Drama as a Method of 2nd/F Language Teaching

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Drama as a Method of 2nd/F Language Teaching

Naeem Moradian, MA of TEFL

University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Zahedan, 2013

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Abstract

Sometimes, in many years of studying a foreign language, a student may not be skillful in

speaking and listening. So this paper proposes a new method which contains some

techniques for eliminating this problem. In this method, the author seeks to use the

techniques of teaching drama as techniques of teaching a foreign language i.e. English. In

other words, students try to perform the techniques of a drama such as Miller’s ‘Death of a

Salesman’ in the second/ foreign language i.e. English. Introduction and techniques of

drama and its benefits are provided in this paper. The psychological matters for each

technique are contained sometimes but not consistently because they are very like C.L.T’s

components. The author believes that, ‘if the techniques are performed correctly, the

students will be really skillful in aforementioned skills’.

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction, 3

II. An Introduction of Drama

Definition and Purpose of Drama,4

Drama and Dramatic Elements, 5

Plot,5

Role, 5

Character, 6

Focus, 6

Language, 6

Rhythm,7

Mood, 7

Tension, 7

Timing, 7

Space, 8

Contrast, 8

Sound, 8

Symbol, 8

Conflict, 9

Climax, 9

III. History of Drama in Education, 10

IV. Techniques of Drama for 2ND/F Language Teaching, 11

Role Play, 11

Teacher in Role, 12

Thought Tracking, 12

Hot Seating, 13

Conscience Alley, 13

Story Telling, 14

Tableaux, 14

Spot Light, 14

Mantle of the Experts, 15

V. The Benefits of Drama and its Activities, 16

Communication skills, 17

Self confidence, 18

Empathy, 18

Socio-cultural Awareness, 18

Amusement, 18

Memory, 19

Calmness and Relaxation, 19

Trust, 19

Imagination, 19

Problem Solving, 19

Emotional Outlet, 19

Focus and Concentration, 20

Improvisation in Language Use, 20

VI. Some Tips for 2nd/F Language Instruction through Drama, 21

VII. Conclusion, 23

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Introduction

Many times teaching a second language does not succeed to fulfill its goals. Even

after some years of teaching, the learners have not the confidence of using the

language in and outside the classroom. Their ability in the language is limited to

writing skill and producing something grammatically accurate, and they have no

or little real oral communication ability. The conventional English class hardly

gives the learners an opportunity to use language communicatively and develop

fluency in it. Thus, the main purpose of the language teaching course that is

proficiency in communication, is unfortunately, neglected. Drama is definitely

deemed as a very effective and advantageous learning and teaching strategy in

modern language teaching. It is true because of its wonderful ability to augment

oral skills development and engage constructivist, reflective and active learning in

an instructional context. In communicative language teaching drama methods play

an important role due to their holistic approach, which is rooted in neuro-

psychology.

Highly communicative essence of drama provides the students with an

interactional context in which they can communicate meaning which leads to

unconscious learning i.e. acquisition. Teaching English through drama results in

meaningful and real communication which involves ideas, emotions, feelings

appropriateness and adaptability that is actually a situation in which students use

language which is absent in a conventional language class. Such activities increase

the teachers' strategies for learner-centered activities, thereby efficiency in

teaching English increases. Dramatic Arts education is an important means of

arousing creativity in solving problems. It can challenge learner’s perceptions

about their world and about themselves. This research will discuss how drama’s

strategies are beneficial in engaging all learning styles and how it leads to

foreign/second language learning more efficiently.

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Definition of Drama

Drama is a kind of composition, both in prose or poetry, which is written mainly

for acting or performing on a stage by some actors instead of characters, and

usually it intends to show a description or a picture of human life. Play is the

common name for a dramatic composition, and if it is written in a dramatic form

intended by the author to be read rather than to be performed, it is called a closet

drama. Here, the paper mainly deals with the one which is intended to be

performed not read.

