In this article, we explore the idea that comedy, with its often unorthodox ways of looking at, experiencing, and responding to the world, offers untold possibility for classroom literacy instruction. The article focuses on the potential of Improv comedy as socio-materialist literacy in the classroom. It provides an account of Improv as a form of…

Despite the potential of the maker movement to influence how we teach students in school, thus far, most research on maker activities have taken place in informal spaces, such as museums and after-school programs, which are inaccessible to some populations. To ensure maker education reaches "all" students, it must find its place at…

Improvisation is an area of interest to both music education researchers and music educators alike. The purpose of this literature review was to examine extant studies related to improvisation at the elementary level. Selected research included the nature of improvisation, the amount of instructional time and activity type used, the development of…

As the U.S. population has become significantly more culturally diverse, many music educators have acknowledged the necessity to implement culturally diverse musics in music curricula. One of the challenges in teaching culturally diverse musics is designing a balance between performing-based activities and other activities such as listening,…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of a six-stage story structure (4S) approach on elementary students' story production. To this end, the 4S approach was developed and realized in the form of paper-based and digital storybooks based on scaffolding theory. Specifically, the students learned the six-stage story structure…

Innovation and learning come together in a vibrant manner during dynamic arts education classes led by teachers who understand the importance of collaboration and student improvisation.

This exploratory design experiment investigates Black male youth's participation in a science-learning environment designed to conceptualize the practice of critique as improvisational performance. The research highlights the young men's deployment of a linguistic practice, signifying, used to co-construct and enact the practice of collaborative…

Purpose: In this paper, the authors engage with embodied critical literacies through an exploration of the possibilities provided by the use of improvisational comedy (improv) in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to extend understandings of critical literacy to consider how embodied critical literacy may be transformative for both…

Our aims were to examine the efficacy of a new observational instrument "System for Observing Outdoor Play" for detecting changes in outdoor play and chart the use of recycled and repurposed materials in the school playground during the course of an intervention to increase outdoor play. Children from one Sydney primary school were…

This longitudinal study examines the relationship between young people's creative and performing arts participation (e.g., in dance, drama, film, music, visual arts) and their arts self-concept. Drawing on the positive youth development (PYD) framework and the reciprocal effects model (REM) of self-concept, a cross-lagged panel design is…

This mixed-method study examined the attitudes and opinions of Artvin Çoruh University teacher candidates regarding the use of creative drama instruction within social studies courses. Participants were 24 university students attending their junior year in the Social Studies teacher education program. Creative drama instruction was planned and…

Individualized instruction and differentiation are fundamental concepts of the Dalcroze approach to music education. Émile Jaques-Dalcroze believed that students learn to be musical by different modalities. His three core branches, eurhythmics, rhythmic solfège, and improvisation, are intertwined with active listening, positive self-expression,…

The aim of this study is to reveal a new and unique technique that can be used in music lessons and other courses and to determine the impact of the Enriched Creative Activities Program with the Aytürk Technique, which was developed by Ertürkler, on the creative thinking abilities of students. The study was designed according to a pretest-posttest…

The criterion problem was one of the focal points of early studies of creativity, but several useful criteria have been developed in the last few decades. The investigation reported here represents additional progress. This report (a) describes a new quality of creative achievement index for each domain of the Creative Activity and Accomplishment…

Approaches to teaching music notation and instrumental technique have been standardized and codified in the United States with great success in beginning instrumental programs. While these skills are important, we do a disservice to students if we do not equally develop comprehensive musicianship and creative thinking at a young age. Creating…