Improvisation PhD Student Writes Tangible Strategies to Improve Literacy and Oracy in Elementary Schools

Sophie Brown (PhD, Critical Studies in Improvisation and International Development) has published a co-authored chapter with community partner Lindsay Bobyak in book, Impactful Classroom Experiences in Elementary Schools.

The chapter, "Counter-Melodies and Creativity: Filling the Gaps in a Rural Colorado School" draws on the experience of Bobyak and Brown in using Pre-Texts (methods for integrating civics, innovation, and literacy) with elementary students as part of Creative Roots Collective, a collective impact organization which provides educational opportunities in rural Colorado. The chapter provides tangible strategies for elementary teachers and educators, which can improve literacy and oracy outcomes for students and bridge the gap between idealism and practicality of a creative, collaborative, and co-owned classroom experience. The chapter provides vignettes of the arts-based protocol in action and breaks down the component Pre-Texts activities. Finally, the authors look at positive changes in student behavior and provide guidance for integrating Pre-Texts into the classroom.

This chapter will form the basis of her upcoming presentation as part of IICSI's Thinking Spaces speaker series. In this session, Brown will provide an interactive overview of Pre-Texts, a creative teaching protocol integrating civics, literacy, and innovation. Doris Sommer of Harvard University, curator of the Pre-Texts protocol, will attend as an external respondent.

Brown and Bobyak are both graduates of the Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation. Alongside her dual-specialization PhD Studies, Brown has completed the world's first MBA in Arts Innovation and passed with flying colours, graduating on August 24th. Congratulations Sophie!