The Pedagogy of a Prank War

"Ha ha’s can lead to ah-ha’s". That line comes from the sub-title of a research paper on Humour in Pedagogy by R. L. Garner, showing that it can enhance learning. I had no idea that I was going to start a prank war with my class against our portable neighbour, but I’m glad we did. Our prank war had pedagogical outcomes including helping our students improve their learning skills, and it truly helped my students feel like they were part of something. It wasn't consciously something I was doing for them academically or socially, but it was clear that it made an impact inside and outside of the classroom. Pranks were not their only source of belonging in my class, but they helped shape the year, and I highly encourage others to try it.

There were more than 30 plus students in a portable made for 20- no room to move with more students who needed movement throughout their days than ever before. Being outside gave us access to the outdoors spaces to walk and it gave us interactions with the class next door. This student rivalry began with a chanting of their teacher's names, rallying behind their classes and showing their spirit. We would be greeted by the 5/6 class with Ms. Twitchin's Class rules at every interaction, and the post recess line up to go back to their portables erupted into a chorus or their class versus mine daily. It sparked an idea, so I approached my colleague and friend, Shannon Twitchin (Curran). She was in, and the planning began for what became a year-long prank war that helped make my class into a community, helped them learn a bit about collaboration, and helped make this year truly memorable.

Something about starting a prank war felt so right. My students needed to see how fun school could be- how beneficial working together could be, and this felt like a choice in the right direction. We had to plan something to declare this prank war. My ⅘ students brainstormed possible pranks- mostly gross, destructive, or messy ones, but it was a start. They were generating ideas, listening to each other, building off of each others’ ideas, and planning together. We decided on creating a graffiti board to hang on their door. Everyone signed their names around the middle which said Mrs. Daniel’s 4/5 Class Rules. (Interesting aside-so few had signatures because they don’t yet know cursive, but that is being addressed in the new curriculum.) It began simply enough- the ⅚ class in the portable next door would be in the gym at a specific time, so we used that time to stick up our graffiti board and launch the battle. We watched out our portable window as they returned from the gym surprised and baffled. They gathered at the sign, and a few kids tried to rip it, but their teacher kept it for me and for my students. It was the symbol of our first collective act, and it meant something to my class. It hung on my closet door for the rest of the school year.

The class next door retaliated a few weeks later. They executed a “redesign” of our classroom, plastering it with Ms. Twitchin's class rules on every part of our space and culminated their onslaught with a Rick Roll. With the background soundtrack of Never Gonna Give You Up, it was clearly time to level up.

That is when I started to look deeper at teaching learning skills and who my students were. Their love of music was evident, as it often is, but I was looking to onboard the class as a team, so I did not select this next prank with them but for them. I choreographed a routine to Thriller. We practiced for weeks for a flash mob of the dance to interrupt the 5/6 class’s walk back from the gym using the open space of the playground that was just outside our portable doors. We rehearsed in secret, and I recorded a video of the steps that they practiced. For some, that was their first attempt at homework. The song itself was exciting to them, and they could easily Google the popularity of the dance moves, so this was a pop culture moment as much as it was preparation for a prank. This is the video that Shannon took to give you the gist- you can’t see their faces, but you can see that we were mostly in sync. While some her class walked right by after the initial surprise, others joined in the fun. You could feel my class becoming a community as you watch.

This prank became a reminder of the power we had as a whole group, and my students referred to it often when trying to describe what collaboration feels like. A few more pranks back and forth included a “love bomb” where the 5/6 class covered our room with hearts. We retaliated by doing a take over of their classroom, sitting there as if it was our and pretending they weren't there when they returned. It was a great improvisation lesson for the class to pretend the others were not there and continue on with their work. We got closer and closer as a class with each action.

Soon, Shannon’s class population reached 34, and they were bursting at the seams. A friend and colleague offered to switch rooms with her and brought her 25 7/8 students outside to the portable, our Building Buddies, and Ms. Twitchin's class went inside. It quelled the prank war for a bit.

Then, they pulled a ding dong ditch prank. It was unnerving but it proved to be the fuel for one last prank. We needed to do something less physically connected with the portable, so I made them a digital escape room with nut from my class. The 5/6 class received a letter with each correct answer about things around school under the guise of Getting to Know Henderson Ave PS. When unscrambling the letters correctly, it spelled Mrs. Daniel’s class rules, and their correct answer garnered them a Rick Roll. A poetic ending, we thought.

I have never set out to start a prank war before, but there is merit in learning through play at any age and my students learned a lot from our experience doing this. Some of the outcomes of planning and executing pranks as a class included:

• improving play

• improving planning skill

• building social skills with peers including diplomacy

• using success criteria

• understanding parameters/boundaries for school activities

• Working through challenges

• having fun as a whole class

I asked Shannon her thoughts, and she added:

• teamwork

• a healthy sense of collaborative competition

• pure enjoyment

At the end of the year, indelibly commemorated in the school yearbook, each of the classes noted the prank war as a highlight. Play can be a a great way to build the conditions for learning by creating a safe space to take risks, experiment, and test boundaries, but it is not bound to the classroom alone. Our classes probably have no idea how much they learned through our prank war, but they will undoubtedly remember the fun.