Rieko Nishida, Ph.D. Osaka University IATEFL March 23, 2012.

Rieko Nishida, Ph.D.Osaka UniversityIATEFL March 23, 2012

  As has been announced by the Ministry of

Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan, ‘foreign language activities’ for the fifth and sixth grades will officially commence in 2011. The emphasis is on enhancing the joy of communication and providing various experiences that will help students understand different cultures and languages. To address the requirement for ‘foreign language activities’, 35 hours have been timetabled for foreign language activities in the public elementary schools.

In such circumstances, some public elementary schools have used project-based teaching practices linked to content-based approaches (Nishida, 2009, 2010). Studies in project-based teaching practice which focus on high school students (Yashima & Zenuk-Nishide, 2008) and university students (Hiromori & Tanaka, 2006) have also been conducted.

According to Maley and Duff (2005), applying drama techniques to language teaching has several benefits. Some skills that they emphasized can be used with young learners. Drama technique integrates verbal and non-verbal communication so that it restores the balance between physical and intellectual aspects of language learning.

When students learn languages, they bring their different experiences, different backgrounds, as well as different memories. “It is this we seek tap into; and in doing so, we inevitably restore some of the neglected emotional content to language, along with a renewed attention to what is physical about language” (Maley & Duff, 2005, p.2). In fact, for decades, drama techniques have been applied in foreign language learning (see more for Sano, 1986; Williams, 1981).

A total of 116 students participated in the study including 47 boys and 59 girls aged between 10 and 11 years old.

Students’ Experience in English

Boys Girls

54 62

Grades Annual English Hours

4th 10 hrs.

3rd 2 hrs.

• The fifth graders had the special musical script that consisted of 8 scenes with dialogues and 4 advanced songs in English based on a famous American movie.

Title of Each Scene

Scene1 All the animals are happy to see a baby lion.

Scene2 The baby lions are lost in the hyenas' territory!!!

Scene3 The uncle lion wants to become king of the animal kingdom.

Scene4 The father lion is trapped by the uncle lion and the father dies.

Scene5 Now, the uncle lion is the king.

Scene6 The pig and the raccoon help the baby lion

Scene7 The baby lion meets with his old friends.

Scene8 The baby lion and his friends fight with the uncle lion and the hyenas

Table1: Timeline until the Musical Presentation (Parents Day)

Day1 September 11, 2007Day2 October 9, 2007Day3 October 31, 2007Day4 November 26, 2007 N/A

Day5 December 13, 2007 N/A

Day6 January 18, 2008

Day7 January 24, 2008

*Note 1) A musical script consisted of 8 scenes*Note 2) Students were learning 4 advanced songs

Day8 February 6, 2008 (2 hours of practices)Day9 February 8, 2008 (2 hours of practices)Day10 February 12 2008 (2 hours of practices)Day11 February 13, 2008 (3 hours of practices)

Day12 February 14, 2008 (2 hours of rehearsal) In the morning: RehearsalIn the afternoon: Parents' Day

four songs

four songs

ScenesDates

the scenes 3, 7

the scenes 3, 7

the scenes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8the scenes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

the scenes 1, 2

Phase 1: Classroom Practice (7 hours)

HRTs discussed and the scenes were decided for each class. So each class only practiced scenes.

Songsone songone song

Phase 2: Practice at Gym (11 hours)

Practiced 4 songs and movements in the scene

Parents' Day

Contents of Practice

Dates Contents of Practice

one song

three songs

three songs

All 4 classes practiced together

Narrator: Baby lions and the parrot are lost in hyena’s place. Student A (baby lion): Hey, let’s go to a cool place. Student B (baby lion’s friend): The cool place? Where? Student A (baby lion): Come with me. Student C (parrot): Wait! Song: Lion Sleeps Tonight (Students sing the song all together) (they all lose their way and go to Hyena’s place)*. Student A: Oh we are lost! (Hyenas are getting closer to them. They are hungry). Student D (hyena 1): Hello, Hello, Hello. Student E (hyenas 2): We are hungry! Student F (hyenas 3): Yeah, we are hungry! Student G (hyenas 4): You are my dinner!!! Student A, B, and C (baby lions and parrot): Run!! (They try to run

away from this place). (The father appears and helps baby lions and the parrot). Student H (father lion): Roar! Roar! He is my son!! Students (rest of hyenas): Sorry! (They run away). *Italics are explained in Japanese.

Narrator: The baby lion meets with the pig and the raccoon. (Giraffes, zebras, monkeys and elephants are looking at the baby lion,

as the baby lion is nearly dead in the jungle) Students (giraffes): Hello, hello, are you OK? Students (zebras): Are you OK? Students (monkeys): What is this? It is a lion! Students (elephants): Oh! No! It’s a lion!! Student A (pig): Oh, he is alive. Very cute. Student B (raccoon): Help him. Student A (pig): OK! (The Baby Lion gets up) Student C (baby lion): Thank you very much. … who are you? Student A (pig): I am A. (adding the pig’s name) Student B (raccoon): I am B. (adding the raccoon’s name) Student C (baby lion): I am C. (adding the baby lions’ name) Students A and B (pig and raccoon): Do you know this song? Hakuna

Matata! Let’s sing together!!

