AATE 2010 Session Barker Embracing Chaos

8/9/2019 AATE 2010 Session Barker Embracing Chaos

1/6

Prepared by Lisa Barker for AATE 2010 1

Embracing Chaos: Improvisational Theatre Training for Secondary Classroom DiscussionSaturday, August 7, 2:30-4:00pm

DESCRIPTION: Through interactive exercises and team reflection, participants will explore how the central tenets

of improvisational theatre can support the contingent, collaborative skills teachers need to effectively facilitate

classroom discussion. Although scholars and researchers have discussed the importance of teacher moves such as

authentic questioning and the uptake of student responses, the literature rarely addresses what skills teachers

need to acquire these moves and how teacher educators can best develop these capacities. Improvisational

theatre training offers a safe space for teachers to sharpen skills central to effective classroom discourse

facilitation. Such skills listening, adapting to new situations, embracing mistakes as learning opportunities, and

valuing others' ideas and experiences are highly relevant to the kind of work teachers must do to critically

engage young people through meaningful classroom discourse.

Dear Friends:

Thanks so much for your participation in this session. In this document, Ive done my best to capture thefacilitation steps I applied during theworkshop; in most cases, Ive erred on the side of specificity (esp. in

part II). In addition, I periodically include my facilitator-thinking in italicized notes, and Ive annotated

my original plan with post-session thoughts (e.g., to indicate where I strayed from the plan during our

time together, to consider what I might do differently next time or in d ifferent contexts).

Im excited to hear which exercises you tailor for your own classrooms andcontexts. As you encounter

ideas and questions, feel free to email me ([email protected]).

Yes and,

Lisa Barker

I. Welcome & Introduction (to self, space, and shape of the session) 2:30-2:40

II. Improvisational Theatre Exercises 2:40-3:30

A. (10 min) Challenger11. Instruct participants to stand facing a partner. It is not important who their partner is

because the nature of this activity is such that players will experience a number of

partners before the activity is over.As players move, quietly ask a participant if they

would be open to helping you demonstrate.

2. First round: 1-2-3a. Demonstrate the following with a partner:

i. One player begins with the number 1.ii. The second player says 2.

iii.

The first player says 3.iv. The roles switch, and the other player starts with 1. The pattern continues.1

Structure inspired by Helen White and Chris Vine (Creative Arts Team, NY).


2/6


v. Players aim to increase speed and confidence.vi. When a mistake (e.g., wrong number) is made, players celebrate by saying,

Tada! and someone begins a new round.

vii. Try several rounds with your demo partner.b. Ask participants if they have any questions, thank your demo partner, and then

invite the group to begin.

c. After partners have had a few minute to practice this, use a focus symbol (I used atime-out gesture, which I borrowed from Helen White at Creative Arts Team.

Sometimes, with more time, its fun to have a group design their own symbol.)to

communicate to pairs to transition their attention toward you.

d. Ask participants to thank their partners and find a new partner. Use this transitiontime to find a new demo partner.

3. Second round: Cat Meow Cow Mooa. Demonstrate the following with a partner:

i. There are four things that can be said: cat, meow, cow, or moo.ii. One partner begins by saying one of these words, and the other partner

responds in t he following ways:

1. If leader says cat, partner says meow.2. If leader says meow, partner says cat.3. If leader says cow, partner says moo.4. If leader says moo, partner says cow.

iii. When a mistake (e.g., wrong word, hesitation) is made, partners celebrate bysaying Tada! and a new leader begins a new round.

iv. Try several rounds with your demo partner.b. Ask participants if they have any questions, thank your demo partner, and then

invite the group to begin.

c. After partners have had a few minute to practice this, show your focus symbol.d. Ask participants to thank their partners and find a new partner. Use this transition

time to find a new demo partner.

4.

