Drama in the ESL Classroom

We recommend contributing to English language learning through performance and active participation. As the old proverb goes, "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." English language learners can enhance their comfort and control of the language through engaging and creative mediums.

Mastering the English language is essential to students’ success in both their social and academic lives, and in their abilities to take their places in society as responsible and productive citizens. (Ontario Curriculum ESL)

We firmly believe that incorporating drama when teaching English as a Second Language, regardless of the subject matter, is very beneficial to students. By doing so, we can achieve positive results, and reach short and long term goals.

Drama in the ESL classroom:

• helps students with fluency and fluidity, and expands vocabulary

• instills in students a sense of confidence that is transferable in real life (relationships, community, work, etc.)

• helps students develop bonds and trust

• makes language acquisition an active, motivating experience

• stimulates learners’ intellect and imagination

• emulates the way children naturally acquire a language through play, make-believe, and meaningful interactions

• provides essential connections between thoughts and actions

• reduces stress

• triggers the desire to speak through nonverbal activities

• enables students to take risks

“Drama encourages the operation of certain psychological factors which facilitate communication: heightened self-esteem, motivation, and spontaneity; increased capacity for empathy; and lowered sensitivity to rejection.”

Stern, S. L. (1980), DRAMA IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING FROM A PSYCHOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE. Language Learning, 30: 77–100.

“Despite initial resistance from the majority of the English language learners about taking this mandatory class, the drama pedagogy used in this classroom drew on students’ personal and cultural experiences in the creation of identity texts and thereby provided room for a situated practice as well as multimodal representations of meaning.”

Ntelioglou , Burcu Yaman . "‘But why do I have to take this class?’ The mandatory drama-ESL class and multiliteracies pedagogy." Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. Volume 16. Issue 4 (2011).

“Understanding dialogue and sequence comes from practice and repetition: necessary skills for language learning, but often tedious and boring. Drama builds all the skills – listening, vocabulary, reading, and writing – within a framework of fun and active participation.”

Law, Barbara, and Mary Eckes. The More-Than-Just-Surviving Handbook: ELL for Every Classroom Teacher. 3rd Ed. Portage & Main Press, 2010. 107-141.

“As a qualified E.S.L. teacher, and a teacher of Dramatic Arts, I clearly see the many benefits of teaching English through Drama. Drama creates supportive intellectual and emotional environments that encourage students to experience communication as it occurs in social contexts. It allows students to apply their communication skills and encourages them to take risks. Drama promotes long-term retention of vocabulary through repetition and active participation. In Drama, students learn the language of expression, a communication skill which is undeniably important, but often difficult for second language learners. Further, Drama motivates students toward further learning and use of new language as a means of communication.”

Ontario ESL teacher; The population of the school that is currently in the ESL program is 27.4% with a further 30.8% being designated as ESL Prior

Consider these sorts of activities for helping ESL learners with language acquisition through drama:

Drama and Language Games
Role Play
Improvisation
Simulation
Mime
Skits
Frozen Image Building
Scriptwriting
Reader's Theatre

Duff, Alan (1978). Drama Techniques in Language Learning. Cambridge University Press.

Price, Pamela (1980). Creative Play Production in the Classroom. Yale, Yale Publishers.

Royka, Judith (2002). Overcoming the Fear of Using Drama in English Language Teaching. The Internet TESL Journal, vol.8, #6, June 2002.
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Royka-Drama.html

IMPROV http://improvencyclopedia.org/games/index.html

ESL DRAMA GAMES http://esldramagames.com/

ESL-DRAMA RATIONALE FOR USING http://www.melta.org.my/ET/1990/main8.html

GENERAL STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES (INTERNET) http://www.freeeslmaterials.com/drama.html