Throughout the course, we saw changes in the students in the class and outside the class, and changes in students’ willingness to communicate and motivation were also observed. In order to look more closely at the changes in the students over the course of this musical project, Nishida and Yashima conducted a series of studies (please refer to Nishida, 2011; Nishida & Yashima, 2009, 2010 for more details). Figure 1, from Nishida and Yashima (2009), shows how students’ willingness to communicate, intrinsic motivation, perceived competency and autonomy increased after the musical practice.

Graph1: Mean scores of motivation, autonomy, competency, relatedness and WTC at pre-tests and post-tests

3.203

2.608

2.796

3.188

3.465

3.316

2.956

3.078

3.200

3.822

2

3

4

Motivation Autonomy Competency Relatedness WTC

pre-tests post-tests

Throughout the course, as this musical performance was quite challenging for students, the teachers emphasized “modeling and repetition”. As the teachers provided sufficient assistance, students were able to understand what they had to say and how to act, as well as being able to produce the target words and sentences. For young children,

I believe appropriate assistance from their teachers is a vital part of learning, enabling students to produce target language as well as enhancing their willingness to communicate in a different language and to fulfill their perceived competency in language.

Outside the class, homeroom teachers played these songs during lunch time, and students sang these songs when they went to a ski camp. Their singing voices were heard in the corridors, and they were heard using dialogues in physical education classes such as soccer. English was, in a way, absorbed into their daily life (see Nishida & Yashima, 2009 for more details). Even a year later, right before graduation day, students were singing songs in the corridor that they had learned in the project. Teachers believe that the musical will be a memorable experience from their early days of foreign language learning.

In order to conduct such a large project, elaborative planning is necessary, and teachers need to work hard without sparing themselves. But for students, such a project is a rewarding experience and will be an unforgettable memory from their childhood.

The research connected with this project (see Nishida, 2011, Nishida & Yashima, 2009, 2010, for more details) showed that students’ sense of autonomy and competency, crucial factors for intrinsic motivation, had shown an increase after the musical project. Although this project has been conducted only once up till now1, a similar project might be suitable for teachers to integrate in curricula – perhaps the integration of a story that students already knew and/or had learned in another subject.

Overall, either a small project or a large project including a goal-oriented activity can be beneficial for young learners: it may enhance students’ motivation, foster students’ positive attitudes toward communication, as quantitative data has shown (Nishida & Yashima, 2009), and a project in a similar vein may deepen their understanding of different cultures and languages.

Hiromori, T., & Tanaka, H. (2006). Instrumental intervention on motivating English learners: The self-determination theory view point. Language Education and Technology, 43, 111–126.

Ibaraki City Board of Education Center (2003). Tasukuwo sikoushita eigokatsudou jugyou renshuu.[English Lesson Activities centering Task-based planning] Retrieved from http://www.educ.city.ibaraki.osaka.jp/center/kenkyukenshu/gengo15.pdf.

Ibaraki City Board of Education Center (2006). Tasukuwo sikoushita eigokatsudou jugyou renshuu. 　 [English Lesson Activities centering Task-based planning] Retrieved from

http://www.educ.city.ibaraki.osaka.jp/center/kenkyukenshu/gengo17.pdf Izumi, M., & Yukawa, S. (2010). Gakunen no matometoshiteno project-based learning. [Project-based learning in the end of the

school year]. Yukawa, S., & Butler, G.Y. (Eds). Shougakkou eigokatsudo hisshuukanotameno karikyuramu, kyouzai, oshiekata. Maley, A., & Duff, A.(2005). Drama Techniques: A resource book of communication activities for language teachers. Third edition. Cambridge University Press. Nishida, R. (2009). Exploring a content based approach with young EFL learners to enhance language learning motivation. JES

Bulletin, 9, 39–46. Nishida, R. (2010). Shougakkou gaikokugo katsudou purojyekuto ‘Chikyuuhaku’ no kokoromi, naiyoujushino apuro-chini motozuite. [Project-based learning “Earth Exposition” based on a content-based approach].

JES Bulletin, 10, 1–6. Nishida, R. (2011). Empirical Studies of Affective Variables and Motivational Changes among Japanese Elementary School EFL

Learners. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Kansai University. Nishida, R., & Yashima, T. (2009). The enhancement of intrinsic motivation and willingness to communicate through a musical

project in young Japanese EFL learners. Paper Presented. Annual Conference of American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Denver, Colorado.

Nishida, R., & Yashima, T. (2010). Classroom Interactions of teachers and elementary school pupils through a musical project: an analysis from a socio-cultural perspective. Paper Presented. Annual Conference of American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL), Atlanta, Georgia.

Phillips, D., Burwood, S., & Dunford, H. (1999). Projects with Young Learners. Oxford: Open University Press Sano, T. (1986). In Tasaki, T. (Eds). Drama Method. Gendai Eigo Kyoujyu Hou [English Teaching Methodology]. Taisyukan. Yashima, T. & Zenuk-Nishide, L. (2008). The impact of learning contexts on proficiency, attitudes, and L2 communication:

Creating an imagined international community. System, 36, 566-585. Williams, L. (1981). Communicative Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.