DRAMA-IN-EDUCATION AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN ENGLISH SECOND/FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES

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1 ZENTRUM FÜR SÜD-NORD- BILDUNGSKOOPERATION CENTRE FOR SOUTH-NORTH COOPERATION IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND PRACTICE Telefon: +49 (0) DRAMA-IN-EDUCATION AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN ENGLISH SECOND/FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES Dr. L. Athiemoolam The First International Language Learning Conference (ILLC) 2004 Universiti Sains Malaysia, Evergreen Laurel Hotel (Penang) (16th 18th December 2004) Conference Theme: Issues, Practices and Challenges in Establishing a Language Learning Culture

2 Drama can lead the inquirer to moments of direct experience, transcending mere knowledge, enriching the imagination, possibly touching the heart and soul Brian Way (Development Through Drama) ABSTRACT Learning a second or foreign language can be incredibly disconcerting to learners especially if they are not exposed to the target language on a regular basis and are not able to practice the language in authentic situations. The teacher in the English second or foreign language class, however, encounters major challenges in his/her class especially since many of his/her learners lack the confidence to communicate in the target language or to respond to questions in class. Consequently, on numerous occasions, one finds that the learners sit passively in the classes expecting the teacher to do most of the talking. If the teacher does not make a concerted effort to enable his/her learners to be active participants rather than passive recipients, his/her learners will be reluctant to use the target language which in this case is English. As a result, learners become disinterested, apathetic and sometimes create disciplinary problems in the class due to communication problems. The teacher who is prepared to experiment with other innovative and novel methods of teaching, however, will be able to make a meaningful contribution to the development of communicative competence amongst the learners in his class. In this regard, drama-ineducation has a constructive role to play in English second/foreign language classes. It is with this background in mind that the paper intends to focus on the principles of drama-in-education and its application to the English second language classroom. The paper aims to highlight the use of improvisation, role play and frozen images ( szenisches spiel ) as techniques to foster greater learner involvement among learners studying a second or foreign language. Although the techniques will be outlined with reference to English second/foreign language teaching they could be used to teach any language as a second or foreign language. 2

3 This paper thus proposes to provide insights into the use of drama-in-education in second/foreign language classes and then on the basis of examples and personal experiences with this method of teaching, at both; school and university level, to highlight its effectiveness in the development of communication skills amongst English second/foreign language learners. 1. INTRODUCTION The teaching of any language as a second or foreign language constitutes major challenges for the teacher of that language as he/she has to provide the building blocks for the learners so that they will eventually become confident speakers in the target language. Furthermore, since L2 learners conceptualise in their mother tongue, they encounter problems when having to use the target language. The learner may also feel inhibited to use the target language for fear of making mistakes and becoming a proverbial laughing stock. Ultimately, however, the success of English second and foreign language teaching depends on the methodological approach, which the teacher adopts in the execution of his lessons. In the past and even presently, at many institutions where English is taught as a second or foreign language, the focus is on the grammar approach to teaching, since it is believed by traditionalists that a sound knowledge of the rules of grammar, sentence structure and analysis is the best result of language teaching. In many respects this approach is flawed since learners are not afforded the opportunity to study the language in authentic situations, thereby limiting their interaction with mother tongue speakers of the language being studied. It is with this background in mind that this paper intends to highlight the invaluable contribution that drama-in-education can make to the development of oral communication competence of learners studying English as a second or foreign language. The use and application of role play, improvisation and frozen image building or szenisches spiel which form an integral part of drama-in-education will be outlined and explained in detail and practical examples will be provided in order to illustrate how they could be applied to the classroom situation. 3

