Role playing can be an effective strategy in organizing one’s thoughts about a topic. Tate’s example of role playing an interview with the author of a book and the example I’ve heard from fellow students of the “Chautauqua” assignment where students portray an educational theorist show that role playing can create a strong connection with content.
Using pantomime to combine movement with memory can help understand and retention. Tate suggests having learners “use their bodies to become the concept being taught.”
Application: In “Working Out Loud” workshops, we use exercises from theatrical improvisation to help learners connect with the concepts of generosity and serendipity. In one iteration of this exercise, I create postcards from common vacation destinations like New York, Mexico, Hawaii, etc. Focusing on common vacation destinations can give learners a frame of reference even if they have never visited that place.
I have learners pair off for the “Yes, and” exercise. “Yes, and” is a staple of improvisation. It is necessary that actors engaging in improvisation go along with whatever direction another actor suggests through their dialogue. One way to practice this is to say, “yes, and” in response to every line. After I explain this, I choose a learner to help me demonstrate. I tell the learner that I’m going to start the scene with a fact about our trip together and that, whatever I say, they should respond with a form of “no.” For example, I might start the scene with, “Remember, when we went snorkeling in Hawaii?” The learner responds with, “No, I don’t remember that.” I respond, “But you must remember those incredible fire dancers at the luau,” and the learner says, “No. I’ve never been to a luau.” I stop the scene there, then we demonstrate the same scene with the learner responding with “yes, and.” I start the scene again with, “Remember, when we went snorkeling in Hawaii?” This time learner responds with something like, “Yes, and we saw a sea turtle. That was awesome.” Now I can build on the scene, so I respond “Yes, and then I thought I saw a shark and I almost drowned in a panic,” and the learner responds “Yes, and then you realized it was just our guide and we laughed so hard about that over drinks that night.”
Having demonstrated how the exercise works, each pair of learners does their own scene based on the location on the postcard I give them. The exercise demonstrates how to practice generosity in conversation. In this exercise, you can’t be thinking of looking smarter or more talented than your partner. You can’t judge your partner’s contributions as stupid or irrelevant. You just need to focus on building on what they said with “yes, and” and doing your best to give them something to build off of. There is no time for quid pro quo thinking, only generosity.
The exercise also demonstrates serendipity as the scenes go in unexpected directions even if one of the actors is trying to steer it in a particular direction.
Assessment: Free Discussion (Barkley & Major, 2016, pp. 271-276)
After everyone has performed their scene, we have a free discussion about how the exercise felt, what we observed and how we might use it in our daily practice.
References
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning assessment techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Tate, M. L. (2012). “Sit and Get” won’t grow dendrites: 20 professional learning strategies that engage the adult brain. (2nd Ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.