participant] Azoupi is enrolled in a computer graphics workshop to become an editor. So, the training awakened vocational interests but also gave youths courage, the courage to take their destinies in their own hands” (Educator Tidiane Thiang, personal communication, October 18, 2010).

And on the communicative/scholarly level, a fair number of works produced (NOTE: The following list just details my efforts, not the textual, multimedia, and programmatic products developed by RAES):

PUBLICATIONS
Felt, L.J., Dura, L., & Singhal, A. (in press). Cultural Beacons in health communication: Leveraging overlooked indicators and grassroots wisdoms. In D.K. Kim, G. Kreps, & A. Singhal (Eds.), Global Health Communication Strategies in the 21st Century. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Group.

Felt, L.J. & Rideau, A. (2012). Our Voice: Public Health and Youths’ Communication for Social Change in Senegal. In M.O. Ensor (Ed.), African Childhoods: Education, Development, Peacebuilding, and the Youngest Continent (pp. 201-217). New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Felt, L.J. (2010, July 29). Making education (double) count: Boosting student learning via social and emotional learning and new media literacy skills. eLearn Magazine: Education and Technology in Perspective.

PRESENTATIONS
Dura, L., Felt, L.J. & Singhal, A. (June 18, 2013). Cultural beacons: Grassroots indicators of change. Paper presented at 63rd Annual International Communication Association Conference, London, UK.
(more…)

Igniting a New Civic Spirit

  By laurelfelt | January 16, 2013 - 9:30 pm | , , , ,
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The Fall 2012 edition of USC Annenberg Agenda, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s in-house magazine, included an article in which the PLAY! project was explicated. For posterity, as well as the benefit of clarifying this research, I’ve included the relevant segment below.

Young people are the focus of a multifaceted Innovation Lab research project referred to as PLAY! (Participatory Learning and You!), where children–as well as the adults who surround them–take part in the creation and circulation of media content within social networks that extend from their circle of friends outward into the community.

An important facet of this program takes place within the scope of the Lab’s partnership with the R.F.K.-L.A. media lab at the R.F.K. Community Schools, six autonomous Los Angeles Unified School District pilot schools located at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel. Focusing on the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem solving, students and teachers from elementary to high school engage in multimedia activities designed to encourage participatory learning and civic engagement.

“It’s meant to foster a more participatory culture where everyone has the skills, the knowledge and the support they need to participate in the community,” says Erin Reilly, managing creative director at the Innovation Lab.

“The journalism of the future is definitely about everybody taking ownership of their own public spaces,” Reilly continues. “If we encourage play at a young age–if we encourage experimentation and the willingness to tinker in our surroundings–then we foster the participatory learning that is at the heart of play, and we create a culture where kids will grow up thinking about how to be better citizens and how to voice their opinions in the public space (Fields, 2012, p. 15).

Additionally, our research was reviewed by KQED’s Mind/Shift, a column that examines culture, teaching with tech, trends in learning, and classroom strategies. This review, featuring commentary from Henry Jenkins and Erin Reilly, is entitled “How Can Teachers Prepare Kids for a Connected World?”

Expertise

  By laurelfelt | December 20, 2012 - 3:29 pm | , , , , ,
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Child development:
I earned my Master’s degree in Child Development from the prestigious Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University, specializing in children’s media.

Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with children of all ages in multiple contexts. I taught pre-school for 3.5 years, conducted research with 1st grade English Language Learners, taught summer enrichment programs to 5- to 9-year-olds in India, studied 6th and 7th grade girls’ instant messaging and social aggression, facilitated after-school programs in new literacies and improvisation for high school freshmen in Los Angeles (Felt, Vartabedian, Literat & Mehta, 2012), and designed a social and emotional learning + new media literacies curriculum for 15- to 21-year-olds in Senegal (Felt & Rideau, 2012).

I understand how children’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development occurs over time, and appreciate how this development informs youths’ capacities and preferences in terms of play, study, and communication.

Games and learning:
I work with Henry Jenkins, one of the nation’s foremost experts in participatory culture and learning. Our research group, PLAY! (Participatory Learning And You!), has implemented several professional development initiatives oriented towards supporting students’ rich learning (Vartabedian & Felt, 2012; Reilly, Jenkins, Felt, & Vartabedian, 2012; Reilly, Vartabedian, Felt & Jenkins, 2012).