4 2. DRAMA-IN-EDUCATION 2.1 Outline of drama-in-education Drama-in-education (D.I.E) is the use of drama as a means of teaching across the curriculum. It is used to expand learners awareness, to enable them to look at reality through fantasy and to look below the surface of actions for meanings. According to McCaslin (1990:10) the objective is understanding rather than playmaking, although a play may be made in the process. Attitudes rather than characters are the chief concern as the focus is on process rather than product. Since drama becomes a natural means of learning in the developmental history of human beings, it is evident that this technique could be used effectively in teaching and learning. According to Landy (1982:5) its elements imitation, imagination, role-playing and interpretation account for much of a child s learning of language, movement and social behaviour. By acting out the roles of the father/mother the child learns what a parent is and what is expected of him/her in his relationship with the parent. Drama-in-education, also known as creative drama, is an improvisational, nonexhibitional, process-centred form of drama in which participants are guided by a leader to imagine, enact and reflect upon human experiences. According to Landy (1982:5) it requires both logical and intuitive thinking, personalizes knowledge and yields aesthetic pleasure. 2.2 Advantages of drama-in-education Katz (2000:2) contends that drama can aid in understanding personal and human experiences, allowing students to enter into the reality of imaginery situations and characters. This will enable them to explore emotions, attitudes, opinions and relationships and accommodate these abstract concepts more readily by representing them in a dramatic and therefore more concrete form. Since drama makes constant demands on a person s imagination, it develops a learner s ability to think more effectively. According to Katz (2000) a learner involved in a drama activity will be called upon to practice several thinking skills such as: inventing, generating, speculating, assimilating, clarifying, inducing, deducing, analyzing, accommodating, selecting, refining, sequencing and judging. It is thus apparent from the list of skills identified that drama-in-education has a significant contribution to make to the development of higher order thinking skills. 4

5 Dramatic activity also fosters the skills of group interaction since the learners have to work in groups to discuss, negotiate and reach consensus. The advantages of such group interactions are self evident and will contribute significantly to the process of teaching and learning. It thus emerges from the viewpoints expressed by various writers that drama in effect develops all aspects of the individual s personality which leads him/her to greater self discovery and to the realisation that he is capable of achieving success in the learning of a second or foreign language. 2.3 Misconceptions relating to drama-in-education The mere mention of the word drama to teachers conjures up images of scriptwriting, directing and producing plays for an audience. In most instances when teachers are requested to use drama in the classroom they react negatively to the suggestion proclaiming that they have no skills whatsoever in producing plays and that since they need to complete the syllabus as set down by the Department of Education there is no time to play games in the classroom. Their reasons for reacting in this way are understandable as they lack the knowledge, skills and understanding of what drama-ineducation entails. The crux of drama-in-education is the creation of opportunities for the learners to exercise their creativity within given scenarios in the classroom situation. The focus is on learning within a given context by drawing from the experiences of the learners and by providing them with opportunities to use the second or target language in authentic situations rather than by creating contrived situations which are divorced from their experiences in the real world The creation of these scenarios enables them to use the target language within authentic situations which will ultimately be beneficial to them during their interactions with mother tongue speakers outside the confines of the classroom. The major focus of drama-in-education in the classroom is on the processes involved rather than the product. However, the processes could lead to a product at a much later stage which could be staged for an audience. The term theatre-in-education unlike creative drama implies the development of a product, a script that is rehearsed and performed to and audience. The essential ingredients are actors, script and audience. The mission of theatre-in-education (TIE) is to effect change or to illuminate subject matter through the medium of the theatre. The desired result is: To change an attitude, thereby leading to a change in behaviour To stimulate intellectual curiosity 5

