The Element of
Suspense in Learning

“We all live in suspense, from day to day, from hour to hour;
in other words, we are the hero of our own story.” Mary McCarthy

Writers have used the tool of suspense for aeons, keeping readers turning the next page just to see what happens next, but what if we could utilise this tool for teaching as well? Just imagine what it would be like if the children were eager to fulfil certain tasks if it allowed them to discover the next element in a game or discover another plot point in a fascinating story?

At The Drama Toolbox, we go out of our way to use suspense to ensure that every story we weave keeps the children holding their breath as each element is revealed. Our Habitat Helpers drama workshop teaches sustainability to children aged 4-8, a seemingly daunting task, but when each of the four stories in this session, introduce elements of suspense, the children are immediately hooked!

The first story begins with children dressed as marine life swimming through the sparkling oceans of the Great Barrier Reef – seems gentle and harmless enough – until a mysterious ‘something’ begins floating through the water towards them. By not describing exactly what this ‘something’ is, it allows the children to imbue the object with sinister intentions and ensures that their attention is riveted on the action in front of them. Only a small group of children are actively involved in each scene during this session but by employing suspenseful storytelling, the teacher can guarantee the attention of the entire class.

Suspense can be used in a variety of ways throughout a standard day in your classroom. For the younger students, something as simple as reading a book aloud can create this level of suspenseful learning – it is as simple as the choice to stop reading on a cliffhanger moment – ensuring that the children are eager for the next part of the story. These tiny moments of suspense can be used as incentive to complete other tasks around the classroom, i.e. if everyone helps to clean up the room in five minutes, we will read the next chapter of our story…

For the older children, getting them invested in the narrative allows a higher sense of ownership over the suspense that you are attempting to create. In our Unplugged SEL Program, students aged 8-12 are invited into the year 2050, where a computer virus has taken over the world. They are placed into the Tribes of Humanity, where they must work together to regain the qualities of Communication, Cooperation, Kindness, Persistence and Tolerance that the computer virus has leeched from the world. By giving the children a common enemy, and asking them to work together, they are given clear goals and must practice their teamwork in order to beat the imaginary villain.

The suspense created during this program lies in the fantasy element within the story, the children embrace this concept whole heartedly and enter each lesson with a drive to succeed in their task. It is possible to create such a concept within your own classroom! Creating a villain is an excellent way to bond your class together with a common goal – defeat the villain. Perhaps their tests are the villain that must be defeated, and a classroom buddy system could be created where the children are given the task of working together to help their friends defeat the dreaded tests!

Using your imagination in the classroom can be a powerful motivator for children. Creating an element of suspense allows the students to become invested in progressing the story, whether that story is cleaning up the classroom or working together to complete goals.

At The Drama Toolbox, we encourage you to use suspense and make your students the heroes of their own story!

Michaela Smith
Senior Teacher