Purpose of Drama in Language Teaching

The importance of drama as a medium for language instruction should not be

neglected. Drama can provide many dramatic techniques and strategies making the

students active participants, not passive recipients both inside and outside the

classroom. John Somers defines the drama as a method and a means of

communication in his book ‘drama in curriculum’ (1994). It can also provide

benefits and advantages for students, not only in second language acquisition, but

also in every day life of them which will be discussed in later sections. It is drama

which widens people’s perspectives through stories which depict life from

different periods, cultures and point of views.

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Drama and Dramatic Elements

The elements of drama present a helpful checklist for students and teachers

working on the performance of students. Because the elements are the basis of a

performance, teachers should focus on each of them when diagnosing problems

with a performance. Some of these elements are related to the theoretical

introductory part of drama and some of them to the practical and performance part.

Actually all these elements should be deemed by the teacher carefully for second

language teaching. Some times they are used at the same time or separately and

can be manipulated by the performer to be made more effective dramatically.

Some of drama and dramatic elements needed for more effective understanding

are presented here:

Plot

1. Plot is the sequence of events or incidents that the story is composed of.

A. Conflict is a clash of actions, ideas, desires or wills.

a. person against person.

b. person against environment - external force.

c. person against herself/himself - conflict with some element in her/his own

nature; it maybe physical, mental, emotional, or moral.

B. Protagonist and Antagonist - the protagonist is the central character. It can be

sympathetic or unsympathetic. The forces that work against her/him, such as

persons, things, conventions of society or traits of their own character are the

antagonists.

C. Artistic Unity - essential to a good plot; nothing irrelevant; good arrangement.

Role

If somebody wants to take a role in a dramatic performance, he or she should

accept the physicality, beliefs and attitudes of the characters he or she is playing

with. Often, there are some exercises which can be taken for the development of

physicality. The exercises for developing this and other aspects of role may be

found in ‘drama wise’ by Haseman and O’Toole.

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Character

A. Direct Presentation - author tells us straightly, by exposition or analysis, or

through another character.

B. Indirect Presentation - author shows us the character in action; the reader infers

what a character is like from what she/he thinks, or says, or does. These are also

called dramatized characters and they are generally consistent (in behavior),

motivated (convincing), and plausible (lifelike).

C. Character Types - a Flat character is known by one or two traits; a Round

character is complex and many-sided; a Stock character is a stereotyped character

(a mad scientist, the absent-minded professor, the cruel mother-in-law); a Static

character remains the same from the beginning of the plot to the end; and a

Dynamic (developing) character undergoes permanent change.

Focus

‘The frame that directs attention to what is most significant and intensifies the

dramatic meaning’

Focus is often used interchangeably with the terms concentration and

engagement, helping the performer in the portrayal of believable characters. This

also implies memorization of text (including word, moves and gestures).

Furthermore, focus requires the channeling (focusing) of all the performer’s

energies into achieving the given goals or objectives of a character in a scene

(otherwise known as ‘wants’).

There are four closely related areas of focus: 1. the focus of the scene. 2. the focus

of the audience. 3. the focus of the character. 4. the focus of the actor

Language

The use of language in performance can be vocal, verbal and non-verbal.

Language is the spoken text. This is the most important part which is deemed main

in second language teaching. While normally spoken by the actor, language can

also be chanted or sung. The choice of language in performance is crucial, as it

forms a major means of communicating the story of the drama to the audience.

Exactly how the actor in performance uses language is usually determined by the

expressive skill of voice. However, language can also be non-verbal, as we

communicate through body language.

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Rhythm

Rhythm deals with the timing and pace of the drama. It also refers to the tempo or

beat of the performance. As a rule, rhythm should never be the same throughout

the drama, regardless of its length. Rhythm can follow the emotional state of one

or more characters or the atmosphere of the performance at particular moments.

Mood

Actually it is the created atmosphere. Mood is the feeling or tone of a

performance. It moves the audience in emotionally appropriate directions. It refers

to ambience or aura and is often created through a combination of several dramatic

and stagecraft elements working in harmony with each other. The mood of a

performance is closely related to everyday feelings such as hope, sympathy,

frustration, desire or anger. Mood in drama can be created through sound, lighting,

movement, setting, rhythm, contrast, conflict and more.

Tension

Tension is the force that engages the performers and audience in dramatic action.

