Unscripted Learning

Improvisation is recognized internationally as an exciting tool to jumpstart learning. In this practical book, teachers will discover how to use improv throughout the K–8 curriculum to boost creativity and to develop a class into a finely tuned learning ensemble. Readers will learn how to use this revolutionary tool to teach literacy, math, social studies, and science…and have fun doing it!

Taking group work in the classroom to the next level, this book features:

• Over 100 activities with step-by-step instructions appropriate for those with no prior experience as well as for seasoned performers.
• An index to help choose improv games according to age group, subject area, and level of difficulty.
• A framework for understanding the skills that are developed when children learn particular improv activities.
• Tips for how to extend the activities to acquire additional skills.

Carrie Lobman, Ed.D., is Assistant Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University and Matthew Lundquist, MSSW, MSEd, is a former special education teacher and school social worker, and is the Director of the Manhattan Social Therapy Group.

“Lobman and Lundquist have pulled off a difficult task: They’ve written an easy-to-read, practical handbook for teachers…. At the same time, this book is grounded in solid, up-to-the-minute research and theory.”
—From the foreword by R. Keith Sawyer, Washington University, St. Louis

“Unscripted Learning propels authentic, performance-based activities to a whole new level. This book is essential reading in teacher education courses for liberating teachers from a legacy of scripted curriculum towards one of collective creativity.”
—Anastasia P. Samaras, George Mason University, Virginia

“I will keep this book close at hand in my classroom! Unscripted Learning is a wonderful resource for teachers to use in creating collaborative learning environments; it provides valuable insight into improvisational learning with practical, easy-to-understand classroom activities.”
—Jill McLaughlin, Montclair Public Schools, New Jersey

"While Unscripted Learning is carefully written with the schoolteacher in mind, it is an invaluable read for all innovative educators outside of school, inside corporations, and at the university level.”
—Cathy Salit, President, Performance of a Lifetime