Creating a Level Playing Field: Improvisational Play and Collaboration in Education

Improvisational play methods encourage collaboration, communication and connection amongst groups. Learning can also be enhanced by the basic elements of improvisation; spontaneity, flexibility, and a willingness to experiment and take risks. Soliciting input from a diverse range of perspectives and building an environment based on trust also stimulates the efficacy and creativity of the group process. Consequently, improvisational techniques provide valuable insight for teams prototyping with new media and are particularly applicable to innovation in the field of entertainment. We consider this paper a prelude to further discussion about improvisation and the ways it can be used to explore a variety of educational and entertainment applications from a musical and theatrical perspective.