Every performance contains the element of tension. Tension can sometimes be

used as an interchangeable term with conflict, but it differs in the development of

suspense in a performance. As the audience expects certain outcomes in the plot,

the tension is built. The development of tension usually parallels the development

of the plot, resulting to a crisis or climax. Tension is closely linked with timing.

Timing

Timing in performance is, actually, the dramatic timing of movements and

gestures. We often ignore our movements in everyday life, but at the time of

performing, the use of our body must be carefully considered. Timing can be

manipulated to create contrast in a scene. Timing can affect pace and rhythm.

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Space

Space is the personal and general space used by the actors. It focuses on the

meaning of the size and shape of distances between actor and actor, actor and

object, and actor and audience. Actually this dramatic element refers to the

effective use of available space in a performance. Different levels of space are

used by the performer, such as sitting, bending over, lying down or crawling. For

using the space effectively, movement is an essential factor. Use of space also

implies clearly communicating to the audience where the action is taking place.

This may include any changes in location that may occur in the performance.

Contrast

It is the use of difference to create dramatic meaning. Without the careful use of

contrast a performance is boring, and it may lack tension. An example of contrast

is a sad scene that is followed by a happy one. But contrast can be created in

subtler and sophisticated ways, such as manipulating the drama to create a change

in setting, use of space or rhythm. The pace of scenes can also be changed, as

various dramatic elements within one small section of a performance may change.

Sound

Modern theatrical practice uses sound to be helpful in some ways. It can assist in

creating atmosphere or mood. Actors and their bodies can make effective sound in

performance. Other uses of sound involve the implementation of technology, such

as instrumental recordings and sound effects on CDs (however, this use of sound

is technically a stagecraft element in the theatre, not a dramatic element).

Symbol

Symbol is the use of objects, gestures or persons to represent meaning beyond the

literal. The use of symbol in dramatic performance can be one of the simplest and

also most complicated of all elements or techniques. Essentially, symbolism

implies a greater meaning than the literal suggestion. Symbols can be found in the

use of color or many other things. For example we often symbolize white with

innocence or purity, blue with calmness, black with evil and darkness. Color

association can be valuable symbols with costumes, sets and props, but the most

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sophisticated use of symbol occurs with the application of gesture and movement.

A particular gesture performed by a character early in a performance can be

repeated later under different circumstances (context) and have a very different

meaning. A gesture that only is used once can also be a powerful symbol. Of

course, all of the above examples can be combined for better effect.

Conflict

Drama that lacks conflict is normally dull and uninspiring. As a rule, conflict

should always be considered an essential ingredient for all dramatic performances.

Conflict can be between two or more characters, or simply one (inner conflict).

Many Elizabethan soliloquies contain inner conflict (‘To be or not to be…’ is an

excellent example). Conflict on stage can be verbal, physical or non-verbal

(psychological). Conflict differs from tension in that it is often a fixed part of the

structure of a play, with characters predetermined to clash with one another from

the beginning.

Climax

Most dramas will have one or more crises in the advancement of the plot. A crisis

is a key moment of dramatic tension and conflict in the play that usually occurs

between two or more characters and has serious implications for the outcome of

the plot. The highest crisis is usually called the climax and often (but not always)

occurs at the end of a performance. There can also be more than one climax,

although this is uncommon.

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History of Drama in Education

Although careful attentions on teaching, not necessarily second and foreign

language through drama has been attracted in recent years, different kinds of

institutions, such as military or business ones had used it as a fruitful way of

teaching in the past. The most accepted belief about primary development of it is

that the Prussian army used it as a simulation technique for recruiting officers that

were more capable in decision-making. They observed that some of those officers

who were accepted by paper and pencil tests were not some times suitable for

military decision-making skills at the time of commanding a troop. Then they tried

to do those tests through simulation activities; so they devised a simulated

battlefield in which those officers who could manage their troops successfully

were chosen as commanders or officers (very similar to maneuver but not

necessarily as that). These simulation techniques rapidly were adopted by the

British army as TEWTS, or Tactical Exercises without Troops. No real troops or

bullets were used, but the performance of the officers was examined exactly and

meticulously.

Then the U.S.A used simulation, drama and improvisation technique for training

spies and agents during World War two.

