Learning Language through the Arts: Visual Arts, Music, and Drama

2. Learning Language through the Arts: Visual Arts, Music, and Drama By: Amy E. Lingenfelter English Language Fellow 2013-14

3. “Whoever neglects the arts when he is young has lost the past and is dead to the future” – Sophocles • “All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree” – Albert Einstein • “Art is not the imitation of life, it’s the manifestation and advancement of the human soul.” – Me • “A great teacher is a great artist and teaching is the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit rather than the brush.” – John Steinbeck Quotes about the Arts:

4. Teacherswilllearnresearchonusing art, music, drama, and dance effectivelyin the English languageclassroom. • Teacherswillseehowtheseelementshavebeen, and can be, appliedtotheir own language classroom. Training Objectives:

5. I sometimes use at leastone of thearts in my English classes (visual arts, music, drama, and/or dance). • Havingskills in theartsisnotimportant in today’ssociety. • Childrenknowthatlearning a new languageisdifficult. • Itistheteacher’sjobtomakelearningfun. • Theartsmakesthings more fun. • Everystudentlearns in a differentway • Studentsneedtolearnthesame concept in differentwaystoretaininformation Do You Agree or Disagree?

6. Art, creativity, and movement are keys to cognitive growth and retention of information • The key to learning and retaining information is making associations. The arts helps students make them! • Art and creativity stimulates multiple parts of the brain, which leads to higher levels of retention • Art “kisses the brain!” Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

7. “Research about the brain suggests that by instructing through multiple learning pathways, more dendritic pathways of access” will be created. This can be achieved by absorping formation through the 5 several senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste) or by creating cross-curricular connections. • This information is stored temporarily, and the brain decides what to do with the acquired data.” Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

8. “The more of these stimuli that are activated, the more impact the data has on the brain. • When more regions of the brain store data about a subject, there is more interconnection and cross-referencing of data from multiple storage areas in response to a single cue, meaning one has learned rather than memorized.” • – Wolfe, P. (2001). Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

9. Itnaturallyand automaticallyincorporatesmultipleintelligences (Gardner, 1983) Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

10. It naturallyand automaticallyincorporatesmultiplelearningstyles Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

11. Itmakeslearning English fun! • Itimitates, improveson, and makes more funstudents’ real lives • Itallowsforcreative and individual expression • Itincorporates and accompaniesallaspects of language and can be usedtoteachalmostlanguagepoint • Itactivatesthe spiritual, “unseen” side of students Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

12. Studentshavetheopportunityto… • Express themselves • Explore languagefreely • Explore feelings and findoutaboutthemselves and others • Developcooperation, care, considerationand control • Developlanguageskills (listeningreading, writing and speaking) • Explore a fantasyword of theirowncreation Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

13. Whenyouhavestudents sketch somethingtoillustratewhatthey’relearning, readingorwriting, theymakestrongerassociations and retaintheinformationbetter! • Forexample, drawinganimagethatremindsstudents of themeaning of theword Benefits of Using the Arts to Teach a Second Language:

15. “Every picture tells a thousand words” Using Visual Arts to Teach English:

16. “Every picture tells a thousand words” Using Visual Arts to Teach English:

17. Studentscreate and explaintheirown art. • Teacherbringsartisticimagestotheclassroomfordiscussion. • Studentsanalyzeworks of art that are relatedtothetopic of study in English. • Studentsmount and presenttheirworktootherclassmatesorpeople at school. • Can use any medium: murals, oil/acrylic paint, watercolors, pottery, drawings/ sketches, photography • Images contextualize English concept that is being taught Best Practices for Visual Arts:

18. Artwork can be usedtoteach a variety of grammarpointsand vocabulary, includingbutnotlimitedto: • Colors, shapes, sizes • Locations • Prepositions of allkinds • Adjectives • Verbs (process, howto, commands, presentprogressive, pastperfect, etc.) • Vocabularytonameobjects in artworkorclassthemes • Grammar of allkinds (“thereis/are”) Best Practices for Visual Arts:

