DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT:
 

Student teachers are invited to participate in a one hour workshop which models the use of process drama to teach additional languages. The workshop is led by language teacher educators who also have some knowledge of drama techniques. Participants use movement as well as spoken language to invent a story together, to create characters and to engage with their creative imagination. They may use any language apart from the main language of communication for the group, which in this instance is English. Participants must teach each other phrases in other languages which they speak.
 

OBJECTIVES:

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• introduce student teachers to the possibilities of using unscripted drama in the languages classroom

• reflection on valuing linguistic diversity. 

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EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

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At the end of this unit the learners will have…

• … stimulated their curiosity about this innovative approach to language learning and

• … been prompted to find out more.

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APPLIED METHODOLOGIES:​
 

PROCESS DRAMA
Process drama is presented as a means of introducing an enjoyable, lived experience into the language classroom and providing a meaningful context for spontaneous language production. Research shows that effective language learning requires opportunities for authentic verbal interactions (Mitchell, 2003) which allow learners to progress from familiar to unfamiliar contexts and require them to produce language ‘on the spot’ (Harris et al., 2001). Traditional methodologies limit the scope for learners to do this because, they emphasise ‘practising language rather than expressing personal meanings and identities’ (Ushioda, 2011,p. 227). Process drama allows the participant to alternate between watching, listening and doing (Boal, 1979).It introduces emotional and physical elements into language learning which are often missing (Rothwell, 2011, p.578). Communication becomes possible through a continuum of verbal and non- verbal responses, allowing sophisticated thought processes to occur within a limited range of language. The acknowledgement that communication involves not just the voice, but the body (Bräuer, 2002) opens up new possibilities for the languages classroom. This can help the learners to overcome fears of linguistic inadequacy enabling them to make the best use of the language they already know (Sommers, 1994, in Chang, 2012, p.8) and share their knowledge with others.

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REFERENCES:

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• Boal, A. 1979. Theatre of the Oppressed. Trans. Mc Bride, L. London: Pluto Press.

• Bräuer, G. (Ed.).2002. Body and Language: intercultural learning through drama. Westport, USA: Ablex

• Chang, L.S. 2012. Dramatic Language Learning in the Classroom. In Winston, J. (Ed.) (2012) Second Language Learning Through Drama. Oxon: Routledge.

• Harris, V. , Burch , J., Jones , B. and Darcy, J. 2001. Something to say? Promoting spontaneous classroom talk. London: CILT. 

• Mitchel, R. 2003. Rethinking the concept of progression in the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages: a researcher perspective. Language Learning Journal, 27(15):25-33.

• Rothwell, J. 2011. Bodies and Language: process drama and intercultural language learning in a beginner language classroom. Research in Drama Education: The journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 16:4,575-594.

• Sommers, J. 1994. Drama in the Curriculum. London: Cassell.

• Ushioda, E. 2011. Why autonomy? Insights from motivation theory and research. Innovations in Language Learning and teaching, 5:2,221-232.

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