Innovative Park Interpretation for
Children: Evaluating the Use of
Improvisational Theatre Games
Glen Hvenegaard, Kim Macklin, Paul Johnson
University of Alberta, Augustana Campus
Outline
• Interpretation concepts
– Children’s special needs
– Improv theatre?
• Fostering the Future
– Program
– Kids’ evaluation
– Interpreters’ evaluation
• Conclusion
Interpretation
• Communication process
• Reveal meanings and
relationships
• On-site, first-hand
experiences
• Goals: knowledge,
inspiration, motivation,
and behavioural change
Freeman Tilden:
“Interpretation to
children should not be
a dilution of the
presentation to adults
but should follow a
fundamentally
different approach”
Why a Different Approach?
• Cognitive development stage
• Younger kids learn better with:
– Physical interaction
• with tangible, real objects, using
all of their senses (Piaget)
– Pretend play
• can enable abstract thought
(Vygotsky)
• to learn about their role within
their environment (Mearns)
Improv Theatre?
= Play games, solve problems, loosely
structured, within environment
• Focus on process versus result
– Uses physical involvement, senses, pretend play
Fostering the Future program
Purpose: to test the effectiveness of improvisational theatre
games as an interpretive approach for children aged 6-12
2006 Program:
•Improv games
•Nature walk
•Group building
Lemonade
Grizzly wants a
corner
Build-a-Story
Nature Sounds
Evaluation:
•Which activities did
you enjoy best? Least?
•From which did you
learn most? Least?
•Most important
thing you learned?
•1 question for
Banff NP?
Enjoyed the Most
Activities:
• Everything
• Camouflage, Lemonade, Build-a-story, Gibberish, Trees &
Squirrels, Telephone
Characteristics: physical involvement, guided interaction,
creativity, flexibility, collaboration, and sensory awareness
Enjoyed the Least
Activities:
• Nothing
• Tag, Structured Story, Follow the Leader, Grizzly Wants a Corner
Characteristics: collaboration, interaction, creativity, physicality
Why? group dynamics, interruptions, latecomers, getting hurt
Learned the Most
Activities: Structured Story and Nature Walk
Characteristics: guided interaction, sensory awareness,
physical involvement, creativity
Learned the Least
Activities: Tag like games
Characteristics: guided interaction, physical involvement
Why? different purposes (eg. group-building, energy raising)
What did they learn?
% of
Category
Responses
51
Natural History
16
10
10
8
Individual
development
Management &
Conservation
Group dynamics
Safety
Examples
Ecosystems,
mountain building
Having fun
Harming plants or
animals
Teamwork
Bears
One Question to ask the park?
% of
Category
Responses
43
Management
Examples
37
Natural history
Mountains, wildlife
12
Safety
Bears, getting lost
8
Miscellaneous
About interpreters
Bears, fires
Limitations
• Study
– Evaluations from family unit
– Adaptive management (re: game choice)
– Sample size
• Improv games
– Flexibility versus structure (eg. themes)
– Small and large group sizes
Conclusions
• Improv theatre is natural and
effective for kids
• Need careful planning
– Group dynamics, comfort, energy
levels, cohorts
• Key characteristics
– physical involvement, guided
interaction, creativity, flexibility,
collaboration, use senses
Acknowledgements
• Co-investigator: Paul Johnson
• Banff staff: Sheri Tarrington,
Morgan Wilde
• Interpreters: Christa Hanson,
Ryan Bray, Kim Macklin
• Funding: Parks Canada
Personal Interpretation
Innovation Fund