Читать книгу The Art of Foreign Language Teaching - Peter Lutzker - Страница 71

It is an essential aspect of all his work that participants are encouraged to report how they felt about different exercises, games etc. However, in contrast to these more informal and voluntary opportunities in the first phases, after each improvisation there is a structured feedback session in which after dispensing with costume and nose the participant comes back into the room and sits on a chair facing the group. The feedback sessions generally last about five to ten minutes. The object is to clarify what went on during the improvisation and to speak of the difficulties and highlights. The purpose is also to initiate reflection on possible parallels between the improvisation and the personal concerns that participants have had. He first asks the clown to describe how he or she felt. Afterwards, responses from the other participants are solicited and at the end Gladwell comments too. The responses are invariably supportive and appreciative; particular moments and highlights are singled out. In the four workshops I have attended I have never experienced anyone being negative or critical and in the one instance when a participant wanted to offer some suggestions as to what he could have done at a certain point, Gladwell asked people to refrain from making technical suggestions in order to “protect the feedback space.”

As becomes apparent in a number of the responses to the research inquiry, the quality of these feedback sessions and in particular the supportive and insightful nature of his comments were considered to be a crucial part of the entire workshop. Frequently, participants at first remember very little about what actually happened while they were on stage:

Your first experience of the stage is often a total blank. Something important which the feedback does is to gently take you through the impro and remind you what happened. (Interview 6)

A key element in the feedback is also the reassurance that those moments experienced by the clown as moments of total helplessness were often considered to be the most humorous and moving moments in the improvisation. In this context the significance of being connected to the audience through eye contact is again made very apparent not only to the person receiving the feedback, but to all the other participants who have just observed this:

If you have never done this before, it is very difficult to believe that your confusion can be enjoyable to watch. That could sound cruel, but it is only when you give us your permission to enjoy your confusion that it becomes enjoyable for us to watch. The way you give this permission is when you look at the audience. If you look at the audience, it establishes the link that will enable you to realize that being lost is not such a bad thing to be for now. In fact, your audience seems captivated even though you can’t see why they should be….The only way you can move forward with clowning is by becoming aware of how people see you. (Interview 6)