After the World War simulation technique was used as a means of assessment

in business management in America. Then American Telephone and Telegraph

and NASA began to use drama and its simulation techniques in training and

recruitment, particularly to make astronauts ready for anti-gravity and space travel.

At last, when the approach of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

developed during late 1960’s, its practitioners started to use some of drama’s

techniques in teaching a foreign or second language. This approach considers

communication as the center of all classroom activities (Richards & Rogers,

2001); the basis of drama is also communication, so drama’s techniques and CLT

are highly interrelated.

Some important characteristics of CLT according to Chastain (1988):

-It is a communicative orientation that stresses affective, cognitive and social

factors.

-Communicative competence is the aim of the course.

-Learning by being actively involved in real meaningful communication.

-Students should have choices about what they are going to say or how they are

going to say it.

-Students should practice with materials that relate to their needs and interests.

-Its activities are inner-directed and student-centered.

However the use of drama in different kinds of institutions, such as military,

business, governmental and, above all, educational shows the importance of

drama.

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Techniques of Drama for 2ND/F Language Teaching

Nowadays, in most of the classes of drama teaching for second language learners,

drama is being taught by meaningful and real performance rather than just reading

its text. Through performance, not only students can understand the drama better,

but also they can develop their oral skills, such as speaking and listening. There

are also more advantages which will be discussed in the next chapter.

In doing so, first, students and teacher should get familiar with the techniques

of drama and apply them as accurate as possible to acquire its benefits. These

techniques are related to the performance of drama, and they are performed for

teaching second/foreign language, not to make students artists of drama

necessarily. The teacher should keep in mind to act mostly as a facilitator during

the performance, and students should always pay attention to what happens in the

classroom very carefully. These techniques are more helpful for students with an

intermediate or upper level in second language proficiency. Explanation of each

technique and the way they should be done in the classroom are discussed here

one by one. (The examples are drawn from Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a

Salesman’.)

Role Play

Role play is considered the basis of all dramatic activities. Generally speaking,

role play is to be an imaginary person usually in a hypothetical situation and

sometimes in real one. According to Blanter (2002) role play is a method for

exploring the issues involved in complex social situations. ‘Social’ and ‘issues’ are

the key terms. When some body steps into someone else’s shoes, (character’s

shoes) the ability to suspend disbelief comes to him or her completely naturally.

They communicate (‘social’) with the other characters that live in the same

simulated context. They can step into the past or future and go every where, then

deal with issues related to moral and intellectual matters. Its benefits are obvious

in its emphasis on communication and providing a very meaningful context for

language use.

The instruction for its involvement in a classroom is easy; students take the

roles of the characters’ of drama and study their dialogues to say (often in their

own words) in their performances. Teachers, first, need to know the linguistic

level and affective condition of the students; more advanced ones take more

linguistically difficult roles and vice versa, but the teacher should keep in mind

that the language students are going to say in their performance should be most

likely every day language and a bit more difficult above their current linguistic

level. The teacher should also act as the facilitator during their performance.

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Teacher in Role

This technique also helps students engage in the fiction of the drama. As its name

suggests, a teacher takes a role in drama. In teacher in role technique, teacher is

not required to have great acting skills. He should be just proficient in both the

language and the content of the play.

For performing this technique, after telling them the instruction teacher usually

takes the role of a significant character, for example ‘Willy’ in Arthur Miller’s

‘Death of a Salesman’. Then students ask him their own questions about the

character’s personality, his wills, and sometimes about his motives for doing some

events, For example:

-Students (as audience or other characters): ‘do you really love your family?’

-Teacher (as Willy): ‘yes I love them, that’s why I’m working all these years far

from them, just to provide money for them; that’s why I suicide at the end of the

drama.’

-Students: ‘suicide! Why?’

-Teacher: ‘to provide them with the insurance money.’

So the conversation continues in this way. Actually, students are being put in

conversation unconsciously and meaningfully. Teacher can also use some of

character’s belongings typical of him, such as a hat, a coat, or a toy gun because it

makes the context more amusing and real.

