Drama techniques and activities in the classroom

Rekha Jayantilal

Of all the arts, drama involves the participant the most fully:
intellectually, emotionally, physically, verbally and socially.

As players, children assume the roles of others, and

they learn about becoming more sensitive to the problems and values of persons different from themselves.
At the same time, they are learning to work cooperatively, for drama is a communal art, each person is necessary to the whole.

To quote from Wilga Rivers(1983), the drama approach enables learners to use what they are learning with pragmatic intent, something that is most difficult to learn through explanation."

Despite its obvious advantages many teachers are wary of trying to introduce drama in the classroom.

This is particularly so among the more traditional ones who feel that teaching cannot take place without a textbook in hand.

Another common fear, particularly among younger and less experienced teachers is that of losing control of the class and many confuse the 'busy buzz' of involved students with rowdiness.

A further argument which I have frequently encountered is the constant complain of the lack of time or I cant act!. This argument is easily overcome when teachers realize that drama is not an addition, but a technique to teaching language.

Guiding principles of the communicative approach

1. Know what you are doing
This principle makes sure that each part of the lesson focuses on some operation which the student must perform in the target language.

For example in teaching listening, the task of listening closely to the cue to come in or continue is closely associated.

2. 'The whole is more than the sum of its parts'

In communication, it is necessary to work in the context of the whole. Communication cannot easily be analyzed into its various components without its nature being destroyed in the process.

For example you may teach the component of various forms of greeting

but it is no guarantee that the student will be able to use it appropriately in a given situation.

3. 'The processes are as important to the forms'

The processes of communication : information gap, choice, feedback, should be as far as possible replicated in trying to develop the ability of the student to communicate in the target language.

4. 'To learn it, do it'

Only by practising communicative activities would students learn to communicate. The role of the teacher thus changes. She no longer dominates the learning situation. She is there to provide all the help the students need to play an active role in their own learning.

5. 'Mistakes are not a/ways mistakes'

There is the need for flexibility in deciding to treat different things as 'mistakes'
at different stages of the learning process towards communicative competence.

The essence of communicative approach is to communicate with another person in the classroom and in the long term, the society.

Drama techniques can transform the English class into one which prepares learners to face their immediate world better as competent users of the English language because they get an opportunity to use the language in operation.

Drama in the Language classroom

According to Scrivener (1994), when considering language skills, it is important to make a distinction between language systemsand language skills.

Language systems include the lexis (vocabulary), grammar (rules), function (situation) and phonology (sound, rhythm, intonation etc.) Language skills include the four skills speaking, writing, reading, and listening.

"It is often true that one skill cannot be performed without the other. It is impossible to speak in a conversation without listening and people seldom write without reading.

 A competent user of a language has to master all the skills, therefore, it is important not to neglect any of them,

but provide students with sufficient practice and focus on all the skills in a balanced way.

1. Speaking
A competent speaker of a language needs to engage in meaningful communication. Drama techniques - an ideal tool to stimulate and carry on different speaking activities with the focus on fluency, pronunciation, stress, rhythm, intonation etc.

This can be demonstrated using one of the drama techniques - role play students practise telephone conversations in a number of various roles. During these conversations the participants not only speak but they also write down important information.

"in face to face interaction the speaker can use a whole range of facial expressions, gestures and general body language to help to convey the message

These characteristics are essential and inseparable part of drama and they ought to be incorporated into the learning process.

2. Writing

Ur(1996) mentions two categories of writing activities, namely writing as an end and writing as a means

"writing as a means is used for noting down the new vocabulary; copying the grammar rules; writing out answers etc. Writing as an end is used for narrating a story, writing a letter. There can be a combination of both.

Writing activities include : narrating a story, writing a letter, writing poetry, a story, a narrative, a play, a role play, a scene, a song, an advertisement, different kinds of letters and postcards etc. All these essentially involve the use of imagination and creativity.

Through drama writing activities, students gain deeper understanding of the need for learning writing as a skill and realize that there are occasions when writing is necessary and even inevitable.

Examples of these activities rangesimple ones i.e. writing out various instructions: cooking, directing and navigating lost people to

more complex ones: scripts for advertisements, plays or more complex dialogues.
All these can be produced and dramatized by students.

3. Reading
Scrivener (1994) defines two basic approaches to a text: 1. Extensive reading (or fluent reading, or gist reading): reading in order to gain an overall understanding of a longer piece of text.

2. Intensive reading (or accurate reading):

- typically used with short sections or

- sentences when we need to understand or study information or - language use in detail.

For drama to step into the reading process, Wessels (1987) points out important principles that are to be included in texts.

Texts need to have the potential of:

creating a need for action infusing dramatic tension stepping into role seeing beyond the immediate encouraging students to take decisions

One very important aspect in reading is the power of prediction. This is a property, when given appropriate attention by the teacher becomes a powerful stimulant. Students are motivated by their own curiosity and surprised by the development of a story or a character in text they are reading.

Point to note - function of drama is complementary Meaning there are other methods to be used in developing the reading skill.

4. Listening
1. Extensive listening (listening for gist): listening to an entire piece, with a view to gaining an overall impression or understanding of what it is about. 2. Intensive listening (listening for detail): the listening effort is concentrated on a small portion of a tape or a CD (perhaps a sentence, or a short phrase)

Drama provides context for concentrated listening. Listening exercises include: listening to music, news, TV programmes, movies, telephone calls, small talks, directions, announcements and many more.

All these can be easily linked with drama activities.

The more students are exposed to a variety of listening material in meaningful context,

the better they are equipped to become competent and confident communicators in the real world.

5. Language systems - vocabulary

one of the potential benefits of drama is "the fully contextualized acquisition of new vocabulary and structure The real world provides speakers with variety of contexts. Classroom setting is much more limited. But creativity and imagination helps to transform it into a different place.

With the use of drama, an ordinary classroom becomes an airport, a train station, a bus station, a restaurant, an office, a flat, a shop, a playground, a park, a garden etc. Each of these places provides context with the option of a wide range of vocabulary and a number of situations to practise language.

6. Language systems - grammar Grammar rules become alive when drama techniques are applied. provide opportunities to practise grammar in a motivating and meaningful environment.

Eg: when a child is spilling milk on the floor this can become an opportunity to practise the present perfect tense by saying "Look at what you have done

other drama activities role plays, dialogues, imaginary situations or pantomime can serve to be an opportunity to elicit and practise grammar.

To conclude,

use of drama in the learning-teaching experience can be used to develop both productive and receptive skills,
as well as contribute to the mastering of the language systems.

Drama gives an opportunity to use the language in a natural and motivating way Their imagination and feelings are stimulated and the spontaneous use of language is encouraged. Finally, the outside world is brought into the classroom.

Tutorial Task: In groups of 4, 1. select a stimulus ( poem, song, story, newspaper / magazine article, etc ) 2. Prepare activities for teaching: a. listening b. speaking c. reading d. writing e. grammar f. vocabulary

Thank you & Good Day, folks !!!