Over the last month I’ve been participating in the Active Learning Network (ALN) CPD Series. This has consisted in a set of webinars with each one facilitated by a different members of the ALN CPD organising team, and three presenters each week giving a version of the activity from their book chapter in the 100 Ideas for Active Learning book. This has been a fantastic series, and I’ve come away from each of them with lots of ideas. The one that particularly made my heart sing was the session by Jessica Hancock called Haikus for Learning. Although I would not describe myself as a poet, I do participate in the DS106 Daily Create each day, where a not uncommon task is to write a poetic response, and a form I am often drawn to is the haiku – both for its simplicity and elegance, so I was intrigued to see how Jessica was using it in the context of student assessment.
Jessica asked each of us to write a haiku on the subject of assessment. She introduced the activity by giving a clear description of what a haiku was, including links to resources to help us to count how many syllables our writing had and lots of examples. Participants commented afterwards that they had appreciated this detailed guidance and this is definitely something that I will use when I run a similar activity. She then directed us to a Padlet to add our own haiku – and even suggested a first line to help those needing inspiration. Here’s one of mine:
Now write a haiku
you will be assessed on this
Please make each word count
I can see lots of potential for using haikus in HE. As I don’t currently teach or assess groups of students, I have been thinking about how to modify this activity into my practice. Here’s a couple of ways I can think of using it:
Structured writing sessions – ask each participant to write a haiku at the beginning of the session to describe how they are feeling about getting started, or what they are finding difficult. Ask them to write another one at the end to describe how the session helped (or didn’t help).
Evaluation of CPD sessions – ask each participant to write a haiku to say what they are taking away from the session, whether positive or negative.
I’m also pondering how to use these as a method of data collection for research/scholarship projects …
You can see Jessica’s session, and all of the others, in this playlist and below.
What does the wind say to you today? Does it whisper softly in your ear, or shout right into your face? Write a song about the wind. Bonus points for singing it to us.
I turned to ChatGPT and asked it to:
write a song with 4 verses and a chorus on the subject of the wind. In the first verse the wind whispers, in the second verse it shouts. Here
(Verse 1) In the quiet of the morning, when the world’s asleep, The wind begins to whisper, secrets that it keeps. It rustles through the leaves, a gentle, soothing sound, A lullaby of nature, as it dances all around.
(Chorus) Oh, the wind, it’s a storyteller, in its own sweet way, Whispering through the treetops, at the break of day. With a melody of secrets, in every gentle hush, The wind, it sings of love, in a soft and tender rush.
(Verse 2) But as the day unfolds, the wind gains strength and might, It howls like a wolf, in the moon’s silver light. Shouting through the canyons, a voice both wild and free, A force of nature’s power, for all the world to see.
(Chorus) Oh, the wind, it’s a storyteller, in its own fierce way, Shouting through the mountains, as night turns into day. With a thunderous declaration, in every roaring gust, The wind, it cries of freedom, in a tempest’s fiery trust.
(Verse 3) It can carry dreams on its back, to places far and wide, Lifting hopes and wishes, on an endless, swirling ride. Or it can bring a storm, with its rage and its disdain, A reminder of the forces that nature can’t restrain.
(Chorus) Oh, the wind, it’s a storyteller, in its own special way, Carrying our desires, as it sweeps us far astray. With a fickle disposition, in every twist and turn, The wind, it weaves our tales, as the seasons change and churn.
(Verse 4) In the end, the wind’s a friend, though it may seem aloof, It whispers, it shouts, it’s gentle, it’s uncouth. A reminder of the mysteries of nature’s grand design, In every twist and turn, the wind tells stories so divine.
(Chorus) Oh, the wind, it’s a storyteller, in its own mystic way, Guiding us through life’s journey, as we go day by day. With a timeless wisdom, in every breath it sends, The wind, it tells our story, in a love that never ends.
Then I searched around for a text to song app and found VoiceMod. Here’s what it produced from the first verse of the song.
Today’s Daily Create asks us to write a poem or piece of prose about this image and also what she is dancing to if we like. This statue reminded me of a statue of Shiva that lives in a local museum, so I asked ChatGPT to “please write me a classic ode about the goddess starlight dancing to overcome the ignorance of humanity” and this is the result.
O Starlight, celestial maiden of the night, Infinite grace in your shimmering flight, Amidst the vast expanse of cosmic sea, You twirl and whirl in purest majesty.
You dance upon the velvet canvas high, A symphony of radiance across the sky, A goddess fair, in darkness you’re arrayed, To banish ignorance with your soft cascade.
Infinite orbs, your dance partners above, Their stories whispered in the language of love, You pirouette through the void, undeterred, To teach us secrets by which we’re stirred.
As humans stumble in the depths of night, You lead the way with your gentle light, Revealing the mysteries of the distant spheres, Quenching our thirst for knowledge and noxious fears.
Ignorance trembles in your presence, dear Star, As you waltz and shimmer from afar, Each twinkle, each glimmer, a beacon of hope, In your dance, we find a boundless scope.
Eons may pass, yet you remain the same, A constant guide in this endless cosmic game, In your brilliance, humanity finds its chance, To learn, to grow, to overcome ignorance’s trance.
So, Goddess Starlight, we hail your grace, Your timeless dance in the boundless space, For in your radiant glow, we find the way, To seek the truth, and let ignorance sway.
Dance on, O Starlight, in your timeless grace, With every twirl, we’ll find our place, To conquer ignorance with knowledge’s might, Guided by your ever-beckoning light.