Thought Tracking

This is another strategy in drama which helps the audience hears the inner feelings

and thoughts of the characters. Characters make a still image during the

performance and a character reveals his or her inner thought. Thought tracking

encourages the students to reflect on the action of the play, learn the content more

deeply, and consider the point of view of the characters they are playing.

For performing this technique, when the students started the performance, the

teacher suddenly gives a sign to still the image of the performance; all the

characters stop just as a still image. Then, the teacher goes to them and taps one of

them; the teacher asks the student a question about his or her feelings or thoughts;

and the student as the character answers him. The role of the teacher can also be

done by other characters, not involved within the action of the play, as shadows.

Sometimes the teacher does not ask any question and just taps the character and

then the character is required to state his feeling or thought, for example: ‘I’m not

sure whether he is jealous of me or not’ or ‘I’m really sick of him’. Sometimes all

the characters are thought tracked and then the still image continues. This

technique requires the students to study the plot of the drama more deeply and

practice the linguistic structural rules of changing the person (point of view)

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continuously. This technique provides some fun and proficiency in grammar for

every day language use.

Hot Seating

This technique in drama is done when a character is questioned by a group about

his thought, motivation and background. It is very like an interview. In language

teaching classroom, the student remains as the role after the performance, for

example ‘Willy’ and other students ask him question about the events of the drama

related to him, about his motives and whatever comes to their minds but related to

the action and plot of the play. The hot seated character can answer them in

accordance with what he or she already knows about the play, and if a question

requires the character beyond his knowledge, he can use his imagination to answer

them; so it involves most likely improvisation which is deemed as a beneficial

factor in language teaching. To perform this technique:

1. One character sits on a chair in front of the other students. (Sometimes a

group of character can be hot seated.)

2. The students sit in front of him in a shape of semi-circle.

3. The students ask him questions about the action of the play and the character

answers them.

4. The teacher acts as a facilitator when really needed, not constantly.

Conscience Alley

It is a very helpful technique by which any kind of dilemma by a character can be

explored. It provides a situation to analyze a decisive moment in subtler detail. In

language teaching through drama, it also encourages learners to respond to the

text, themes of the text and the characters in a personal manner. For performing

this technique, students make two lines facing each other to form an alley. One

person (not necessarily teacher) takes the role of one character, mostly major

character. Then he/she walks between the two lines while each member of the

group in the line tells his/her advice. Teacher can manage the lines in a way that

their advices oppose each other. Each advice should be given with a reason so that

it will lead to a discussion. For example in ‘Death of a Salesman’ by Miller:

A student or teacher takes the role of Willy and walks between the two groups. He

wonders weather to accept Charley’s offer for the job or not; some students in left

side group advise him to accept and some of them in the right side advise him to

reject. Each one should advise by providing reason and personal opinions.

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Here, Speaking is just important for them in order to learn how to defend their

ideas.

Story Telling

As its name suggests, story telling is simply telling the story or plot of the drama.

Probably, it is one of the simplest imaginative or dramatic techniques. Different

ways can be adopted for performing this technique. For the starting point, teacher

can start telling the story of the plot, and then ask the students to recite some parts

of the story during his recitation or some stories similar to the story of the drama

after he finished telling the story. Rather than telling the story by rote, students

should distinguish main parts of the plot then retell it in their own words. The

teacher can also bring a professional story teller in the classroom and want him to

retell it then ask the student to share their stories after they listened carefully. At

more advanced stages, teacher wants a student to take the role of the story teller

asking his classmates help him retell it.

Tableaux

It was first introduced by Augusto Boal. It is a technique by which a member of

the audience can engage himself in the action of the play. Some scenes are

important so they can be performed twice. For the first time, the scene is

performed by the characters according to the action of the play but for the second

time, the action is modified by the personal thought of a member among the

audience; while performing for the second time, an audience voluntarily shouts,

‘stop’. The characters make a still image, and he/she steps forward and takes the

role of a character. Then the engaged character says a dialogue from his/her

personal experience or a personal idea in mind, and other characters improvise

their dialogues so the action continues. It can continue for some time, but they

should go back again to the first action- the action of the predetermined drama.

Spot Light

It is a very effective technique for teaching a scene of drama in small groups.

