martes, 26 de abril de 2011
lunes, 25 de abril de 2011
Using Drama to Teach English as a Foreign Language
TESOL article, by Kerry Boorman
“This article will highlight what is meant by the term ‘drama’ before moving onto look at why drama is a ‘…very effective weapon ‘(Boal, 1979: ix) in the classroom. It will then add to this information a number of influential factors that will demonstrate why drama should be considered as key strategy in teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Drama holds an array of interpretation and definition. For the purpose of this article I refer to drama as a process of learning and adhere to Booths description that ‘In its broadest term drama covers a wide range of techniques which incorporate interaction, movement, vocal action and mental concentration’ (Booth). In this sense ‘Drama’ is not about creating a spectacle or being an actor/performer but is rather a ‘…property which stimulates the process of learning by experience’ (Boal, 1994; 94). Drama in Education therefore employs the use of Drama Games, role play, improvisation, script writing, devising and reflecting.
Having outlined the articles use of the term drama, I will now demonstrate why it plays an important role in the classroom.
There is a Chinese proverb that reads; ‘I hear and I forget, I listen and I remember, I do and I understand’ (Chinese Proverb). This is in essence why drama is a powerful classroom tool. It works through our ‘experiential’ senses. It sees, hears, says and does. The student is not a passive recipient but an active meaning maker. The student engages on a much deeper and personal level than simply being given information. In drama the student demonstrates his understanding by acting out or being what Boal refers to as the ‘spect-actor’. This ‘acting out’ is not prescribed but comes through personal internalisation, context and group dynamic.
...
As well as benefits to learning, the use of drama in the classroom can have very positive personal benefits. The student develops communication skills, leadership, team work, compromise, listening skills, presentation skills, self esteem, confidence, self-acceptance, acceptance of others, empowerment , pride in work, responsibility, problem solving, management, to name but a few.
Drama in the classroom makes the classroom ‘….a place where teachers and students meet as fellow players, involved with one another, ready to connect, to communicate, to experience, to respond, to experiment and discover’ (Robinson).
Having established the need for drama in the classroom, I will now specifically apply it to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language. In teaching English as a Foreign Language the balance of receptive and productive skills is an important area to address. Drama effectively deals with these requirements. Through drama a class will attend to, practice and integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening.
At its most basic level drama can be used via drama games. Drama games introduce basic language skills and are a great way of introducing vocabulary. Games require speaking and listening skills and many words and sentences are repeated. They are a way of focusing on the externalisation of language rather than the internal study of it. In an informal and non confrontational way, the student begins to interact with the English language and in doing so can increase their confidence and reduce their inhibitions to ‘have a go’.
The use of role play and real life situations similarly encourage students to organise and activate the English language in a developmental way. It is important to consider vocabulary, word order, tense, correct grammar and pronunciation yet because the communication approximates reality, the language is brought to life.
(...)
Drama can also be used to demonstrate how we communicate with no language at all. Our silent expression is a vital part of our communication. Miming verbs and adjectives helps students to match their body language to their words.
Drama is a part of everyday life. We are surrounded by the visual image, it grabs our interest. Stories are told, heard and repeated every day, both real and imaginary. Newspaper articles, favourite films or characters from soap operas, they can all be used to prompt discussion or creative writing in an interesting and relevant way.
This article is a sprint through why drama is so useful to TEFL. As Conrad Toft observes ‘Advocates of using drama to teach foreign languages say the technique brings the language to life’ (Toft). Not only are students more relaxed, interested and less afraid to speak, but they are also motivated ‘…to generate imaginative and detailed ideas, greatly expand their vocabulary, actively practice language skills and attain far greater fluency, it also provides a setting in which they can explore the social values of a different culture’ (Berlinger).
In conclusion then, we have seen that drama, in the broadest sense of the term, is not only useful in the classroom but gives a tangible benefit to the students learning and personal growth. More specifically in teaching English as a foreign language these two benefits combine. By strengthening a student’s confidence in English you support their successful acquisition of the language. I therefore argue that the use of drama as a specific strategy to teach English as a Foreign Language is a highly effective experiential learning approach”.
Kerry Boorman
“This article will highlight what is meant by the term ‘drama’ before moving onto look at why drama is a ‘…very effective weapon ‘(Boal, 1979: ix) in the classroom. It will then add to this information a number of influential factors that will demonstrate why drama should be considered as key strategy in teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Drama holds an array of interpretation and definition. For the purpose of this article I refer to drama as a process of learning and adhere to Booths description that ‘In its broadest term drama covers a wide range of techniques which incorporate interaction, movement, vocal action and mental concentration’ (Booth). In this sense ‘Drama’ is not about creating a spectacle or being an actor/performer but is rather a ‘…property which stimulates the process of learning by experience’ (Boal, 1994; 94). Drama in Education therefore employs the use of Drama Games, role play, improvisation, script writing, devising and reflecting.
