{"id":59590,"date":"2014-05-23T16:49:43","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T20:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=59590"},"modified":"2020-09-23T15:01:06","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T19:01:06","slug":"cheryl-hines-borrow-skills-improv-take-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/cheryl-hines-borrow-skills-improv-take-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheryl Hines: Borrow Skills from Improv, Take Them to the Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"
Nearly 100 educators from across the country gathered at the 海角直播 this week to learn some big lessons from five middle schoolers who have a lot to say but who aren\u2019t actually human.<\/p>\n
The teachers were part of the College of Education and Human Performance\u2019s<\/a> second national TLE TeachLivE™ conference, and the students are named Maria, Ed, CJ, Sean and Kevin. They\u2019re all students in the virtual classroom simulator<\/a> known as TeachLivE, which was developed at UCF to better prepare teachers to handle the rigors of leading a classroom.<\/p>\n Teachers-in-training and existing teachers can step into the simulator to practice targeted skills, such as classroom management and content pedagogy, in what\u2019s called \u201cvirtual rehearsal.\u201d An \u201cinteractor\u201d from UCF controls all five avatars, which each have distinctive personalities that mirror what teachers might see in the average classroom.<\/p>\n Actress Cheryl Hines, a UCF alumna, kicked off the conference with a presentation about improvisation and how those skills can be applied to the classroom.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be very difficult as a teacher to communicate anything with a student without connecting with them. The only way you can improvise is if you\u2019re a good listener, so you have to listen to what someone else says, because there\u2019s no script,\u201d said Hines, a graduate of the Groundlings, the revered improv comedy troupe based in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Hines, the star of television shows including \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm\u201d and \u201cSuburgatory,\u201d spoke about the importance of playing along, assuming a relationship and making bold choices to both actors and teachers.<\/p>\n \u201cWith teaching, if a student has an idea or a thought or a question, you can\u2019t shut them down and say \u2018That\u2019s a bad question,\u2019 \u2018You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about\u2019 or \u2018Why weren\u2019t you listening,\u2019 any of those things. It has to keep moving in a positive direction,\u201d said Hines. \u201cIn improv, you have to stay in the moment. You can\u2019t plan what\u2019s going to happen next because you don\u2019t know. I think it\u2019s that way with teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the two-day conference, educators attended workshops and discussions about how TeachLivE can be used as a stimulating way to prepare all different kinds of teachers.<\/p>\n Breakout sessions targeted math, science, preschool, counselor and other educators. New developments in TeachLivE, including a parent-teacher conference scenario and the creation of an avatar with Autism Spectrum Disorder, were also introduced.<\/p>\n Just 10 minutes in the simulator forces teachers to think more about their practice, said Karla Auzenne, a science instructional specialist for the Houston Independent School District, which has used TeachLivE as a preparation tool for rookie and veteran teachers.<\/p>\n \u201cEven when I first met the TeachLivE students through Skype, I forgot I was talking to avatars,\u201d said Auzenne. \u201cThey become kids to you. They come off the screen into real life. It\u2019s a game-changer, right then and there.\u201d<\/p>\n