Dramatic “improv” techniques in English/language arts classes can boost engagement and creativity by ensuring that students feel safe about speaking up and don’t “overthink” their answers, according to a K-12 Dive article.
“It gets them on their feet, using their imagination,” says Christian Goering, professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions. “I’ve never been part of an improv activity in a school that didn’t generate smiles and laughter. Maybe right now, the way school is in our society, that’s more important than ever.”
Improvisation anticipates and even expects mistakes as part of humans coming together, says Lisa Marie Barker, director of improvisation initiatives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education.
“We fail, cheerfully,” she says. “If facilitated effectively, [improv] can have good outcomes. If debriefed well, it can open up conversations related to psychological safety — to save face, preserve our humanity and leverage mistakes as beautiful, natural gifts people are giving to the learning community.”
All teachers should take an improv class as part of their own education, Goering suggests, as he did as an undergrad student.
“Being up in front of a group of students, being able to project your voice, and being ready to respond to whatever it is they say — and they say the craziest things — there’s a skill set there,” he says. “There’s a muscle that, as a teacher, I really appreciated and was quick to use.”
Improv’s social aspect appeals to students, too. Goering recalls he got to know fellow students in his college improv class much better than peers in other subjects.
“The dialogic nature of improv — what I say responds to what you said, back and forth — that’s what school should look like,” he says. “It opens up all kinds of doors for understanding and appreciation of differences.”
Improv also builds student confidence. “You’re going to see students come alive and do things they wouldn’t otherwise do,” Goering says. “The traditional ‘Yes, and’ activity is a great place to start if a teacher is new to improv and new to the context of using this in your class. … It’s a way to explore things with a lot more depth and a lot more authenticity.”
A note of caution: The use of improv can either be safe or “leave you feeling icky” if mistakes are not seen as welcome and celebrated, and if students aren’t given the opportunity to “save face” when making them, Barker says.
“In an ELA classroom, you can use improv games to imagine characters and places and dialogue that children can use in their writing. That is a home run,” she says. “It can open up conversations about ways children can participate with each other.”
An ELA teacher can set group norms after playing a few of improv games and then ask, “What did those games require of you?” Barker says. Ideally, the answer is something to the effect of, “Listening closely, building on ideas and laughing.”
“When people feel like they’re part of a community that cares about each other, they can take risks, do important work, and they can show up,” Barker says. “Attendance will be better, children will be ready to rock, see themselves as useful and belonging, and take on leadership roles. That, in and of itself, is engagement.”
K-12 Dive
