Can learning stand-up comedy help make stand-up teachers? A case for further investigation

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Perspectives on Teacher Education: Innovative Practices, Education for Sustainable Development, and Joy (Table 6)

Abstract

Keeping an audience of children engaged is one of the fundamental challenges of the art of teaching; even in the hands of a skilled professional, students can often be considered a tough crowd to work with. However, one arts-based profession offers untapped possibility for improving teacher development and classroom management: stand-up comedy. While other artforms touch upon interaction as an aspect of their craft, comedy is centered on audience engagement within the context of an authentic, 'live' situation. By drawing from the theoretical domains of performance-based educational research and drama-based pedagogy, as well as the concepts of "tact" and "flow," my thesis study aims to investigate the potential pedagogical impacts and implications that exposing to and training teachers in stand-up comedy might have, especially on their teaching practices. A pilot case study, grounded in the methodological framework of design-based research, is optimal for accomplishing this goal.

Author

• Alessandro Valiante, McGill University