You can continue with other rounds (e.g., word-at-a-time sentence, two-word-at-a-timestory, 3 things youve both read) depending on your objectives and timeconstraints. You

can also change the group size (e.g., form groups of 5 and then give the challenge: You

have 3 minutes to find out the weirdest thing you all have in common; be prepared to

share.). Rounds can be for pure community-building, or can begin to be content- or

discussion-driven.

5. Depending on your objectives, you might opt to reflect here(e.g., What do theseexercises require you to do? What was a lovely moment that surfaced for you?).

B. (10 min) I am a Tree1. Gather participants into a circle.2. Step forward, throw your arms in the air, and announce, I am a tree. Ask participants

to repeat the same sound and gesture. Say that this time, someone else will step in,

announce I am a tree, and freeze. Wait for that to happen.

3. Narrate that you will then enter the circle and offer a second item that could go with thetree (e.g., I am a squirrel. I am a tire swing.). Do that and freeze.

4. Now that you have two offers frozen in the circle, saythat a third person will enter witha third offer that uses the same I am _____ pattern. Wait for that.

Comment [L1]: Because of our time constrai

I opted to reflect for a longer period of time tow

the end of the session.


3/6


5. Once you have a three-part image, instruct the tree to decide on one offer to take;they indicate this by saying, Ill take the ____. The first offer (in this case, the tree)

and whatever they took return to the outside of the circle. The remaining offer

repeats their sound (e.g., I am a squirrel.), and a new three-part image emerges in a

different context (i.e., this is no longer the same scene that the tree was in).

6. Once it looks like the group understands the pattern, mention that this exercisecontinues until someone offers I am a tree again; the tree should make sense for the

image. When the second tree is offered, the exercise is done, and all participants

applaud.

C. (10 min) 3 Things1. Group forms a circle. This game requires a good amount of confidence and risk-taking,

so I usually ask for a brave volunteer to help me demonstrate. Facing this volunteer, I

explain the following tasks:

a. For everything we say in this game, we must aim to be quick and confident.b. Making eye contact, we will pump our fists and say, Three Things!c. My partner will initiate a category by saying, Three thingsthat _____ (e.g., Three

things that you find on a farm. Or Three things you wear.).

d. As quick as I can, I will list three things that fit that category.e. We will pump our fists and say, Three things.f. I will initiate the category, and my partner will list three things.

2. We demonstrate how this works a few times until weve built up sufficient energy.3. Ask participants to practice these rules in their own space with a partner.4. Bring group together to try the exercise in a circle. At the same time, everyone pumps

fists and says, Three things! The facilitator (or someone else) starts by offering a

category to the person to their right or left; this person then lists three things. The

group punctuates these choices by pumping fists and saying Three things! At this

point, the person who just listed three things initiates a category to the next person in

the circle. The exercise ends when the person who began in the circle lists three thingsand everyone punctuates with pumping fists and Three Things!

D. (10 min) What are You Doing?1. Gather group into a circle for demonstration.2. Secure a partner; you can secure a partner ahead of timeduring the transition, or ask for

a brave volunteer. Ask your partner to start moving in any way they wish(e.g., walk

around the circle, build a house). Narrate that you will say, What are you doing? and

your partner will stop and confidently announce an activity that they arenotdoing (e.g.,

finding my lost toy, singing in the rain). When that happens, you will immediately start

doing that offer until your partner interrupts you with What are you doing? Try that.

3. After the demonstration, check for questions. Thank your partner, and give the grouptime to practice with partners or small groups.

4. Once it seems like the directions are solidified, up the stakes. If participants arentalready, place them into small circles. Tell the group that you are going to bring thetada (i.e., the notion of identifying and celebrating mistakes) into the exercise. Ask

the group for examples of what might be amistake in this exercise. Once you have a

list, say that as someone makes a mistake, one or more people throw their arms into

Comment [L2]: At this point, we split into tw

groups. I like doing this sometimes, especially if

the space doesnt allow for a full-group circle, (b

Im interested in folks having more opportunities

participate, and/or (c) Im moving a group toward

self-sufficiency.

