Drama at all levels

1. Drama at all levels KOTESOL, Daegu, December 1, 2012 Dr. Andrew Finch

2. Drama in EFL teaching … • provides a variety of contexts for language use; • creates contexts with feeling, meaning and motivation; • brings us closer to ‘real’ experiences because it engages us in human, fictitious contexts; • helps us not just to use language but to experience our use of language.

3. Why use drama in elementary TEFL? Young children use drama naturally. They are always in the land of make-believe:  "this is our house, and this is the baby, she is just born and she has to sleep now". They assign roles and direct the action: "I'll be the mommy and I'm going shopping. You're the daddy; you have to go to work!" And they slip in and out of multiple roles: "now it's my turn to be the teacher".

4. Why use drama in Elementary TEFL? • Children love being part of something • Preparing a play together is a bonding experience.   • All the children are involved and all contribute to the final outcome. • Children want to belong and being part of a play allows that to happen. Link to elementary videos

5. Why use drama in TEFL? You don't have time NOT to use ESL plays. • Drama is not an addition to your teaching, but a method of teaching more effectively.   • It does not matter if you can't act - the children will be doing the acting and they are the experts! Link to elementary videos

6. What are the benefits? • Aside from direct benefits for learning English, creative drama makes students more skilled and more rounded individuals. • A three-year study funded by the Guggenheim museum in 2006, Teaching Literacy through Art, showed that including arts education increases literacy skills in elementary school students. • Students involved in these programs also "scored higher on expression, risk-taking, creativity, imagination and cooperative learning."  

7. What are the benefits? • English plays provide practical experience in communicating • they give children the opportunity to learn to work together and to be part of something, to belong in a group and to develop tolerance and empathy as they begin to see the world from different perspectives.  Link to elementary videos

8. What are the benefits? • They promote active learning, enriching and reinforcing their more traditional school experiences. • Most children are excited by the idea of performing in front of others.  • In terms of teaching English as a second language, drama and children are a winning combination. • It's authentic. Using drama enables children to use English in real conversations.  

9. What are the benefits? • The conversational use of language in an EFL play promotes fluency. • While learning a play, children listen to and repeat their lines over a period of time. • By repeating the words and phrases they become familiar with them and are able to say them with increasing fluency. • EFL Drama teaches children to enunciate their words and to project their voices helping them to become clear and confident speakers. 

10. What are the benefits? • Drama helps to improve the understanding and retention of language. • By the time a child has read, rehearsed and acted a scene using on the phrase "I've forgotten my..." there is little likelihood of ever forgetting how to use it in context. • Active participation in an EFL drama involves intellect, imagination and emotions. • By encouraging self-expression, drama motivates children to use language confidently and creatively.

11. What are the benefits? • Drama encourages different learning styles - visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile.   • Hearing the lines, seeing the actions, feeling the props, acting out movements and using expression all make the lesson a far richer one. • EFL plays are ideal for mixed ability groups. • Children whose language skills are limited can be given fewer lines, or they can be communicate using nonverbal cues such as body movements and facial expressions.

12. Psychological benefits • We get involvedwith putting on a play, as well as learning English. • We have fun, and the students learn by doing. • The students get great joy out of performing. • The audience, even the mothers and fathers who don’t speak English, are delighted to see the performance. • We give the students a taste of success. • English becomesa living experience of communication. Link to secondary videos

13. Tips for drama in the EFL classroom • Pre-teach the vocabulary first. Use it in songs and in games. Chant the words, stamp out the syllables, act them out individually - this is really fun when using words describing emotions and actions. Link to elementary videos

14. Tips for drama in the EFL classroom • Now teach the key phrases. • Once the children are familiar with the separate words let them start practicing the lines in the play.  • These short sentences can also be practiced in games. • The idea is not to have individual children word-perfect in their own roles but to let the whole class experience using the sentences and vocabulary in context.

15. Tips for drama in the EFL classroom • Rehearse. • When all the children know the key words and lines of the play you can put together all the elements - words, expression and movement. • Allow the children to use their own creativity in setting the scene, deciding on props, costumes etc. 

16. Tips for drama in the EFL classroom • Keep props simple. • Remember that these should be kept very simple, using the "less is more" principle, and they only need to be included in the final rehearsals. • Put on a performance • even if it's to the class next door. This allows the children to feel the satisfaction of showing their work.

17. Tips for drama in the EFL classroom • Performance - warm up: • Start with the pupils singing a group song or two with actions, play some vocabulary games in front of the audience. Finish with the play. • This helps the children get used to being in front of an audience and will mean they are less likely to freeze up with nerves when saying their lines.

18. Tips for drama in the EFL classroom • Make a video of the play. • Not only will the children love seeing themselves act, it will serve as useful revision whenever they watch the play.  • It will enable you to give feedback later. • A recording of one of your plays is a testimony to your success as a teacher. Link to university videos

19. Resources www.finchpark.com/drama

20. aef@knu.ac.krwww.finchpark.com/books/zipwww.finchpark.com/videoswww.finchpark.com/pppaef@knu.ac.krwww.finchpark.com/books/zipwww.finchpark.com/videoswww.finchpark.com/ppp Thank you for your time!