David Fisher: Teaching is an art form

On the occasion of our Teachers’ Day 2025, we asked David Fisher, one of the speakers, a few questions. Read his answers below.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and your expertise?

I am an experienced teacher and have also worked as a professional actor. My main job for the last 25 years has been running The Bear Educational Theatre which performs hundreds of shows each year for students in schools and theatres. I believe that there is a huge overlap between  entertainment and teaching and my work focuses on sharing things I have learnt during my time doing theatre that I feel can benefit practicing teachers.

What are you going to talk about at the conference? How do you think the audience will benefit from your insights?

My session is on using emotions in the classroom. It includes a couple of my favourite activities which involve engaging students’ emotions and encouraging them to be creative. More generally I want to encourage teachers to think about the psychological state of the students in their class and what they can do to create a good learning environment for them.

Do you recall any particular experience or aha-moment that you have had recently in terms of teaching or learning?

I created a new show with Mark Andrews about the effect that mobile phones are having on our lives. It has resonated very deeply with our audiences and reminded me of how important it is to prioritize topics that engage students in a real way.

What are you working on/learning at the moment?

In reality I am thinking a lot about how to market our theatre with very limited resources. It is difficult for us to break through the noise of modern life and let teachers understand what it is that we do. The next topic I want to make a show on is Small Talk.

If you were supposed to give only a single piece of advice to fresh graduates who start their teaching path, what would it be?

Teaching is an art form, it can be extremely creative and satisfying. Keep that in mind, especially in those difficult first years as you develop your skills, but also later if the job becomes clogged with admin, discipline, the atmosphere in the school, pressure around exam results etc.

Thank you.

You can meet David Fisher at our Teachers’ Day 2025.