6 To motivate the pursuit of a particular topic or issue It is important to highlight the differences between drama-in-education and theatre-ineducation in order to illustrate that the former does not necessarily lead to the creation of a production for an audience, whilst the focus of the latter is on a production which will educate the audience on a particular issue affecting society at large. 2.4 Using drama in English second language classes Drama-in-education, also known as creative drama, could be implemented very effectively in English second/ foreign language classes as well as across the curriculum in all learning areas. The success of its implementation depends on the creativity of the second/foreign language teacher and the value that he/she attaches to this method of teaching. Most teachers feel limited in using drama-in-education techniques as they have not received training in this regard. Consequently they tend to shy away from using drama in the classroom. Yet the very use of demonstration and show and tell are the building blocks of drama in education. If teachers extend demonstration further to include visualization and role play exercises they have actually started to adopt drama-ineducation principles. Drama-in-education in the English second language class involves the use of improvisation, role play and frozen image building also known as szenisches spiel, amongst others. These techniques will not only make a constructive contribution to the development of the learners oral communication skills, but will serve to develop all aspects of their personality including empathy, confidence, concentration and communication skills. Before language teachers commence with the implementation of drama-in-education techniques in their second language classes, it is imperative that they first focus on initiating the learners into this method by commencing with warm up exercises. Second language learners could be very disconcerted and frustrated if the teachers expectations of them are unrealistic. Thus in order to obviate this scenario the learners should first be exposed to warm up exercises so that they are able to remain focused on their activities. The warm up exercises could include, amongst others, the following: The participants go crisscross through the room and greet each other in a special mode/ or according to their own culture of greeting: German (shake hands), Xhosa, French (cheek to cheek), Japanese (bow with praying hands). 6

7 The group forms a circle. The facilitator makes eye contact with a person, claps his/her hand, calls out his/her name, walks towards the person and goes behind him/her. Then the person in front continues. The group forms a circle. The facilitator calls out one of the participant s names by using a certain gesture and then moves into the centre of the circle. The whole group copies the gesture and repeats the name at the same time. The next person does the same thing, the whole group copies and so on. Going into pictures: The facilitator gives a cue (eg shopping centre/ soccer field..etc). The first participant who has an idea goes on stage and freezes in a posture which relates to shopping centre. Then one after the other they follow with their ideas until the whole group is on stage. They leave the stage in the same order as they came on. 2.5 Techniques Involved in Drama-in-education The major techniques on which drama-in-education is based include, amongst others, improvisation, role play and frozen image building. These techniques create opportunities for the English second language learner to use the language in a stimulating learning environment which will ultimately have a positive effect on his/her performance in the L2 class. In the ensuing discussion which follows each of these techniques will be explained, their application in English L2 classes will be highlighted and specific examples will be provided to illustrate how they could be applied in the classroom in given situations Improvisation Outline of improvisation Landy (1982:6) defines improvisation as an unscripted, unrehearsed, spontaneous set of actions in response to minimal directions from a leader, usually including statements of whom one is, where one is and what one is doing there. The focus is thus on identifying with characters, enacting roles and entering into the inner experience of imagination and fantasy. It is in effect the creation of a situation where the players first achieve a sense of security in movement before they are ready to add dialogue. The dialogue that emerges from the situation is created spontaneously by the participants as the various scenes unfold and develop. 7

8 According to McCaslin (1990) the focus of improvisation is on helping learners to discover their own resources from which their most imaginative ideas and strongest feelings flow. Participants gain freedom as self-discipline and the ability to work with others develops. It is important to note, however, that the purpose of improvisation in the L2 class is not to entertain others but to provide the participants with a medium of self expression. The facilitator, according to McCaslin (1990: 120), tries to stimulate the imagination, free the individual to create, guide the group and build confidence Implementing improvisation in the English second language classroom Improvisation is an excellent technique to use in the L2 classroom as it motivates the learners to be active participants in authentic situations thereby reducing their self consciousness. Initially the learners will be rather hesitant and shy to participate in the activities, but after a few sessions they will become more enthusiastic and there will be a phenomenal improvement in their confidence levels. According to McCaslin (1990:100) dialogue in improvisation is apt to be brief and scanty at first, but with practice words begin to come and the players discover the possibilities of character development when oral language is added. The implementation of techniques that aim to improve the L2 learners confidence levels will invariably lead to improvement in the use of the target language. Improvisation provides learners with opportunities to not only improve their language communication skills, but also to improve their confidence which will ultimately lead to the development of positive self concepts. The commencement of the improvisation session involves the establishment of a context by the facilitator which serves to inform the participants where they are and what they are expected to portray in their inter-relationships with other characters. Since this is an unscripted, unrehearsed drama exercise, the participants are at liberty to make their own spontaneous contributions as the play unfolds. This entails that they have the freedom 8

