Drama Plays an Important Role in English Teaching.docx

Drama Plays an Important Role in English Teaching.docx

《Drama Plays an Important Role in English Teaching.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Drama Plays an Important Role in English Teaching.docx（7页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

DramaPlaysanImportantRoleinEnglishTeaching

DramaPlaysanImportantRoleinEnglishTeaching

　　Abstract:

ThispapershowswhatthewritershaveseenindramaclassesinCanada,whattheyhavedoneinteachingandwhatthestudentshavelearnedfromdramatoprovethatdramaishelpfulinteachingEnglish.Dramaisastudent-centeredactivity.Inawayitcanleadtochaosifnotwellorganized,butitisoneofthebestteachingmethodstohelprealizetheultimatepurposeofteachingEnglish―effectivecommunication.

　　Keywords:

drama,Englishteaching,role

　　［CLCnumber］H319

　　［Documentcode］A

　　［ArticleID］1006-2831（2007）02-0012-6

　　1.Introduction

　　ThereisaChinesesaying:

“兴趣是最好的老师”――Interestisthebestteacher.

　　AsanEnglishteacher,oneshouldcreateanappropriateenvironmentforthelearnerstopracticelistening,speakingandexploringtheirthoughtsandfeelings.DramaisoneofthebestteachingmethodologiestohelprealizetheultimatepurposeofteachingEnglish―effectivecommunication.

　　Dramaisastudent-centeredactivity.Inawayitcanleadtochaosifnotwellorganized.Nevertheless,theroledramaplaysisarealandfunenvironmentforthestudentstolearnlanguages.Itisnotisolated,butintegraltothelessonsinwhichtheylearnanduse.

　　WehadbeenusingdramainmyEnglishteachingpracticefornearlysevenyearsbeforewecametotheUniversityCollegeoftheCariboo,inKamloops.Inourownpractice,allthecontentsofdramaarefromtheChineseNationalCurriculumandthereallifethatthestudentscanobserveorthatthestudentsarefamiliarwith.Inthisway,studentsenjoylearninginacomfortableatmosphere.Theircreativethinkingandcriticalthinkingarewelldeveloped.However,thoughwepersonallyfoundsuchanapproachtobeveryeffective,ourcolleaguesdoubtedthatthesuccessofstudentsresultedfromsuchpractice.Nevertheless,aftermorethanfourmonthsofstudyintheUniversityCollegeoftheCariboo,wehavecometohaveaclearerunderstandingofdramainEnglishteaching.Especially,afterwehaveobservedJanePowell’sdramaclassandthedramashowedbyeducationstudentsstudyingintheUniversityCollegeoftheCariboo,wearequitesurethatdramaisamotivatedpowertostimulatethestudentstodevelopavarietyofskills.

　　2.DramainTeachingEnglish

　　2.1TeachingOutlinesofPractice（PriortoStudyinCanada）

　　ThefollowingareteachingprocedurestypicallyfollowedinourclassinChina

　　●Resources:

ChineseNationalCurriculum

　　●Setting:

highschool（publicandprivateschool）

　　●Contents:

22unitspersemester,containingvocabulary,grammar,dialoguesandstories

　　●Purpose:

effectivecommunication

　　2.2ProceduresWeUsedbeforeComingtoUCC

　　2.2.1VocabularyPreview

　　"Ittakesabouttwoweekstofulfillthevocabularystudy.Theteacher’sroleistohelpstudentslearnthewords,focusonthepronunciation,rememberthespellingrules,andnoticethehigh-frequencywords.Students"buildingupoftheirskillsofmakingsentencescannotbeneglectedinthisprocess.Ifnecessary,theteachersmayrequirethestudentstomakesentencesorwriteshortpassages,accordingtothedifferentlevelsofthestudents.Thenteacherscollecttheerrorsthatallthestudentshavemade,andasawhole,classesmakethestudentsawareofwhytheyhavemadethemistakesandhowtoavoidmakingthemagain.Finally,theteachershouldprovidenecessaryremedialexercisestohelpstudentsstrengthenwhattheyhavedoneright.

　　2.2.2GrammarStudy

　　InChina,grammarteachingistraditionallythemostimportantpartoftheprocessofEnglishteachinginmiddleschool.Theteacherslecture,whilethestudentslistenandmakenotes.Inouropinions,grammaris,ofcourse,veryimportant,butitisnotworthspendingsomuchtimeonit.Weinsistontheproverbs“Let’slearnbydoing.”and“Practicemakesperfect.”Thus,wedevoteonlytwoweekstogrammarstudy.First,wemakethestudentsknowthegrammarrules.Forexample:

theattributiveclauseisthemostimportantandthemostdifficultsessionforhighschoolstudents.Inordertohelpstudentsunderstandandmastertheattributiveclause,wefirstwrotesomesentencesontheblackboard.Thenweaskedstudentstofigureoutthebasicrulethatanattributiveclauseusuallyfollowsanounorapronoun.Third,wearrangedappropriateexercisesrelatedtowhathasbeenlearnedtofacilitatethestudentsfurtherunderstandingoftherules,andhelpthemtousethemmoreaccurately.Itispossibleforthestudentstorememberthegrammarrulesforashorttime,butitmightnotlastlong.Asaresult,ifweexpecttohavethestudentsreachtheaimofrememberinggrammarrulesandusingEnglishnotonlyfluentlybutalsocorrectly,thevitalwayistocreatearealatmosphereforthem,wheretheirlistening,speaking,readingandwritingcanbeinvolved.Dramacanachievethis.

