Author: newshootscreativewriting

New Shoots 1

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The first-ever New Shoots anthology features work from students across six schools in the Vancouver School Board. In this first of three decades of student work, these writers immerse readers into transcontinental narratives that are historical and contemporary, experiment with form and content, and address social concerns of the time – more notably, homosexuality at the height of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

 

The opening story, “The Survivor,” takes the reader into a small city in Northern China, where a family struggles with political dissent. Another piece, “The Party,” is a travelogue about the small town of Laboe, in what was then known as West Germany. “Memories” is a short and sweet poem that compares the eponymous title to desserts. A variation on the sonnet form, “A Cat’s Revolution” portrays a scrawny cat against the laughter and scrutiny of children. The flash fiction “Glory in a Moving Bus,” enters the mind of a commuter pondering the logic of transit times – a small concern that many of us wonder about to this day.

Training Symposium: Session One

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The Mentor Training Symposium is composed of three, 2-3 hour sessions where Mentors learn about teaching techniques that will enhance their skills as New Shoots Mentors.  This year, the Symposium will be delivered by John Mavin, UBC Creative Writing Program alumnus and expert in the field of instructor training.  Event details are:

Date: October 17th, 2011
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, room 158
Participants: New Shoots Mentors

Session Description:

Our first three-hour session will focus on developing your presentation and feedback skills to enhance your teaching practice.  Not only will we look at the five elements of a well-structured presentation, we’ll also explore body language and presentation software so you can keep your message clear and deliver what you want to say with confidence, all the while knowing your audience will be informed, entertained, and focused entirely on you.  We’ll also explore the three types of written feedback and give you the tools you’ll need to assess that feedback for its effectiveness.  Please, come prepared for an interactive and lively peer-based session.

Instructor Bio:

John Mavin has taught creative writing at UBC, SFU, Capilano University, with New Shoots, and at the Learning Exchange in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.  He’s a graduate of SFU’s The Writer’s Studio and also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC.  His short fiction has been published internationally (and included in the University of Toronto curriculum), his plays have been produced locally, and he’s a past nominee for both the Prix Aurora Award and the UBC Graduate TA Teaching Award.

Mavin is also a Graduate Student Facilitator with the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, where he’s run Instructional Skills Workshops and Presentation Skills Workshops since 2008.  He’s developed educational workshops on topics ranging from Engaging Presentations, Learning Styles, Leading Discussions, Group Dynamics, to Lesson Planning.

Welcome, welcome one and all!

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Welcome to the online home of New Shoots, an educational partnership between the Vancouver School Board and UBC’s Creative Writing program. My name is Natalie Thompson, and as the New Shoots Coordinator for the 2011/2012 school year, I’d like to welcome all New Shoots alumni—students, teachers, parents—and incoming talent to this year’s exciting partnership.  This website is our new e-home!  Here, you can look forward to receiving up-to-date information on the program’s goings on.  This year, we’ve got a fantastic lineup of events to look forward to.

So we can hit the ground running, here are a few items of note:

1.  The call for New Shoots instructors will be put out in the first week of September.  If you’re a UBC Creative Writing graduate student interested in sharing your expertise in a classroom environment, be sure to inquire by email at newshoots.creativewriting@gmail.com.

2.  In early October, there will be a meet and greet between New Shoots instructors and Vancouver School Board (VSB) teachers.  This is where New Shoots instructors will be partnered with VSB teachers.  Together, they’ll design a lesson plan arc, establish a schedule, and trade ideas on how to teach writing in the coming year.

3.  This year, each school’s UBC New Shoots instructor will nominate one or two of their students to be a writer of the month.  Writers of the month are featured on the website with a bio and excerpt of their writing.

4.  I am available to address any and all questions, comments, or concerns via e-mail at newshoots.creativewriting@gmail.com.  Are you a VSB secondary school student hoping to have a New Shoots teacher come and teach at your school?  If you’re a secondary school student, do your parents want to know more about the program?  Don’t hesitate to contact me.  I want to hear from you.

5.  Copies of the 2010/2011 New Shoots anthology are available!  Please request your copy at newshoots.creativewriting@gmail.com.

6.  UBC New Shoots instructors can look forward to 3-4 training seminars throughout the coming year.  They’ll learn how to lesson plan, engage various learning styles, teach public speaking skills to youths, reflect on their own teaching styles, ask discussion-provoking questions, lecture effectively and so much more.  Instruction of these seminars will be provided by John Mavin, a teacher at UBC’s Centre for Teaching Learning and Technology.  Did I mention this is a fabulous thing to put on a resume?

 

For now, I’ll leave you with this quote and say ciao for now:

Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.

~Willa Cather