Comment [L3]: I skipped to step #4 because (

wanted to save time for later, and (b) folks seem

up for the silly. With young people and/or a newgroup, this game feels risky, so Id spend a bit mo

time making sure its a safe space. For example

might do this as a partner activity during the

Challenger exercise; that way, it starts out as a

partner exercise, and we can work toward doing

together in a circle.

Comment [L4]: I skipped this and instead as k

for 4 circles with at least 4 folks in each circle. I d

this to give everyone multiple opportunities to

participate.

Comment [L5]: Some of the things you said:

y Repeating the present participle (i.e., the -

word after I am). For example, one person s

I am eating a fish, and the next person says,

am eating a big Thanksgiving meal.

y Hesitating

y

Offering an action that you could actually bedoing

With more practice, sometimes I tell groups that

saying I am before getting to the -ing word is

form of hesitation and constitutes a tada.


4/6


the air and say, Tada! When this happens, the person who made the mistake runs tothe outside of the circle, and a new person runs in to ask the remaining partner What

are you doing?

E. (10 min) Circle Stand (a.k.a. Number Up)1. Gather group into a circle with each person seated in a chair. Ask group to come closer,

almost knee-to-knee.

2. Ask group to sit toward the edge of their chair so that they can stand and sit quickly.Practice this.

3. Let group know that youll announce a number. The group then tries to silently(andwithout communicating to one another)have that number of people stand up. Other

rules of this exercise:

a. At any time and for any reason, a person may decide to sit or stand, whether or notthe group has the exact number of people already standing. This is ok, and the

group will adjust accordingly.

b. If a person starts to sit/stand, they must complete the motion. Here, I like todemonstrate the action that participants should avoid, and I sometimes say that if I

see someone begin to stand/sit, Ill ask them to complete the intention.

4. Check for questions. Begin with the first number, and change numbers periodically.You may want to secretly count the full number of the group so that youre aware of the

maximum number you can call.

5. End with the number zero, at which point everyone sits, and you can use this time toreflect or transition to the next activity.

III. Reflection What do these exercises require you to do? 3:30-3:40

A. Remind participants of the titles of the activities we did in part II.B. Ask participants to discuss the following question with the folks near them: What do these

exercises require participants to do?C. After a few minutes, gather the groups attention with the focus symbol and record their

responses to the question on a large poster.Use this list to transition to talking about the

pilot study.

IV. Discussion-Based Activity 3:40-3:55

A. Offer an overview of my pilot study, Beyond Bueller: Improvisational Theatre Training forSecondary Classroom Discussion. Be sure to highlightthe following:

1. Hypotheses (i.e., The kinds of work that improvisers do overlaps with the kinds of workthat teachers do when they facilitate classroom discussion. Improv training, therefore,

may elucidate these moves and therefore support teachers in their preparation for and

thinking about classroom discussion.)

2. Relevant research that has linked teachers discourse moves (esp. uptake of studentresponses) to student learning. Make the connection between uptake and the yes

and tenet of improvisation (i.e., accepting and building upon others offers).


5/6


B. Distribute handout (Kinds, Examples, and Functions of Uptake), which is also in appendix.Orient participants to this handout. Check for questions about this handout.

C. If time permits, demonstrate how this handout works by facilitating a discussion based on atext (e.g., the mural Un Pasado que An Vive by Joel Bergner

2).

D. Open the conversation up to larger research questions around this topic.V. Closing Activity Word-at-a-Time Proverb 3:55-4:00

A. In a circle, participants place their fingers together, facing each other, in front of them (likethey are plotting something intense and sinister).

B. Explain that you will offer the first word of a proverb, and the person next to you will givethe second word of that proverb. This will continue until at least one person in the group

decides the proverb has ended; we will know when this happens because one or more

people will say yes yes yes yes yes while they place their fingers together quickly. When

this happens, everyone joins in with their own chorus of yeses, and the next person offersthe first word of the next proverb.