9 to add their own words and develop their characters in the ways which they would like to. Thus one of the advantages of improvisation is the level of freedom that the participants are able to exercise during the execution of the creative session. It is a good idea to begin with simple situations so as to get accustomed to using dialogue before attempting more ambitious material. It is imperative, however, that the teacher does not expect too much and that he/she accepts whatever is offered, knowing that more will be forthcoming the next time. Improvisation exercises could involve an entire class of learners or smaller groups. Once the context has been provided the learners will participate spontaneously in the exercise. A whole class improvisation exercise could involve the participants at a market where some are the buyers and others the sellers. The facilitator merely provides the context and then the participants act out their roles spontaneously without any planning. Improvisation for smaller groups is done in the same way, except that the facilitator could provide the participants with more details such as : You are a group of holidaymakers relaxing on the beach when someone spots a shark attacking one of your friends. It is important to bear in mind that much of the content for the improvisation activities could come from the participants own backgrounds and experiences. Respect for the participants backgrounds and acceptance of the ideas that emerge out of these interactions, not only create a relaxing environment for the participants, but may bring forth ideas that the teacher may not have thought of. According to McCaslin (1990) children of foreign background have a wealth of material on which to draw, but too often it remains an untapped source because they have been made to feel that it is unworthy of consideration. Such exercises will invariably reduce the tension considerably in the L2 class and serve as preparation for role play exercises, since at a later stage they could refine their characters more carefully and discuss the roles of the other characters who are part of the scene. 9

10 Examples of improvisation The following improvisations may be done with various age levels, although the backgrounds of the players will determine the appropriateness. In some cases the situations are better for older players. You are a group of people at a party/ disco having a good time. Decide who you are and what you are doing (initial stages) You are a group of people at a political rally being addressed by an anti-government speaker, when the security forces storm into the hall You are a group of teachers on strike for higher pay You are a group of parents attending a parent meeting who are complaining about the poor facilities and teaching at your school You are a group of people stuck in a lift (elevator) on the 12 th floor of a building. Decide on who you are going to be a secretary, an actress, a businessman, a cleaner, a teenager, a pregnant lady etc. Then let us know about you through your conversation with other members in the lift Role Play Brief outline of role play According to Blatner (2002:1) role play is a method for exploring the issues involved in complex social situations. McCaslin (1990:7) concurs with this viewpoint by contending that the focus is on the value that the assumption of the role has for the participant rather than for the development of an art. In role play the participants are assigned roles which they act out in a given scenario. According to Kodotchigova (2001) role play prepares L2 learners for L2 communication in a different social and cultural context. The purpose of role play is educative rather than therapeutic and the situations examined are common to all. Family scenes, school situations and playground incidents provide opportunities for interaction and group 10

11 discussion. Exchanging roles is a good way to put oneself in the shoes of another in order to understand that person. Role play enables participants to deepen prior experience and to translate it into characters for the plot. In this way, according to Wrentschur and Altman (2002), the participants are able to adopt roles hitherto alien to them, and to try what it feels like to be on the other side for once. The advantages of the role play exercises are that they enable participants to project themselves into, and critically examine, specific situations emotionally and cognitively Implementing role play in the English second language classroom Role playing experiences usually have three phases: a warm-up phase, an action phase and a closure. During the warm up phase the teacher could ask each learner to verbally express how he/she is feeling at the moment or to assume a body posture that represents a present feeling. From there the teacher can move into the role-playing or acting-out phase, choosing learners to assume roles and carefully organizing rolereversals. Finally through group discussion, sharing of feelings and summing up the teacher can bring the group to a point of equilibrium. The starting point for role play activities is to, first and foremost, take into account the learners needs and interests. It is imperative for teachers to select role plays that will afford learners the opportunity to practice what they have learnt or discussed in class, whilst simultaneously stimulating their interest so as to ensure maximum participation. One way of ensuring that the learners are interested in the activities is to provide them with opportunities to choose the situations themselves, suggest themes that intrigue them or select a topic from a list of given situations. Ideas for role play could be obtained from situations that teachers and learners experience in their own lives, from books, television programmes and movies or from their daily interactions with other people at school or in the workplace. After choosing a context for a role play, the next step is to provide ideas on how this situation may develop. It is important to consider the learners level of language proficiency when implementing role play activities in the L2 classroom. Once you have selected a suitable role play, predict the language needed for it. In this regard it is important to ensure that 11