I am a co-founder of USC Impact Games, a cross-campus working group that unifies theorists, designers, engineers, and investigators from sundry disciplines. I also consult with Laughter for a Change, a non-profit organization that uses theater games in order to teach members of its workshops about “Playing agreement. Risk taking. Spontaneity. Changing perspectives. Opening up to moments of discovery and surprise. Making active, not passive, choices,” among other things (cited in McFarren, 2011).

I understand how games teach, and how good games can make a profound impact.

Social and emotional learning:
I’ve studied social and emotional learning theoretically and practically in multiple ways, such as by writing a 25-page analysis of empathy (Felt, 2011) and creating curricula that seek to scaffold interpersonal and intrapersonal competence.

I understand the components of social and emotional learning and am passionate about incorporating them as both means and ends of educational experiences.

Overall:
I am uniquely qualified to function as a bridge-builder and translator, helping members of multiple specializations to leverage other fields’ findings and best practices, with the goal of constructing the highest-quality, most impactful product possible.

Ruth

  By laurelfelt | December 18, 2012 - 4:54 pm | , , , ,
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Ruth Feldman, circa 1922


On May 27, 2012, my family celebrated the 90th birthday of the one and only Ruth Feldman Marcus, aka Gramma. My mom and uncle — Ruth’s two children — set this simcha at Max and Benny’s Deli in Northbrook, IL.

The invitation to this party nodded to Ruth’s past, proclaiming, “you can take the girl out of the deli but you can’t take the deli out of the girl.” Ruth’s mother and brother, Sarah Rich Feldman and Maury Feldman, had co-owned and operated a Jewish deli on Chicago’s West Side during Ruth’s teen years. Ruth’s college dreams were denied when Sarah broke her wrist and needed Ruth to fill in for her, slicing cold cuts and carrying trays, among other things. Here at this family deli, Ruth’s future husband (and my grandfather) Ray Marcus took a shine to the cute blonde waitress and endearingly chose to eat far more meals there than strictly necessary.

My uncle Dick welcomed the group of approximately 50 family members and friends, explaining the significance of delis to our family.

Rick Felt, Ruth Marcus, Dick Marcus

Ruth Marcus, Dick Marcus, Barbara Marcus Felt

Later, Uncle Dick revealed his wonderfully creative, hilarious, participatory party game. What if contemporary folks, ignorant of Jewish customs, wandered into an old school Jewish deli? And what if they all spoke Yiddish? (By the way, Uncle Dick’s premise isn’t as random as it may sound; see Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.)

The following three videos feature Uncle Dick’s funny and articulate explanation of the concept. Because my brother recorded the speech on his cell phone, the image resolution is poor but the audio quality is good. He broke the footage up into three segments in order to make each file small enough to send. The beginning of each film includes the end of the last, just to provide context and ensure that no part of the talk was accidentally lopped off.

Dick and Delis: Part 1

Dick and Delis: Part 2

Dick and Delis: Part 3

While the crowd laughed at the prospect of performing (and Uncle Dick’s improbable math), 11 brave, corned beef-sated family members later accepted Uncle Dick’s scripts and embodied the roles of meshuggeneh customers and exasperated servers, first in Yiddish and then in English.

Ashley and me

CUSTOMER 1 – YIDDISH

Customer: Vilt du zine azay goot oz tsu helfin mir?

Waitress (Waiter): Yeh. Vous vilst due?

Customer: Ich vill habn ah sendvich fun pastrami.

Waitress: Mit rye broit?

Customer: No. Mit veisse broit.

Waitress: Veisse? Feh!

CUSTOMER 1 – ENGLISH

Customer: Will you be so good as to help me?

Waitress (Waiter): Yes. What do you want?

Customer: I will have a pastrami sandwich.

Waitress: With rye bread?

Customer: No. With white bread.

Waitress: White?! Feh!

Dick Marcus, Kenneth Marcus, Ina Goldberg

CUSTOMER 2 – YIDDISH

Waitress:            Ken ich helfin der?

Customer:             Ich vill habn ah sendvich fun pecklfleisch mit rye broit.

Waitress:            Rye broit.  Zeier goot.

Customer:            Und mit a shmeer mayonnaise.

Waitress:            Feh!

CUSTOMER 2 – ENGLISH

Waitress:            Can I help you?

Customer:             I will have a corned beef sandwich on rye bread.

Waitress:            Rye bread.  Very good.

Customer:            And a shmear of mayonnaise.

Waitress:            Feh!