Teacher divides the class into minor equal groups. He wants the groups to specify

the roles for the members in each group. After that, teacher walks among the

groups and points to a group to stand up and start their performance. He waits until

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their performance is finished. Then he wants them to sit down and points to

another group to stand up and start their show. While a group is performing its

show, other groups are required to listen carefully to improve their listening and

comprehension abilities. Groups are to practice their roles outside the classroom

before being spotlighted. It is a very effective technique to augment cooperation

among the students in each group inside and outside the classroom.

Mantle of the Experts

It is a technique by which an imaginary world is presented, and students take the

roles of experts in the associated field. It was first introduced by British drama

expert, Dorothy Heathcote. This technique is based on the premise that

considering students as responsible experts augments their engagement and

confidence. They understand that their learning is completely purposeful and

interactive, because this activity provides them with skills and knowledge that can

be applied in their every day lives. It fosters cooperation, communication skills,

decision making, critical thought and creativity.

For performing this technique, a problem or an idea which is significant in

drama is mentioned in the classroom, and then students are required to act as

experts and comment or give solutions. For example in Miller’s ‘Death of a

Salesman’, teacher asks about the psychological disorder of Willy, and students

comments on that. In this manner they may gain some psychological knowledge

that can benefit them in their every day life.

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The Benefits of Drama and its Activities

The paper has already dealt with dramatic activities and techniques used to

enhance the development of second language. In this section, the paper presents

some defensible advantages of those dramatic activities. Actually, it provides the

learners with a powerful context for listening and meaningful language

production. They can also develop their writing and reading with some techniques

already presented in previous chapter. Usually these techniques develop self-

expression, stimulate reality and make the students experience language in

operation, while providing motivation for using the language in the context. It has

been proved that students can enhance their social, communication skills and

tolerance when they work together (Brown, 2007); in fact, drama provides this

context. As stated by Buchanan (2000), drama is helpful because:

-it stimulates creativity in problem solving.

-it can challenge students’ perceptions.

-the atmosphere is completely safe and very much like real world.

-as the center of all drama is communication, it can develop communicative skills.

-they learn to work together.

-they can be more confident in speaking in public.

Actually it can help students develop some of their intelligences. According to

classification of Gardner’s (1993) multiple intelligence, we have eight native

intelligences:

1. Linguistic: the ability to use language in special and creative ways.

2. Logical/mathematical: the ability to think rationally.

3. Spatial: the ability to form mental models of the world.

4. Musical: a good ear for music

5. Bodily/kinesthetic: having a well-coordinated body.

6. Interpersonal: the ability to be able to work well with people.

7. Intrapersonal: the ability to understand oneself and apply one’s talent

successfully.

8. Naturalist: the ability to understand and organize the patterns of nature.

(Richards & Rogers, 2001)

According to Milanova (2002) drama can help students improve all eight

intelligences:

1. In drama we should be able to think through a sequence of actions at a

beginning pint where past experiences are recalled. Therefore, students learn how

to know while they develop their logical, intrapersonal and naturalist intelligences.

2. Drama requires the students to see the world through someone else’s eyes and

to know who they represent and how they feel. There fore, they learn how to be

while develop their intrapersonal and naturalist intelligences.

3. Drama requires students to create group activities with communication and

expression. Therefore, they learn how to live together while developing their

interpersonal and linguistic intelligences.

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4. Drama requires students to create a context of role play: to set and build up an

action or situation. Therefore, they learn how to act while they develop their

spatial, kinesthetic, musical, naturalist and linguistic intelligences.

So, generally, it develops spatial, kinesthetic, musical, naturalist, linguistic,

intrapersonal, interpersonal and logical intelligences.

Maley (2005) also mentions some benefits of drama for education:

- It integrates language skills in a very natural way. Students should listen

carefully. Spontaneous verbal expression is important to most of the strategies and

activities.

- It integrates verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication, thus joins both

mind and body, and restoring the balance between physical and intellectual aspects

of learning.

- It deals with both cognitive and affective domains, thus restoring the importance

of feeling as well as thinking.

- It contextualizes the language, so it brings the classroom interaction to life

through an intensive focus on meaning.

