Title: USING DRAMA IN THE ELEMENTARY ELT CLASSROOM
1USING DRAMA IN THEELEMENTARYELT CLASSROOM
Dr. Andrew Finch
2IMPLICATIONS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM
- 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
4th Grade drama (026)
3WHY USE DRAMA IN EFL LEARNING?
- 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".
4WHY USE DRAMA IN EFL LEARNING?
- 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.
Sample dramaWho stole the cookie from the
cookie jar? (309)
5WHY USE DRAMA IN EFL LEARNING?
- 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!
6BENEFITS OF DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
- 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."
7BENEFITS OF DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
- 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. -
Bong Yang Elementary SchoolEnglish Drama Class
(121)
8BENEFITS OF DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
- 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. -
9BENEFITS OF USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
- It's authentic. Using drama enables children to
use English in real conversations. - 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. -
10BENEFITS FROM USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
- EFL Drama teaches children to enunciate their
words and to project their voices helping them to
become clear and confident speakers. - 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.
11BENEFITS FROM USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
- Active participation in an EFL drama involves
intellect, imagination and emotions. - By encouraging self-expression, drama
motivates children to use language confidently
and creatively.
When two vowels go walking (0046)
12BENEFITS FROM USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
- 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.
13PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF USING A DRAMA PROJECT
- We get involved with 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
dont speak English, are delighted to see the
performance. - We give the students a taste of success.
- Through Drama, English becomes a living
experience of communication.
14TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT 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.
Watch out, Cinderella! (0325)
15TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT 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.
Handouts Easy plays 1 Sleepy Head Easy plays 2
On the Bus Easy plays 3 The Opposite family
16TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT 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.
Handout Alice in Wonderland, Chapter VII A
Mad Tea-Party
17TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT 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.
Little Red Riding Hood (0758)
18MORE TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM
- It is absolutely vital to put on a performance,
even if it's to the class next door, because it
allows the children to feel the satisfaction of
showing their work. - 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 suddenly
being in front of an audience and will mean they
are much less likely to freeze up with nerves
when saying their lines.
Mae Hyun Elementary Performance (650)
19MORE TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM
- Take a video of the play, if you can.
- Not only will the children love seeing themselves
act, it will serve as useful revision whenever
the children watch the play. - It will enable you to give them feedback later
- A recording of one of your plays is a testimony
to your success as a teacher.
20THANK YOU, AND FINALLY . . .
- All the worlds a stage, And all the men and
women merely players They have their exits and
their entrances And one man in his time plays
many parts. (As You Like It,
Act II. Scene VII.) - ? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??, ?? ??? ???? ?? ???
????.??? ???? ??? ??? ??, ??? ? ??? ???? ?? ??
?? ??? ??? ?? ??. - Laughter is the sign of comprehension.