Teaching as Performance
A useful frame for thinking about the work of teaching
My top priority as a teacher is to never be boring. The gift of other people’s time is far too precious to aim for anything less. So much of my shtick (and I do view it as a shtick) when I’m working is dedicated to keeping the interest of the people in the room with me. Outside of knowing what I’m talking about and how I want to convey it to participants, keeping their interest is my main pedagogical technique. There are a few easy ways to do this. Interesting material and structures are beneficial, as is creating a participant-driven environment that decenters my personal power. But every so often, it is still going to just be me in front of the group.
In those moments, the most useful thing that I do as a teacher is to view my teaching as a performance. And more than anything, in educational settings where I’m not teaching, I’m typically bored because the teacher¹ has either forgotten, or never even considered this approach.
What is a performance?
When I’m talking about performance here, I’m speaking to the sense of putting on a show. The other meaning (accomplishing a task) is fine and useful. Certainly, I need to think about that one, too, but the putting on a show meaning is useful in all sorts of teaching situations.
