Teachable moments: What educators and school administrators can learn from applied improv
As educators and school administrators know well, leading a classroom takes thinking on your feet, embracing uncertainty, collaborating effectively, and courageously inventing in real time.
Whether it’s redesigning recess because it’s raining, pivoting to a relaxation exercise because a class is bubbling with intensity, or coming up with effective examples on-the-fly to teach complex ideas, improvisation skills are an essential part of every teacher’s classroom toolkit.
By 9am, a school teacher has resolved an unexpected argument between students, helped a late kid get breakfast, and spontaneously adapted a lesson to take full advantage of a teachable moment.
To support teachers with their many complex roles and responsibilities, WIT@Work offers professional development opportunities that provide new approaches to communication, adaptability, and creative problem-solving that can be put into action the very next day. Our tailored workshops strengthen adaptive leadership skills, refine practical skills in the classroom, and rejuvenate connection and motivation among school staff and learning teams.
BENEFITS FOR K-12 SCHOOLS
- Renew Faculty Morale and Connection: Strengthen relationships to inspire collaboration and mutual support among colleagues in a genuinely joyful way. It’s play, with purpose.
- Strengthen Essential Teaching Skills: Develop critical listening, flexibility, and communication skills that translate directly to confidence, classroom management, and building effective teacher-student relationships.
- Support Change and Innovation Initiatives: Practice “Yes, and!” principles that support collaboration, dialogue, and momentum-building, leading to more original ideas and transformative change.
- Provide Practical Takeaways: Gain immediately applicable tools to create more engaging and supportive learning environments.
WHAT EDUCATORS CAN EXPECT
WIT@Work’s applied improv workshops are…
Engaging: Staff will actively participate in improv games and exercises focused on building skills in collaboration, communication, and creativity. Improv exercises are accessible and inclusive. No one is ever “put on stage.” All games are played together or in small groups, so introverts engage with and enjoy the experience as much as extroverts.
Effective: After each exercise, there will be a quick debrief that:
- Highlights the improv principles being practiced;
- Connects those principles with participants’ job challenges and reliable research;
- Generates clear next steps and new habits to apply in the school setting.
Fun: Improv exercises that are joyful, play that helps learning stick, and exercises that are collaborative and guaranteed to spark laughter and promote relaxation.
WORKSHOP OPTIONS
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- 2-hour Team Building Sessions: Perfect for faculty in-service days!
- Half-day Professional Development: Ideal for deep-dives into communication and collaboration skills.
- Custom Programs: Tailored to address your school’s specific challenges and goals.
OUR CLIENTS
Washington Improv Theater is one of the largest providers of applied improv workshops in the US. Our skills development and training seminars are trusted by clients spanning a broad range of industries and sectors (e.g., Deloitte, PWC, Brookings, the World Bank, IMF, DOJ, NSA, EPA, Marriott, UMBC, UMD, NPR, NIH, and the National Academy of Sciences).
Our educational clients have included the Department of Education, Bright Beginnings, Bellwether, Fulbright, KIPP, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Powell Elementary, Potomac School, School Leader Lab, Sela PCS, Strategic Education, UMBC, and UMD.
WORKSHOP LEADER
John Windmueller PhD, serves as the Director of WIT@Work, the applied improv and organizational training branch of Washington Improv Theater. John has over two decades of experience designing, delivering, and overseeing professional training and graduate education focused on communication, collaboration, and creativity. His PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution provides additional depth in facilitating constructive conversations across differences — a crucial skill in educational settings.
SCHEDULE A CONVERSATION WITH US
Ready to energize your educators? Contact John Windmueller at john@witdc.org or schedule a short conversation so that we can learn more about your school, answer any questions you have about our work, and quickly get you a proposal that fits your goals, schedule, and budget.