Updating a post from a few years ago, on 26 December 2007, I presented a workshop on "Inspiring Creativity in the Classroom" to senior students in an elite English program at Taipei First Girls High School, the top girls high school in Taiwan.
The program is an adaptation of one I have presented elsewhere in a number of continuing education and academic conference settings to working teachers and is comprised of improvisational language structures (which I have adapted from improvisational theatre games), guided imagery, and a brief introduction to hypnosis for stress reduction and study skills enhancement with an added “bonus” demonstration of a short comedy stage hypnosis routine with some student volunteers (the students had signed parental consent forms for the hypnosis demonstration – the teacher tells me that every single student received parental permission, most enthusastically).
The three-hour workshop was a resounding success. The teacher (a former university student of mine at National Chengchi University where I am an Associate Professor, one of the top universities in the country) tells me the kids got a LOT out of it and couldn’t stop talking about the experience for days.
Here’s a short video clip:
Just to be clear . . .the comment about the students having trouble with their ABCs was a joke regarding the fact we had just played the improv game “Alphabet Scene” which requires folks to have an improvised conversation with each line starting with a different letter of the alphabet in sequence until all the letters are used which can seem difficult to beginners (but gets pretty easy with practice and can be a lot of fun). The joke had NOTHING to do with the actual language ability of these young ladies as their language proficiency was quite high.
And . . . some photos from the event. . .
More photos can be found here.
Find some related papers on creativity in the classroom at the Journal of Interactive Drama (http://www.interactivedramas.info/journal.htm). I have also published specifically on improvisational language structures in a number of journals and have presented seminars and workshops in a number of conferences as well as for in service teacher training programs and for corporations looking for creativity enhancement services.
For other educators in Taiwan, I am happy to present this or similar programs by special arrangement for your students or events. See http://www.briandavidphillips.com for contact details and more information. If you don’t see a specific program that fits your needs, email me and we will design something perfect for you.
Live Trance and Propser,
Brian
See http://www.BrianDavidPhillips.com for details!
Brian David Phillips, PhD
Certified Hypnotherapist
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan
http://www.BrianDavidPhillips.com