C. This continues until everyone has gone at least once. I usually like to do a few rounds to giveeveryone the hang of it, and I usually like to end on a particularly successful (i.e., fun,

funny, positive) proverb.

VI. Appendix Resources

A. Handout Kinds, Examples, and Functions of Uptake 3B. Some texts I like:

1. On Improvisation/Exercisesy Boal, A. (2002). Games for Actors and Non-Actors. New York: Routledge.y Johnstone, K. (1979). Impro: Improvisation and the theatre. New York: Routledge.y Ryan Madson, P. (2005). Improv wisdom. New York: Bell Tower.y Spolin, V. (1963). Improvisation for the theater. Evanston: Northwestern University

Press.

2. On Classroom Discussiony Barnes, D. (1992). From communication to curriculum. Portsmouth: Heinemann.y Cazden, C. B. (2001). Classroom discourse: The language of teaching and learning.

Portsmouth: Heinemann.

y Marshall, J. D., Smagorinsky, P., & Smith, M. W. (1995). The language ofinterpretation: Patterns of discourse in discussions of literature. Urbana: National

Council of Teachers of English.

y Mehan, H. (1979). Learning lessons. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.y Nystrand, M. & Gamoran, A., Kachur, R., & Prendergast, C. (1997). Opening

dialogue: Understanding the dynamics of language and learning in the English

classroom. New York: Teachers College.

2For more information on this mural and others by the artist, visit www.joelsmurals.com

3This document is changing all the time. If you decide to use this chart/concept in any way, please contact Lisa

([email protected]) so that she can give you an updated version.

Comment [L6]: Participants seemed to want

move to part D, so I opted to skip part C and just

briefly mention the importance of rich texts. The

kinds of texts can take many forms (e.g., open-

ended questions, literature, maps, charts, art,

historical documents), and should have ample ro

for multiple interpretations.

Comment [L7]: I should have brought more

copies of this mural and/or distributed it later;

people seemed interested in it, and I wonder if t

do-I-get-one tension might have undermined wh

I was trying to go next.


6/6


Kinds, Examples, and Functions of UptakeKinds of Uptake

In response to offer:

Polk was all ambitious about land.

Possible Functions of Uptake

Perfunctory

(e.g., Ok.)

a. N/A; response is automatic or token.b. To communicate Im listening or keep going.c. To communicate evaluative feedback about the

offer.

Repetition , as a statement or question

(e.g., Ok. Ambitious.)

In addition to (a-c) above:

d. To make the offer more audible to others.e. To verify that the speaker understood what was

said.

Re-voicing, as a statement or question

(e.g., Ok. Ambitious. Im hearing you say that

President Polk was expansionist.)

In addition to (b-e) above:

f. To introduce content-specific terminology or info.g. To model modes of academic discourse.h. To summarize one or more offersi. To synthesize one or more offers

Connection, as a statement or question

(e.g., expansionist. This is related to Emilias

comment about what the cannon might

symbolize.)

In addition to (b-i) above:

j. To encourage a return to the text or originalquestion.

k. To connect offer to other participants offers.Extension, as a statement or question

(e.g., expansionist. Say more about that.;

What in the political cartoon gives you this

impression?; How do Polks leadership values

and approaches compare with other pre-Civil

War leaders?)

In addition to (b-k) above:

l. To invite clarification of , elaboration on, oralternative perspectives to the offer.

m. To apply one or more offers to a new question.

Some Sentence Starters

[To summarize an offer] As ____has pointed out, ____. / Im hearing ____ say ____.

[To extend or clarify] To build upon what ___ said, ___. / To this, I would like to add __.

[To (dis)agree with evidence] As ____has pointed out, ____. I agree with this because _____.

My perspective is different in that __. I feel this way because __.

Documents

AATE 2010 Session Barker Embracing Chaos