- The emphasis on whole-person learning and multi-sensory inputs helps learners

to capitalize on their strength and to extend their range. In doing so, it offers

unequalled opportunities for serving to learner differences.

- It grows self-awareness (and awareness of others), self-esteem and confidence;

and through this, motivation is created.

- Motivation is likewise fostered and sustained through the variety and sense of

expectancy generated by the activities.

- There is a transfer of responsibility for learning from teacher to learners which is

where it belongs.

- It encourages an open, exploratory style of learning where creativity and the

imagination develop. This, in turn, promotes risk-taking, which is an essential

element in effective language learning

-It is an enjoyable experience.

However, research reveals the positive impact of drama on a learner’s physical,

emotional, social, and cognitive development. These benefits are presented here

with a more elaborate consideration.

Communicative Skills:

While performing a role in a drama, the learner enhances verbal and nonverbal

expression of ideas. Nonverbal expression of ideas is referred as nonverbal

communication. Brown (2007) defines nonverbal communication as ‘how you say

language functions-what you convey with body language, gestures, eye contact,

physical distance, and other nonverbal messages’ (p. 237). Through it, they

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improve their fluency with language, effective speech, voice projection and

articulation of words. By the way, by playing drama games, being an audience,

rehearsing, performing, listening and observation skills strengthen.

Self Confidence:

Drama requires the students to take risk in class and perform for an audience; thus,

they learn to trust their own ideas and abilities. The gained confidence in drama

applies in school, career, and life.

Empathy:

As mentioned before, one of the dramatic activities is role taking. Acting roles

from different contexts and situations develops compassion and tolerance for

others’ beliefs and emotions. As mentioned by Brown (2007), empathy is

necessary for successful oral communication, because, actually ‘it is a process of

comprehending in which a temporary fusion of self object boundaries permits an

immediate emotional apprehension of the affective experience of another’ (p.

165).

Socio-cultural Awareness:

In drama or other genres of literature usually we can find themes, facts, legends,

myths, and stories which can teach students about social and cultural issues and

differences existing in other cultures and societies all over the world.

Amusement and Fun:

An important reason for encouraging students to try to perform techniques of

drama is amusement and fun. While performing, usually, students may have

humor and laughter. It reduces stress and enhances motivation.

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Memory:

Because for performance we need to memorize and rehearse words, movements,

and cues, our memorization skill will strengthen like a muscle.

Calmness and Relaxation:

Drama activities cause mental, physical, and emotional tension to be released.

Therefore the stress is reduced.

Trust:

Dramatic activities provide the students with social interaction and risk taking,

which lead to develop trust in self and others.

Imagination:

Once Einstein said, ‘imagination is more important than knowledge.’ While

Performing a drama, the performer is required to make creative choices, think

about new ideas, and interpret familiar material in new ways. So the imaginative

part of the student’s mind is highly challenged in drama.

Problem Solving:

To paraphrase Basom’s (2005) words, students learn how to interact and

communicate the who, what, where and why to the audience. Improvisation, used

in dramatic activities, fosters quick-thinking solutions, which results in greater

adaptability in life

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Emotional Outlet:

Pretence play and drama activities help the students express their feelings.

Therefore, their hostility, tension and stress are release in a controlled and safe

environment.

Focus and Concentration:

It is axiomatic that if somebody plays, practices, and performs something

repeatedly, his or her focus of mind, body, and voice will be developed.

Improvisation in Language Use

When somebody responds spontaneously in a situation of language interaction, we

say that he or she is improvising. Students can do improvisation through dramatic

elements when, for example, they forget some texts of the play considered to be

stated. Often the dialogues of the play should not be memorized and stated

exactly, but if the memorized dialogues were forgotten during performance, we

are to provide some parts of our own but related to the plot. This practice involves

students’ thought and imagination and makes them ready for such situations for

second language use.

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Some Tips for 2nd/F Language Instruction through Drama

For the performance of drama as a way of teaching second language, the teacher

should pay attention to some points in order to make it more effective. These tips

are presented here:

a. Guidelines and the syllabus should be set clearly:

The teacher is required to specify the syllabus and expectations of the course from

the first day of instruction to avoid any kind of confusion in students. It helps them

get ready before the class begins, for example, by checking the correct

pronunciation of the words. It is also a strategy that may warn the students that no

excuse is accepted; therefore they will be more attentive to the course’s goals.

