Creating TV, Movie, and Broadway Parodies to Hook Students on New Topics

When you teach a topic, how do you segue into the next topic? Do students sit on the edges of their seats in anticipation of your introduction to that topic? Do you need a hook to grab their attention?

Drawing on students’ multiple intelligences, even emotional intelligence, and individual learning styles, you can create a humorous visual image of a verbal or quantitative concept by performing a parody of TV programs such as CSI, Masterpiece Theatre, or Scrubs; movies such as Lord of the Rings, Mission Impossible, or Titanic; or Broadway shows such as The Odd Couple, Evita, or Les Misérables. You can activate students’ prior knowledge of these cultural elements in their world to generate motivation, interest, and attention to learn new information. Basic topic concepts can be brought to life with simple demonstrations that will be deeply embedded in their memories.

This session surveys participants’ experiences with these three sources, presents pertinent theories and research evidence for the technique, and describes a six-step process for creating a parody. A few parodies are illustrated, after which participants have the opportunity in small groups to develop their own parody and then perform it during the workshop. Now is your chance to become a star!

This topic is available as a 1–1.5 hour workshop.

To find out more, email Ed Leach or call (480) 705-8200, x233.