Why Use Drama Texts in the Language Classroom? I . Value and

Why Use Drama Texts in the Language Classroom?
    Good morning, everyone. I have emphasized the drama texts’ role in language classroom for several times. This time I’ll try to define what I mean by language learning through drama texts, outline some of the benefits it can bring to the language learning classroom and some of the different methods and approaches that can be utilized to fully exploit the potential of drama and theatre texts.
    Writers such as Maley and Duff and Wessels have pointed to the values and uses of drama:(1)Drama can help the teacher to achieve ’ reality’ in several ways. It can overcome the students’ resistance to learning the new language by making the learning of the new language an enjoyable experience, by setting realistic targets for the students to aim for, by creative ’ slowing down’ of real experience and by linking the language-learning experience with the student’s own experience of life. Drama can create in students a need to learn the language by the use of ’ creative tension’ and by putting more responsibility on the learner, as opposed to the teacher. "(2)Drama provides cultural and language enrichment by revealing insights into the target culture and presenting language contexts that make items memorable by placing them in a realistic social and physical context. By allowing reading and the adding of some characterization to a drama text, learners become personally and fully involved in the learning process, in a context in which it is possible for learners to feel less self-conscious and more empowered to express themselves through the multiple voices of the different characters.
    One of the drawbacks in the use of literary texts such as novels and poems is that many of them contain language forms that learners of a language find difficult to understand. This could be overcome by simplifying them, often leading to a loss of ’ literariness’—leading to criticism that the texts became pale imitations of the original writing. The lack of suitable texts in the traditional body of literature, in my view opens the door for the inclusion of drama in language learning curricula as(3)it tends to use much more naturalistic language than in poems and novels.(4)Drama texts help to address the need for sufficient texts for worthwhile reading in which suitable materials can be accessed.
    Another problem, then, arises.(5)How should we exploit drama texts? Next, I would like to share several approaches with you. First, I call it the "a" type analytical approach. As I have suggested, the analysis of language in a text is just one aspect of its use. In the type "a" approach, language is separated into its phonological, lexical components, etc. and disseminating strategies then adopted. Using this analytical approach, a teacher or course designer would think of a series of structures, language items that were to be "taught". A literary text exemplifying these structures was then selected and used in order to practice or raise the learner’s consciousness of it.(6)Second, it is the "b" type experiential approach. Here, language was not seen as an object but as a tool. Much more emphasis was placed upon, for example, the inductive method of learning through "experiencing" and applying the learner’s experience to the text through encouraging comments, responses and expressions based on the text or its theme. The topic-based syllabus is often seen as more relevant to language learning.
     (7)From a task point of view the learner is faced with several levels of achievement or ability that the teacher can use as a basis for designing multi- level activities for students, such as identifying the story, characters, plot: identifying the author’s and characters’ viewpoint, attitude or opinion: understanding the work in relation to its socio-cultural and historical-political context: giving a personal and creative response and answering the question: "does it work as literature?"
    Finally, I would like to talk about the stages of a type "b" approach to introducing a drama text to a class of EFL learners. The process involves linking standard approaches in drama to approaches suitable for the classroom. Classroom practice, then, may follow three stages. The first stage is the warm-up.(8)Standard methods in the type "b" approach involve warmer activities to get the learner to anticipate what they’re going to meet in the language in the text using guessing, pre-discussion, or pictures. It involves little or no stylistic analysis. Its aims are to stimulate oral communication, reading for pleasure and to enrich thinking and expression for this reason, drama techniques focusing on waking the imagination, and the body including the vocal chords in preparation for reading or even enacting the text could easily precede this stage. Use of text can be one of the more in-depth and sophisticated drama activities. Warmers, drama games, role-plays, individual and group improvisation can all be used to support higher-level drama activities such as performing the text in the classroom. The idea is that the pre-reading stage will sensitize the learner to the language and concepts to be encountered and engage prior knowledge and experience. Pictures, the book cover, prompt questions, learners’ own memory etc. are used.
    The second stage is text reading and listening. The stage may involve two task types: one is the while listening or reading task involves the learner having a task to fulfill based on his or her reading, such as finding out a piece of information from the text:(9)the other is the task inserted into the text such as one where learners complete the task using their own ideas.
    The third stage is extension activities format. This stage could incorporate comprehension questions such as: Who? When? What? etc. : multiple-choice questions which are useful for evoking possible alternative answers: text attack questions requiring the learner to realize certain meanings in the text and the way they are achieved in the language use:(10)interpretation and response questions such as what’s the message from the author, what general meanings can we infer from the antagonists’ statements, or what conclusions can we draw about the character and motivations of the antagonists and so on.
    Well, of the main approaches I have mentioned, I believe there is no absolute dichotomy between them. You must bear in mind different approaches need to be incorporated in language learning for their relative merits. That’s all for today. Thanks for listening.