12 the learners are exposed to new vocabulary before commencing with the role play. Kdotchigova (2001) for example contends that it is imperative to provide learners with concrete information and clear role descriptions so that they could play their roles with confidence. For example, in the situation of a railway station, the person giving the information should have relevant information: the times, destination of the trains, prices of tickets etc. Discussion is the most important aspect of role play, as it is during these periods that various points of view are presented and attitudes clarified. The teacher must accept all ideas, giving all learners an opportunity to express themselves without fear of disapproval. Initially during the execution of the role play, the teacher/ facilitator could take one of the roles and act it out as a model. Thereafter the learners could present their role play exercises after talking about them first in their respective groups. The facilitator should try to remain as unobtrusive as possible and avoid intervening during a role play with error corrections as this could discourage the participants. Instead he/she should make a note of the mistakes and discuss them at a later stage as they will provide him/her with feedback for further practice and revision. The follow up sessions should involve feedback from both the participants and the other learners on the role plays which they have observed. The aim is to discuss what has happened in the role play and what they have learned. In addition to group discussion, an evaluation questionnaire could also be used to gauge learners responses to the role play exercises Examples of role play exercises The use of role play in the English second language class depends on the learners level of competence in the language. In exploring feelings of anger towards teachers, learners may be asked to assume a teacher s role and answer questions put to them by other learners. Through the processes of role-playing, several learners could get the chance to take on the role of teacher and angry learner. This could later lead to role reversal, where for example a girl in the role of angry learner is asked to switch roles with a boy in the role of 12

13 teacher. In this way a volatile situation could be explored dramatically. Following the demonstration learners could be asked to discuss their feelings and insights. The scene is a courtroom. A woman has been apprehended for selling what is suspected of being stolen jewelry on a street corner. Two witnesses are called up and are questioned about what they have seen or know. Then the suspect is questioned by the lawyer. The judge then announces his verdict. You are falsely accused of cheating on an examination. You are angry and upset. The three persons involved are your teacher, the principal of the school and you (for Three) Frozen Image Building (Living Statues) Brief Outline of frozen image building Frozen image building, also known as szenisches spiel is a technique in drama-ineducation where participants initially create frozen pictures which are later developed into animated situations involving a series of interviews with the characters incorporated in the respective images. This technique was popularized by Ingo Scheller in his book Handbuch fur die Padagogische Praxcis in which he outlines the guiding principles for the implementation of this method of teaching. According to Wrentschur and Altmann (2002:3) this approach provides an excellent peg for the exploration of the subject, expanding angles while helping to identify a diversity of connecting links. The facilitator commences the session by providing the groups with a scenario which they have to present in the form of a still image. Initially no words are used, but later the characters, who form part of the still image have to create their own biographies and are interviewed by the facilitator as well as by members of other groups, while they are still in their roles as part of the frozen image. Wrentschur and Altman (2002) contend further that frozen image building (statue theatre) provides room for a scenic exploration of, and a process of coming to terms with, various everyday issues and problems that are difficult to put into words Implementing frozen image building in the English second language classroom This technique could be implemented very effectively in the English second language class as it enables the participants to work with other members as a team to create their images. Second language learners definitely gain more confidence when they are 13

