teaching as a performing art

PRED 485 2006-2007 I

Inanç Ayar

“THEORY without experience is empty, and

EXPERIENCE without theory is blind.”

Kant

“THEORY IS: When one knows everything, but nothing works.

PRACTICE IS: When everything works, but no one knows why.”

Hermann Hesse

In PRED 485 lecture the basic premise is that there is a close connection between teaching and performing arts. When we try to set an analogy of teaching to performing arts we easily see the link:

teacher / actor        students / audience

classroom / set       performance text / lecture text

And what is more, teacher resembles a one man/women standup performer more than an actor who tries to transmit an unchangeable text. That is, teacher should be ready to change its lecture text if necessary, in terms of student motivation and/or student needs. This implies that in teacher preparation we should develop teacher candidates’ performance and improvisation skills. In this lecture, as you will learn how to be more spontaneous in a fun and creative atmosphere through warm-up exercises, structured improvisation games and basic acting exercises, you will also gain a theoretical background regarding “teaching as a performing art”.

Topics/Themes

·         Teaching as a performing art

·         Basic acting skills

·         Improvisation

·         Using dramatic elements in teaching

Course Requirements:

Participation (26 %) Attendance. Reading the required materials. Joining the class discussions and activities.

Blog               (26 %) You will compose a weekly blog which consists of not only descriptive commentary but also reflective entries that both connect your experiences at the lecture and propose forms of application for your classroom.

Midterm         Paper (18 %) Performance (6 %)

Final              Paper (18 %) Performance (6 %)

Resource book:

Acting Lessons for Teachers: Using Performance Skills in the Classroom (1994). Robert T. Tauber and Cathy Sargent Mester. Praeger London.