Having outlined the articles use of the term drama, I will now demonstrate why it plays an important role in the classroom.
There is a Chinese proverb that reads; ‘I hear and I forget, I listen and I remember, I do and I understand’ (Chinese Proverb). This is in essence why drama is a powerful classroom tool. It works through our ‘experiential’ senses. It sees, hears, says and does. The student is not a passive recipient but an active meaning maker. The student engages on a much deeper and personal level than simply being given information. In drama the student demonstrates his understanding by acting out or being what Boal refers to as the ‘spect-actor’. This ‘acting out’ is not prescribed but comes through personal internalisation, context and group dynamic.
...
As well as benefits to learning, the use of drama in the classroom can have very positive personal benefits. The student develops communication skills, leadership, team work, compromise, listening skills, presentation skills, self esteem, confidence, self-acceptance, acceptance of others, empowerment , pride in work, responsibility, problem solving, management, to name but a few.
Drama in the classroom makes the classroom ‘….a place where teachers and students meet as fellow players, involved with one another, ready to connect, to communicate, to experience, to respond, to experiment and discover’ (Robinson).
Having established the need for drama in the classroom, I will now specifically apply it to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language. In teaching English as a Foreign Language the balance of receptive and productive skills is an important area to address. Drama effectively deals with these requirements. Through drama a class will attend to, practice and integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening.
At its most basic level drama can be used via drama games. Drama games introduce basic language skills and are a great way of introducing vocabulary. Games require speaking and listening skills and many words and sentences are repeated. They are a way of focusing on the externalisation of language rather than the internal study of it. In an informal and non confrontational way, the student begins to interact with the English language and in doing so can increase their confidence and reduce their inhibitions to ‘have a go’.
The use of role play and real life situations similarly encourage students to organise and activate the English language in a developmental way. It is important to consider vocabulary, word order, tense, correct grammar and pronunciation yet because the communication approximates reality, the language is brought to life.
(...)
Drama can also be used to demonstrate how we communicate with no language at all. Our silent expression is a vital part of our communication. Miming verbs and adjectives helps students to match their body language to their words.
Drama is a part of everyday life. We are surrounded by the visual image, it grabs our interest. Stories are told, heard and repeated every day, both real and imaginary. Newspaper articles, favourite films or characters from soap operas, they can all be used to prompt discussion or creative writing in an interesting and relevant way.
This article is a sprint through why drama is so useful to TEFL. As Conrad Toft observes ‘Advocates of using drama to teach foreign languages say the technique brings the language to life’ (Toft). Not only are students more relaxed, interested and less afraid to speak, but they are also motivated ‘…to generate imaginative and detailed ideas, greatly expand their vocabulary, actively practice language skills and attain far greater fluency, it also provides a setting in which they can explore the social values of a different culture’ (Berlinger).
In conclusion then, we have seen that drama, in the broadest sense of the term, is not only useful in the classroom but gives a tangible benefit to the students learning and personal growth. More specifically in teaching English as a foreign language these two benefits combine. By strengthening a student’s confidence in English you support their successful acquisition of the language. I therefore argue that the use of drama as a specific strategy to teach English as a Foreign Language is a highly effective experiential learning approach”.
Kerry Boorman
Dramatic Arts Education/ by Matt Buchanan
“Dramatic Arts education is an important means of stimulating CREATIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING. It can CHALLENGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS about their world and about themselves. Dramatic exploration can provide students with an outlet for emotions, thoughts, and dreams that they might not otherwise have means to express. A student can, if only for a few moments, BECOME ANOTHER, explore a new role, try out and experiment with various personal choices and solutions to very real problems-problems from their own life, or problems faced by characters in literature or historical figures. This can happen in a SAFE ATMOSPHERE, where actions and consequences can be examined, discussed, and in a very real sense EXPERIENCED without the dangers and pitfalls that such experimentation would obviously lead to in the "real" world. This is perhaps the most important reason for Dramatic Arts in schools."
Matt Buchanan
Matt Buchanan
Creative Drama in the Classroom
“I strongly believe in Creative Drama as a way of developing self-confidence while learning a different language. Creative Drama brings students into an artistic frame where they feel safe. There they can enjoy speaking and interacting in a second language without the fear of being judged or corrected. They assimilate pronunciation, acquire meaningful vocabulary items and structures, work with a team, learn discipline from a joyful perspective, and most of all, they have fun. That is all about: having fun while learning. That is my aim as Drama teacher, both with children and with adults. The possibility of learning never dies, that is a gift we’ve all been given, therefore, my aim in each drama class or workshop, is to stir that capacity, to wake it up, in order to enjoy each moment”.
Sole Martínez
Sole Martínez
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