14 encouraged to share ideas and to work in groups. During the process of creating their frozen images they will have to communicate with each other to decide how the image will be constructed and who the characters in the image represent. At a later stage each member of the group will have to write out their biographies with the assistance of the facilitator and assume their positions in the frozen image. Each character has to be able to answer the following questions while still in role : Who are you? How old are you? What are you doing here? Why are you here? Later as the participants become more confident and their English language proficiency improves they could be required to respond to more in depth questions relating to the characters which they have assumed in the frozen image. These questions could include: What do you think you will do after you leave this place? What are you relationships with the other characters? After the characters have been interviewed by the facilitator and members of other groups they could return to their original groups and develop the frozen image into an animated scene where the characters have speaking roles, thereby giving life to the picture. The advantage of this approach is self-evident in that there is a progression from action to action and words. L2 learners who lack the confidence to communicate in the target language could be gradually initiated into using the language by first enabling them to create their still images and later to add words to their presentations Examples of frozen image exercises Sculptures of emotions In pairs: One of the partners of each pair receives a slip of paper showing a secret emotion (eg anger/joy etc). He/she then has to build a still image that illustrates the given word by shaping the body of the partner. Once all the stillimages are built, the builders move through the exhibition interpreting the sculptures from an external perspective. Each builder can then explain later what emotion he was required to build. Next: The pairs change roles 14

15 Teamwork with photos The photos are exhibited in the class for everyone to view. Then the class is divided into groups and each group selects a photo from those on display. The groups shape an image of the chosen photo by using their bodies. The images are presented to the class and are then interpreted by the other participants from an external perspective. An extension exercise could be a short in-role interview with the performers of the sculpture while they are still holding their postures: What do you see? What do you think about this situation? What has happened? How do you feel? Using an article Read the article in your groups. Then build five still-images which show what happened. Select a narrator to explain what has happened by using the still images as slides. ARTICLE: 15 TH January 2004 Yesterday at 5.00 in the evening a 65 year old shopkeeper was robbed and knocked down. A few hours later the police arrested an unemployed 18 year old man. The loot, consisting of R1000 in cash and a gold watch was seized and returned to the owner. 15

16 ( Furhman, Morgen, Sleur & Scmidt, 2003:36) Conclusion In the final analysis it is evident that drama-in-education has a meaningful and relevant role to play in second and foreign language teaching. The obvious advantages of this method of teaching lie not only in its ability to improve oral communication skills effectively, but also in terms of its ability to improve the learners confidence which will ultimately lead to the development of positive self concepts. Since many of the L2 learners may be grappling with the target language, using creative drama in the classroom will stimulate them to use the language in authentic situations thereby leading to their overall improvement in the use of the language. Instead of colluding with our learners in their invention of themselves as failures and incompetents who are unnecessary to society, we can help them to reinvent themselves through drama so that they are able to discover their possible powers, skills and competencies. Pantomime, improvisation, role play and frozen image building are invaluable techniques for self-expression as they serve to assist learners to assume responsibility, accept group decisions, work together co-operatively, develop new interests and seek new information. Drama is the most completely personal as well as the most highly socialized art form we have. (McCaslin, 1990:18) 16

17 BIBLIOGRAPHY Blatner, A Role playing in education. Accessed on [10/09/2004] Fuhrmann, K., Morgan, G., Sleur, M & Schmidt Szenisches spiel handbook. Port Elizabeth: Vista University Katz, S Drama and therapy in education: The double mirror. Unpublished PHD thesis. University of Toronto. Kodotchigova, M.A Role play in teaching culture: Six quick steps for classroom implementation. Accessed on [30/08/2004] Landy, R.J Handbook of educational drama and theatre. London: Greenwood Press McCaslin, N Creative drama in the classroom. 5 th ed. Studio City: Players Press Inc. O Neill, C & Lambert, A Drama structures: A practical handbook for teachers. London: Heinemann Scheller, I Szenisches Spiel: Handbuch fur die padagogische praxis. Berlin 17

18 Wretschur, M & Altmann, P Enhancing cultural awareness through cultural production theatre. Accessed on [14/09/2004] 18