Reflection of LA #9 The Comedian

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:56:40 +0100

The Comedian was a profoundly interesting movie to watch. The first

time I saw it was in the theater after seeing Jerry Seinfeld on Jay

Leno or Letterman, where he was promoting the movie. It played in a

small theater in LA, which was the perfect location to view it. I

watched it for the entertainment value and was very disappointed on

that level. I left the theater thinking, "What was the message in this

movie" and "why was it made"? I remember thinking that when you are

an expert at whatever it is you do, it looks effortless, and no one

but others that do what you do, could ever know the amount of effort,

energy and skill goes into what you do. Much like what it takes to be

a competent educator.

Living in SoCal I have seen many comedians, including Seinfeld and  Leno, as walk-ins, at local comedy clubs to test out new material.  They always made it look easy and fun. I didn't realize the amount of  time (years) that went into honing the 3-5 minutes worth of material that entertained me. I don't think I appreciated their ability and  skill like I will now after seeing this movie.

What are the similarities in this movie and education? To me it is  the ability to 1) self-reflect honestly, 2) work with others to discuss the progress of the project or thoughts, 3) realizing that most things will not be viewed equally as your "audience" changes, 4)  understanding that there is a point in time that things "don't work"  anymore and be willing throw out the old ideas and start with fresh ideas, 5) understand that when rebuilding or building a new theory will take time, dedication and effort, 6) know the individuals that  you can trust to provide you honest feedback, and 7) things work  better when you have passion and the desire to do what you do.

At first, I kept thinking that Seinfeld was not working collaboratively but when I watch the video I realized that he was indeed working with others. It's just a different environment; one that lends itself to the appearance of isolation. Seinfeld had his community of learners and they functioned like all community of learners. The development of new material was in some sense short, quick cycles of action research.

To me is yearlong journey is a wonderful example of informal and social constructivist learning.  What I enjoyed was when he found material that work with all audiences with consistency and predictability, and then he knew he had what he was going for. It appeared to be a poignant example of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. Additionally, I believe that you can utilize Vygotsky’s theory by saying that Seinfeld was an example of MKO (more knowledgeable other) in his relationship with Adams.

I believe that there are many direct correlations and parallels between what was portrayed on the video and what occurs in the educational arena. The ability to find a theory, pedogical style, or environment that will allow all students to learn regardless of their educational background or past experiences.

learning-adventure-9

Reflection of LA #9 The Comedian