USING DRAMA IN THEELEMENTARY

ELT CLASSROOM

Dr. Andrew Finch

Drama in EFL teaching:

1.provides a variety of contexts for language use;

2.creates contexts with feeling, meaning and motivation;

3.brings us closer to ‘real’ experiences because it engages us in human, fictitious contexts;

4.helps us not just to use language but to experience our use of language

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IMPLICATIONS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM

4th Grade drama (0:26)

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".

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WHY 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.

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WHY USE DRAMA IN EFL LEARNING?

Sample drama:Who stole the cookie from

the cookie jar? (3:09)

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!

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WHY USE DRAMA IN EFL LEARNING?

1. 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."  

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BENEFITS OF DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING:

2. English plays provide practical experience in communicating

3. 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. 

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BENEFITS OF DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Bong Yang Elementary School:English Drama Class (1:21)

4. They promote active learning, enriching and reinforcing their more traditional school experiences.

5. Most children are excited by the idea of performing in front of others. 

6. In terms of teaching English as a second language, drama and children are a winning combination.

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BENEFITS OF DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING:

7. It's authentic. Using drama enables children to use English in real conversations.  

8. 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.

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BENEFITS OF USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING:

9. EFL Drama teaches children to enunciate their words and to project their voices helping them to become clear and confident speakers. 

10.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.

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BENEFITS FROM USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING:

11.Active participation in an EFL drama involves intellect, imagination and emotions.

12.By encouraging self-expression, drama motivates children to use language confidently and creatively. 

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BENEFITS FROM USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING:

When two vowels go walking (00:46)

13.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.

14.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.

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BENEFITS FROM USING DRAMA IN LANGUAGE TEACHING:

• 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 don’t 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.’

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PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF USING A DRAMA PROJECT

1. 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.

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TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM

Watch out, Cinderella! (03:25)

1. 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.

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TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM

Handouts:Easy plays 1: Sleepy HeadEasy plays 2: On the Bus

Easy plays 3: The Opposite family

3. 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. 

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TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM

Handout:Alice in Wonderland,

Chapter VII: “A Mad Tea-Party

4. 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.

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TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM

Little Red Riding Hood (07:58)

5. 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.

6. 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.

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MORE TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM

Mae Hyun Elementary: Performance (6:50)

7. 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.

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MORE TIPS FOR USING DRAMA IN THE ELT CLASSROOM

• “All the world’s 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.)

이 모든 세상은 일종의 무대와 같아 , 모든 남자와 여자들은 단지 배우에 불과하지 .

그들은 그들만의 퇴장과 입장이 있어 , 그런데 한 남자는 살아가는 동안 여러 가지

배역을 맡아서 하게 되지 .

• Laughter is the sign of comprehension.

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THANK YOU, AND FINALLY . . .