Gratitude In Practice: Teaching the Lost Art of Applause

While we focus on the benefits of teaching gratitude, let’s not forget the effectiveness and appropriateness of a vanishing form of gratitude, simple applause. A great way to teach applause as gratitude is the practice of improv.

The Sound of Crickets

At a school assembly where students were performing, I was dumbfounded to notice that large groups of students and even entire classes sat still, not applauding at the end of the performances. Were they unaware that applauding was appropriate?  Did the students not clap because they were unimpressed with their peers’ performances? Both are plausible.

Think about it, beyond sporting events, students are rarely exposed to live performances or speakers. Maybe that is part of the problem. Since Roman times, applause at sporting events indicate admiration and approval; and not gratitude or thanks. Sportsman like applause for the opposing team are unknown in many sports and clapping for the recovery of an injured player on the other team must be intentionally taught in schools now a days.

School assemblies that involve live speakers or performance are rare and arts performance occur seasonally if at all, thus severely limiting opportunities for students to use and understand applause to show appreciation. When they do have the opportunity to attend a live event, it becomes virtual as the students are more concerned with recording and posting it. Honestly, who would considers applauding while holding such expensive devices in hand?

The simple polite and respectful use of applause to show gratitude and appreciation has also been impacted by technology and culture; and if we believe in its value, it needs to be taught and practiced, and improv is a great way to do it.

Why Applause

To be clear I am speaking of applauding …not hooting, hollering, screaming, whistling, or cat calling; not stamping one’s feet or drumming on the desk, just simply clapping one’s hands. Simple applause is generally acceptable in the classroom, because unlike those other sounds it is less likely to be disruptive to other classes, causing both teachers, students and even security to wonder “Hey, what’s going on in there?”

Applause helps people wake-up. The sound. The sensation of clapping hands together, helps one reengage and wake up the brain. Applause also serves as a highly effective classroom management technique, as it also easily signals the end of an activity.

The Benefits of Practicing Gratitude

Like any skill, showing gratitude in the form of applauding needs to be practiced. Numerous studies are showing that when practiced, gratitude can produce many benefits. Dr. Alex Korb, explains in his article, “The Grateful Brain,” (2012) that the wide variety of effects that gratitude produces may be explained by examining brain activity. Studies show that the practicing of gratitude increases activity in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that is responsible for eating, drinking sleeping, metabolism, and stress.

Feelings of gratitude were also found to increases dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for happiness and joy. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies that link showing gratitude to increases in determination, attention, enthusiasm, energy, optimism and health. Research has also shown gratitude to directly decrease depression and indirectly decrease anxiety (Ng et al, 2012). An article published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, Dewall (2012) revealed that gratitude increases empathy and decreases aggression. In the research article, “Brightening the Mind: The Impact of Practicing Gratitude on Focus and Resilience in Learning,” (2016) Wilson identified resilience as an outcome for the intentional practice of gratitude.

Using Improv for Practicing Gratitude

Of course we want our students to practice gratitude. We know it’s important to their learning and their well-being. However, the pressure of the bell schedule urges us to take away that moment and instead hurriedly say, “Ok, thanks. Take your seats. Next.”

The good news is, if you are integrating improv into your classroom practice, a quick round of applause will be practiced every few minutes. At the conclusion of every game both the players and the audience applaud each other. The players acknowledge and thank the audience for their suggestions, while the audience acknowledges and thanks the players for their performance. No matter how well a player did or thought they did, they are thanked from the very first time they play and every time thereafter. They are thanked for their effort. This creates such a safe and supportive environment for all to excel. By integrating improv into classroom practice, this reciprocal practice of gratitude can transform learning and lives.

Thank you. Give Them a Hand!

A simple statement of “Thank you. Give them a hand,” opens up a world of positive growth to the individual, class and learning community. Think about that next assembly or event at your school. If students have repeatedly practiced applause as a form of acknowledgement or gratitude in the classroom, then perhaps the next time there is an assembly, and administrators, teachers, students or guests take the stage, instead of receiving the hoots, hollers, boos, or indifference, they are instead respectfully acknowledged and thanked with the sound of applause.

For improv game instructions and ideas, pick up a copy of One Rule Improv and open up a world of gratitude practice.

References