Improv: Learning That’s Fun, Not Work
Learning for special education students often is hard, serious work. Stress can be a roadblock. Group learning is an added challenge.
Improv exercises can break through. “Michael Bruckmueller and MNprov make everything doable,” says Teresa Johnson, special education teacher in the Minnetonka School District. “He finds a way to get us unstuck and keep activities flowing,” she says. “He gives off a vibe of positivity and acceptance, which is very important in the lives of students who aren’t always accepted and whose life is not always positive.”
Teresa has been a special education teacher for 32 years. She has a variety of responsibilities, teaching reading and writing to students with learning disabilities and also teaching independent living, employment and post-secondary education to students in a class called “Transitions.”
“Laughter and Learning...And the laughter! Oh my gosh. Seeing kids genuinely laugh and be joyful is my favorite part. Learning for them is viewed as work. MNprov is learning that is viewed as fun.”
“School can get hard. MNprov breaks the logjam”
Despite its challenges, “there is something so genuine about these students that I feel pretty fortunate to have chosen this career,” she says.
Special education students can be resistant learners, according to Johnson. “And group learning, group communication and working together do not come naturally,” she says. “But they soon love improv and get involved in the activities.”
The learning that takes place includes expanding vocabulary, speaking and listening skills. “And then there is the ‘feel-good’ part of it,” Teresa says. “There’s learning going on and they don’t even know they are learning. They’re just having fun.”
Teresa says an added benefit is how improv involves the teachers. “We’re in a circle and we’re all part of an event. Teachers and paraprofessionals are doing the same thing that the students are. It makes us more real to the student.”