19. Themes of artwork can be basedonstudents’ real lives and backgrounds • Artwork can be usedtotellthestudents’ lifestoryoranaspect of theirlife in English and utilizenarrativestory- telling • Can be oneworkor a series of worksusedtotellthestory • Imageorstory can be accompaniedby a writtenexplanation/description in English • Summativepresentationiskey! • Thepossibilitiesfortopics are endless! Best Practices for Visual Arts:

23. Using Visual Arts to Teach English:

24. Let’s Explore the Ways That a Student Could Use the Following Work of Art to Learn and Practice English! Using Visual Arts to Teach English:

25. Let’s Explore the Ways That a Student Could Use the Following Works of Art to Learn and Practice English! Using Visual Arts to Teach English:

26. Let’s Explore the Ways That a Student Could Use the Following Works of Art to Learn and Practice English! Using Visual Arts to Teach English:

27. “Developments in brain-based research note that central featuers of music and language are housednearoneanother in the human brain, suggestingtheymay share features of “grammar” thatorders musical elements and languageelementssimilarly.” - Lems, 2005 Music Research:

28. Songs (especially pop songs) providelearnerswithrepetitive, focused, (yet open-ended) lyricsthatallowfor a myriad of teachingopportunitiesforteachinggrammar, vocabulary, idioms, and listeningcomprehension. -Murphey, 1992. Music Research:

29. Use songswith English lyrics • Studentscreatetheirownlyricstorythym of music • Repetitivelyricshelp! • Cloze/“Fill-in-the-blanks” of lyricswhilelisteningtosong • Begin orend a lessonwith a song • Use actions, bodymovements, gesturestoaccompanysongs and poems (e.g. clapping, jumping) Best Practices for Music:

30. Use puppetstoaccompanymusic • Studentscreate personal songbooks • Use song, lyrics, and poem charts • Use lyricstoteachvocabulary, grammar, almostanything! • Use lyricstoteachelements of poetry: ryhmingwords, stanza/refrain, rythm, imagery, melody, meter, form Best Practices for Music:

31. www.americanenglish.state.gov • www.bussongs.com • www.songsforteaching.com • www.tefltunes.com • www.eslcafe.com • Yourown YouTube, CD player, and/or iTunes library! Sources for Songs:

42. Teachingthrough drama “makesstudentsawarethat English isnotjustwords, structures, and idioms, butitis a lively, dramatic and versatilemeans of communcation.” - Zalta, 2006 Drama Research:

43. Teachingthrough drama makesthelanguage come alive! • Students more likelytointernalizethelanguagewhentheyperformit • Drama and role playmotivates and engagesstudents in thelanguage • Drama imitates real-lifesituations and authenticlanguagecontexts • Drama isfamiliar and funtostudents • Drama helpsstudentsbuildspeaking and listeningconfidence Why Use Drama/Role Play to Teach English?

44. Drama naturally, automatically, and simultaneouslyincorporatesmultipleintelligences (Gardner, 1983) • Drama contextualizeslanguage • Drama helpsstudentsbuildskills in groupdynamics Why Use Drama/Role Play to Teach English?

45. Choosetherightactivity • Startsmalland brief • Giveconstantfeedback • Build off of whatstudentshave done in theclassroom. • Practicemakesperfect! • Presentyour drama to a group of peoplethatisvaluableforthestudents. • Record the drama so students and teachers can be self-reflectiveabouttheir performance Best Practices for Drama/Role Play:

46. Mimingstoriesand games • Transformstoriesintomini-plays • Studentsperformdramaticproductions • Write scripts and use as writingopportunities • Use technologyto film a movie/play • Createimprovisationorcomedyroutines • Drama can mimic a real-lifesituationthat has orcouldoccur in students’ lives • Can be a springboard from previous written activities (narrative stories, “sequels” from stories they read, etc.) Drama/Role Play Activity Ideas:

47. Use drama topracticelanguagepreviouslylearned (vocab, grammar, etc.) • Great way to teach and practice authentic English, idioms, conversational English Drama/Role Play Activity Ideas:

48. Students wrote a sequel of a book they read in narrative form • In groups, they created a script based on the best sequel for a movie • They filmed the movie and presented it to the class Example of Student Drama:

50. Example of Student Drama: