Today in class we discussed the definition of improvisation and the benefits this approach could bring to a classroom. I think improvisation, to a degree, is absolutely necessary. The spontaneity and freedom of being able to improvise moments in the classroom is refreshing for both teacher and student. Focusing mostly on the teacher's use of improvisation in class, I am curious about the way students improvise.
How do students improvise in the classroom? Is it by thinking on the spot about a subject they are not quite prepared to discuss? Or is it by introducing new concepts to a classroom for discussion that correspond to the original topic? In my experience, I think of pop quizzes as moments of improvisation on behalf of the student. In some of my classes, pop quizzes consist of in-class writing assignments about a specific prompt. Since there is not a way to be prepared for a "pop quiz", how do students tackle them? They must improvise to some extent to organize their thoughts and to think and problem-solve quickly. Could this be improvisation? By first glance, we may not consider taking a pop quiz an exercise in improvisation, but to me, this is a clear example of taking a skeletal concept and developing an unplanned response.
My question is this: Can you think of a time in your school experience when you improvised as a student?
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