improvisation in teaching notes

Improvisation in Teaching (WizIQ class, Matt Purland – 31.07.12)
Improvising = making the most of what you have got
Why Improvise?
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It’s fun!
You can react to live problems that your students have.
You can improve your skills – you learn where the hidden notes are.
You will grow in confidence and develop as a teacher.
Students love to see you enthused – and they become inspired in their turn.
If you know the route and every turn in the road your journey will be routine – run-ofthe-mill.
Nothing would have been invented or achieved if people hadn’t wondered: “What
if...?”
Students are not predictable; they are not fixed points on a graph; you can’t treat
them like known quantities.
Life is not scripted – it’s natural for there to be mistakes and rough edges.
If we lose the element of surprise/chance, we lose the vital spark.
Seeing the list of activities in the course book that must be covered in the lesson time
is demotivating for learner and teacher, who tick them off one by one. Learning
should be an adventure.

How can I improvise?
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Aim for “planned spontaneity”!
Form and content: form is fixed, content is free.
Know the destination but not the exact route, yet have the skills to get there.
Be less target-driven.
Be less time-driven. Allow time for smelling the roses; for messing about.
Focus on core skills.
Don’t be afraid of repetition – it’s powerful.
Cover topics and material that is interesting and relevant to you and the group.
Prepare your own material – reduce dependency on other people’s ideas.
Have the courage to try something new... and fail.
Improvise to muted film or create your own DVD commentary.
Follow You Are The Course Book method – Mode 1.

Lesson Analogies:
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Swimming lanes, or splashing about and having fun – or both?
Drive straight there, or go the scenic route with detours and a picnic.
Lecture or workshop?
Do a crossword puzzle or Sudoku (fixed answer) or sketch a picture – or both. (We
need to cater for different learner styles.)
Receptive/passive skills (reading and listening) vs. productive/active skills (speaking
and writing).
Shopping: go straight for the item or go window shopping.
Follow a recipe to the letter, or throw away the recipe book and experiment?

FORM

CONTENT

fixed
safety

free
scary
experimental
spontaneity – being in the moment

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scripted drama

sport (thrilling because the ending is unknown, but the
form/framework – is fixed)

The “Too Helpful” Course Book:
The course book and teacher’s book create a disturbing tension in the teacher between what
they want to do and what they feel they “should” do.
Imagine if there was a course book to help us get efficiently through every moment of every
day:
Exercise 1: Waking Up
a) Wake up at 7.10 am and switch off your alarm clock. You may have a maximum of two
snoozes.
b) Have a warm shower (5 mins). Use 10ml shampoo.
c) Make a cup of tea (mug not cup) and drink it fairly quickly (5 mins).
Exercise 42: At the train station
a) Wait for the train. (15 mins)
b) When the train arrives, get on (after others have got off) and sit towards the middle of the
carriage.
c) Listen to music on your headphones (Beethoven). (20 mins)
d) Look at the weather. What is it like today? Discuss with a partner. (5 mins)
Exercise 534: In the canteen – lunch queue
a) Have the sausage and onion casserole with a bread roll and butter.
b) Sit in the centre of the room (under the window) with a partner.
c) Eat your lunch while glancing at this morning’s paper. (15 mins)
d) Go for a brisk walk. (10 mins)

The Alien Game:
Aim: to practise fluency, thinking on your feet, and improvisation.

3 roles:
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alien
understands English, but doesn’t know anything about this planet; could be forgetful
too – as in forgets straightaway what has already been explained; speaks little; asks
questions like, Why, How, What, etc. and says “I don’t understand”, “What is...?” and
“Can you explain that to me please?” etc. Their role is facilitator to the actor.

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normal person (actor)

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writer

Whole Group Version:
SS suggest topics, then watch as alien and normal person chat; writer writes keywords on the
board, and SS write the keywords in their notebooks in alphabetical order – while correcting
wrong spellings.
The alien tries to keep the conversation going for three minutes (or two, or one, etc.
depending on the level). At this point different students take the roles. You could look at the
keywords on the board, e.g. spelling, pronunciation, sentence building, etc.

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Small Group Version:
SS work in groups of 3. The topics could be pre-decided by the whole group, or the teacher,

or the small group think of some topics. Play the game as above, with a time limit. The writer
writes on the board. Then SS do some vocab exercises with the words that result from the
chat.
Note: this could lead into Stage 1 of YATCB Mode 1 – as a way of finding the discussion
words randomly.
Twist to make it harder: SS choose 10 random keywords without the alien knowing and the
person has to say them all, without the alien guessing them! The alien tries to guess them all.

Matt Purland
31.07.12


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