The Journey to Improv and Language

I loved languages since I was a child. My dad used to say it was because knowing languages allowed me to talk to more people. What I love even more is helping others express themselves in a different language. Every language teacher can relate to the wonderful spark and excitement people feel when they begin to master a new language.

I really discovered Improv when my daughter took an Improv class at the Hangar Theater in Ithaca, NY. She was 6. I was familiar with Improv in television, with shows like “whose line is it anyway” or Saturday Night Live. But watching these little six year olds doing Improv activities so naturally and joyously made me realize, the same could be done for language learning. I felt that Improv could be the conduit to a superior way to learn a second language and I started reading about it. I took classes at the Second City, the Mecca of Improv, and eventually defended my PhD dissertation titled: Using Improvisation to Increase Students’ Self-Efficacy, Oral Proficiency, and Learning Satisfaction in Second Language Learning.

More recently I was exposed to the difficulty of students having to learn in school in a language that is not their first. Working with teachers and English Language Learners I found that by including the arts, specifically improvisation, students were provided another pathway to learn content and acquire language. Improvisation differentiates instruction and tailors activities allowing students to respond using a variety of learning strategies. Furthermore, improvisation created a collaborative and interactive environment lowering the students’ anxiety and encouraging them to take risks with the language. By interacting with their peers, students were able to learn and practice basic interpersonal language and gain cultural competence.

Improvisation continues to informs every aspect of my lesson development and delivery. It has truly turned my classroom to be student-centered and driven.