Bev Copeland and Bryan Savitsky

CUSTOMER 3 – YIDDISH

Waitress:            Ken ich helfin der?

Customer:             Yeh, danken.  Ich vill habn ah hot dog, mit pomidor und pickle.

Waitress:            Mmm! Geshmak.

Customer:            Und mit ketchup.

 Waitress:            Feh!

CUSTOMER 3 – ENGLISH

Waitress:            Can I help you?

Customer:             Yes, thanks.  I will have a hot dog with tomato and pickle.

Waitress:            Mmm! Delicious.

Customer:            And with ketchup.

 Waitress:            Feh!

Doug Hoffman and Benjy Felt

CUSTOMER 4 – YIDDISH

Waitress:            Arain!  Zetz zach ah nitter.  Ken ich helfin der?

Customer:            Yeh.  Nemn a salami sendvich.

Waitress:            Hart oder zachtig?

Customer:            Hart.

Waitress:            Broit?

Customer:            Tsibbleh bulke.

Waitress:            Zeier goot.

Customer:            Und a slice Swiss cheese.

 Waitress:            Vous?!  Salami mit cheese?!  Feh!  Bist meshugah?  Milchik  un fleishik?!   Nit gedacht!  Feh!

CUSTOMER 4 – ENGLISH

Waitress:            Come in!  Sit down here.  Can I help you?

Customer:            Yes.  I’ll take a salami sandwich.

Waitress:            Hard or soft?

Customer:            Hard.

Waitress:            Bread?

Customer:            Onion roll.

Waitress:            Very good.

Customer:            And a slice of Swiss cheese.

Waitress:            What?!  Salami with cheese?!  Feh!  Are you crazy?  Dairy and meat?!   God forbid!  Feh!

Leanne Marcus, Sarah Felt, and Someone

CUSTOMER 5 – YIDDISH

Waitress1:             Ken ich helfin der?

Customer:            Ich vill haben a BLT.

Waitress1 (aside to Waitress2):            Vos a BLT?

Waitress2:            A sendvich.

Waitress1:            Und vos iz in dos sendvich?

Waitress2:            Pomidor, salat, und, ummm, bacon.

Waitress1:            Vos iz dus bacon?

Waitress2:             Bacon iz…. well bacon iz….

Waitress1:            Bacon iz vos?

Waitress2:             Well, uh, well bacon seh kumpt foon ah chahzer

Waitress1:            FOON AH CHAHZER!  Feh!

Waitress1 to Customer:            Gai avek! Gai! Gai!  Gai tsu Howard Johnson far chahzerfleisch!  Meshiggoner!

CUSTOMER 5 – ENGLISH

Waitress1:             Can I help you?

Customer:            I will have a BLT.

Waitress1 (aside to Waitress2):            What is a BLT?

Waitress2:            A sandwich.

Waitress1:            And what is in this sandwich?

Waitress2:            Tomato, lettuce, and, ummm, bacon.

Waitress1:            What is bacon?

Waitress2:             Bacon is…. well bacon is….

Waitress1:            Bacon is what?

Waitress2:             Well, uh, well bacon comes from a pig.

Waitress1:            FROM A PIG!  Feh!

Waitress1 to Customer:            Go away! Go! Go!  You go to Howard Johnson for pig meat!  Crazy person!

 

Needless to say, a great time was had by all!

.
.
.

My gramma and I have always been close. I had the good fortune of staying nearby for college, so during those years Gramma and I got even closer. I wrote my first column for The Daily Northwestern about a particularly memorable experience together.

Since graduating from college 10.5 years ago, I’ve only lived near Gramma (and the rest of my immediate family) for 2.5 of them. Boston was a lean time, family-wise, but luckily Gramma’s niece Helena Feldman Erlich and her daughter and her daughters live in the Los Angeles area. This means that, even though I’m far away from the heartland, I’m not without my family. We all gathered together last Saturday to celebrate the last night of Hanukkah, and Helena insisted that I share this video with Gramma. You were with us in spirit, Gramma!

Erlich Hanukkah 2012

Mike and I also threw a Hanukkah party, complete with high-stakes dreidel.

And I wrangled two rounds of latke-making, clad in a fabulously garish dreidel apron. As I jokingly explained to Gramma the next day, a 12-year-old girl does not truly come of age at her Bat Mitzvah — she joins the ranks of Jewish womanhood when she cooks up her first batch of latkes. :)

See you in March, Gramma! I love you!