Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education

Exploring, Shaping, and Knowing Student Engagement? HMM: Creative Teaching and Learning with Humor, Music, and Movement
Billy Strean, University of Alberta
With growing concerns about student engagement, the theme of creative teaching and learning provides an excellent catalyst to consider methods that enhance students’ classroom experiences. Good teaching is akin to weaving a fabric of connectedness between student, teacher, and subject (Palmer, 2007). Teacher-student connection and student engagement are the two most important ingredients in teaching (Lowman, 1995). This workshop will explore three effective methods of weaving the fabric and engaging students. The session will model how to use humor, music, and movement to deepen learning while adding energy, engagement, and interaction. A short review of research supporting the methods explored in this session will include humor, music clips, and activities so participants will get the students’ perspective of the advantage of these approaches. Participants will work individually and in small groups to explore and shape how they can use their creativity to bring these methods into their own courses.
The workshop will contain several other activities using humor, music, and movement to energize the participants throughout the half-day session.

Thinking Qualitatively

Workshop at the conference on the use of questions in Qualitative Research

Alberta School Board Association

Certified Laughter Yoga Leader training

Become a laughter yoga leader. A fun-filled laughter fest of learning. Sign up now. Read more

Alberta Services for Students Conference

Olds, Alberta

“Come Together: Laughter is the Shortest Distance Between Two People”

Canadian Association of Gift Planners