Consumer Choices: Influences and Decisions
Investigating the various factors that influence consumer decisions, including needs, wants, advertising, and personal values.
Key Questions
- Explain how advertising attempts to influence consumer wants.
- Analyze the difference between impulse buying and planned purchasing.
- Evaluate how personal values might lead different consumers to make different choices about the same product.
ACARA Content Descriptions
About This Topic
Improvisation is the art of spontaneous creation and is a core component of the Year 7 Drama curriculum. The 'Yes, And' rule is the foundation of this topic, teaching students to accept their partner's ideas and build upon them. This fosters a collaborative environment where students learn to trust their instincts and their peers. Beyond just being 'funny,' improvisation develops essential life skills like active listening, adaptability, and creative problem-solving.
Students explore how to establish a 'Who, Where, and What' quickly and effectively. This connects to ACARA's emphasis on developing and sustaining roles and situations. Students grasp this concept faster through high-energy, collaborative games that reward risk-taking and focus on the 'group mind' rather than individual performance.
Active Learning Ideas
Inquiry Circle: The 'Yes, And' Chain
In a circle, students build a story one sentence at a time. Every sentence must start with 'Yes, and...' to ensure they are accepting the previous student's contribution and adding a new detail to the narrative.
Simulation Game: Environment Build
One student enters the 'stage' and performs a silent action to establish a setting (e.g., digging). One by one, others join in, performing related actions (e.g., planting, watering) until a complex, wordless scene is established.
Formal Debate: The Improv Referee
Two students perform a short scene. A third student acts as a 'referee' who can pause the scene and ask the audience to vote on whether the actors followed the 'Yes, And' rule or if they 'blocked' an idea.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionImprovisation means trying to be as funny as possible.
What to Teach Instead
Trying to be funny often leads to 'blocking' or ignoring partners. Active exercises that focus on 'truthful' responses show students that humor naturally arises from the situation when they focus on the story instead.
Common MisconceptionYou should have a plan before you start a scene.
What to Teach Instead
Planning (or 'scripting') prevents you from listening to your partner. Active games that change the prompt mid-scene help students learn to stay in the moment and react to what is actually happening.
Suggested Methodologies
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'blocking' mean in improvisation?
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