Teaching and Learning as Improvisational Performance in the Creative Writing Classroom

In this essay I will argue that the teacher-as-performer metaphor is too simplistic. Instead, I will make a case for R. Keith Sawyer’s notion of the classroom as a site of improvisational performance, especially in regards to creative writing. Then I will discuss three aspects critical to the improvisational performance within this context, drawing on my own experiences in the classroom: establishing workshop structures, ascertaining shared language skills, and encouraging student participation.