Although fun is required in the classroom, authority of the teacher is also

important.

b. Providing fun during a performance:

Students should have fun when they want to play a drama. Teacher can include it

through sense of humor and letting the students tell jokes or some thing amusing

before the dramatic techniques start. If the students do not experience fun during

the performance, they will be cold and inattentive to what other students say and

do during the performance, so most probably the context of language practice will

lack listening practice. At the first stages, the type of drama should not be a

literary or a complex one; it should be commercial or may be a comedy to provide

fun and laughter as the plot is developed by the performers. Some times it is

worth, if the teacher tells the students directly, for instance, ‘your learning should

be fun; otherwise you won’t learn any thing’. The ways for involving fun within

drama performance are various and can be easily found.

c. Engaging all the students during performance:

Drama provides all the students of a classroom with an effective language context

useful for both the performers and the audience. Its overall benefits have already

been mentioned. Some people may think that because the audience is not engaged

directly in the action of the play, the context would not be useful for them

linguistically; but it is s myth, because they can improve their comprehension

through listening. So both skills of listening and comprehension will be practiced.

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In so doing, the attention of the audience is a key. The teacher can do some

techniques in order to engage the audience’s attention, such as asking them some

questions about the action of the play, their personal views on its events or their

interpretation of its scenes at the end of each scene or act, but not during the

performance, because it probably makes the actors anxious and distracted.

d. Knowing the students well and be as close friends:

Many methods and approaches of teaching emphasize the importance of teacher

and students as friends inside and outside the classroom (Desuggestopedia, TPR,

CLT, etc.). It is a very helpful way to motivate the students in the process of

learning, and to reduce their stress and their psychological barriers which may

obstruct their learning. It is also a basis for bringing fun into the classroom during

a performance. For knowing the students well, for example, teacher can ask the

students about their favorite things, sports and genres of music then show them an

interest and longing to know more about theirs. A teacher should bear in mind not

to pretend to be their friend at any cost, because a good teacher always cares for

his students beyond textbooks and classroom.

e. Every body should respect each other:

The students in a classroom should firstly learn to respect themselves, secondly

respect other students and thirdly respect their teacher, then, the teacher should

respect them. If every student respects the performance of the other, even if he/she

has not played well, poor students will be more motivated to talk because they

know that they would not be mocked in the classroom. It also creates a warm

atmosphere in which students can exercise much more risk-taking which results in

more effective language instruction.

f. Teacher must know the content of the drama very well:

Teacher should study the determined chapter which is to be taught for the course

before entering the classroom in order not to go astray during the performance.

Here, two points should be noted; first, teacher’s proficiency about the content will

increase his/her authority and students become more confident in him/her. Second,

teacher should never pretend to know all the answers and he should bear in mind

that teacher can also learn from students.

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Conclusion

Teaching second or foreign language through techniques and strategies of drama is

a very beneficial and influential method of language teaching in an instructional

context. Education through drama has been used before the First World War in

many institutions, such as military or business ones. Recently, language teaching

theorists have also paid attention to its techniques and strategies in communicative

language teaching. Dramatic techniques engage the brain and physical body in

meaningful and realistic simulation exercises which have been proven to be very

helpful in language teaching. The obvious advantages of drama not only lie in the

development of second language proficiency, but also in producing empathy, self

confidence, calmness, problem solving, etc. It is helpful because it requires the

students to use language in operation. They will be more encouraged in

performing these techniques, because drama provides them with fun, and students

are always interested in doing something which is funny and amusing. They will

learn their second/foreign language unconsciously, acquisition, which is very

similar to first language acquisition. They will learn because their context of

language learning is meaningful; because it is quite purposeful and lifelike.

Learners can express themselves; express their ideas and their feelings, because

they are given the chance to use their own personalities. So dramatic techniques

and strategies should be highly applied in all 2nd/F language instructional contexts,

particularly those in which students are to study the literature of a foreign

language, such as English literature in universities of Iran, because drama is a

genre of literature.

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