Beyond Collaboration: Modeling Course Design on Theatre Ensembles for Improved Classroom Culture and Purposeful Learning

Abstract

The author unpacks and utilizes the pedagogical success of improvisational theatre ensembles, offers core course design elements inspired by improv that match best practices, and gives concrete ideas for immediate use to strengthen community and increase engagement in college classrooms. Ensemble Culture is a framework for building community in the classroom and beyond using creativity, empathy, storytelling, complexity, equity, interdependence, authentic audience, and experiential learning. Educators have seen success through this method in First-year seminars, Quantitative Reasoning courses, introductory seminars, and upper level/advanced courses.

Keywords:

• Community
• creativity
• culture
• equity
• experiential