　　2.2.3DialoguesandStoriesLearning

　　IntheChinesenationalcurriculum,thetextbookforEnglishismostlymadeupofdialoguesandstories,coveringthree-fourthsofthewholecontents.Thus,dramaclassisthemaincoreofourEnglishteaching,takingupoverthree-fourthsofthetimeschedule.Inthisprocess,wefirstlyorganizedthestudentstocomprehendthestories.Next,wedividethemintogroupstohavediscussionsofthetext.Thenthestudentsmakeupdramasbasedonwhattheyhavelearned.Dramacanbeexploredoraddedthroughthestudents?

experienceandtheirstudylevels.Themodescanbeinvariedways,suchasnarration,shortplays,mimes,dialoguesandpoemsaswell.Studentsenjoysuchteachingmethodsandthespecialatmosphere.Theycanlearnknowledgeinanenjoyableatmospherewithoutanypressure.Indramaclass,students?

feelings,touch,motivation,thinkingandverbalskillsareallinvolved.

　　2.3DramaInstructionPracticeObservedinCanada

　　2.3.1Class1―DramaforLearning

　　Time:

October5.

　　Place:

Room127,InternationalBuilding

　　Teacher:

JanePowell,adramateacheroftheUniversityCollegeoftheCariboo

　　First,shenarratedastory,whichhappenedinChinatowninVancouvermorethan100yearsago.Moy,aChinese-Canadian,wasthemaincharacterofthestory.Hewasasuccessfulandseriousbusinessman,buthedidn’tliveahappylife,forhiswifegavebirthtotwindaughters,notsons.Hewassad.OnedayhereturnedtoChinawithhisservantcarryinghistwobabydaughters.Insteadofgoingbackdirectlytoseehisparents,hefirstwenttoaremotevillage.Hethenleftthevillagewithamixedmood.Onemonthlater,hecamebacktoChinatownwithtwobabysons.Lookingatthetwobabies,hiswifesobbedloudly.

　　DuringJanePowell’sclass,wewerelisteners,producers,directors,actors,observersandplayers.First,weconcentratedonlisteningtoJanePowellandheldourbreathwhileshewasnarratingthestory.Thenwehadalivelydiscussionaboutthestoryingroupsoffour.Weassignedourselvesrolesaccordingtothestory.Afterbeingwellprepared,wepresentedourmimeperformances.Whileonegroupwasperforming,theothergroupswerewatching.We16studentsweredividedintofourgroups.Thoughourperformanceswerenotperfect,inaway,itrevealedourimaginationandourthinking.Weallsharedthesamesensethatdramaisoneofthebestwaystodevelopthestudents?

stimulationandthestudents?

interestinlearningEnglish.

　　Followingthepresentation,studentswererequiredtowritesomethingabouttheirmostfavouritecharacter,infiveminutes.Whenweallhadfinishedwriting,wesatinacirclereadingoursentences,whichwethoughtwerewonderfullywritten,describingthecharacterwehadchosen.Beforetheendoftheclass,JanePowellaskedthefourgroupstodesignastatueofMoy.EachgroupdesignedadifferentMoystatueandchoseapersontoactasthestatueofMoy.Atlast,JanePowellaskedushowwefeltaboutthedramaclass.Weallsaidthatwefeltquiteemotional,motivated,comfortable,andenthusiastic.

　　Throughthewholeclass,allofusshowedgreatinterestinJanePowell’snarrationandthedramaplayaswell.Wealltookanactivepartinparticipation,fullofpassionandmotivation.WepretendedtotaketherolesofMoyandMoy’sfamily,whichseemedtohavebroughtusbacktotheremotevillageinChinaandthecityofVancouvermorethan100yearsago.Itseemedthatwehadhadatruelife.Wefeltemotionsofsuccess,pride,sadnessandmisfortune.Ourfeelingsandouremotionswereinconflict.Byperforming,wefurtherunderstandthemeaningofthestory.

　　2.3.2Class2―LearningSkills

　　Time:

October29,1:

00pm―3:

30pm

　　Place:

Room362AEBuilding,UCC

　　Participants:

25educationstudentsoftheUniversityCollegeoftheCariboo

　　Teachers:

JanePowellandJoiFreed-Garrod,oneofUCCassistantprofessors

　　OntheafternoonofOctober29,alltheeducationstudentsweredressedup.Theylookedveryfancy.Eachgrouppresentedadifferentperformanceinthemodeofdrama.Becauseofthetimelimit,wecouldenjoyonlythreeoffiveperformances.Amongthem,therewereappropriatecommunication,silentbullyingandcollaborativelearning.Aftereachperformance,theobserversraisedquestionsandtheplayersgavetheiropinion.Ifnecessary,JoiandJaneaskedtheplayersquestionstoo.Afterwatchingtheperformances,theobserverswerequiteclearwhatshouldbedoneandhowthingsaredonewell.Theywereconcentratedandmotivated.Notonlytheplayers,butalsotheobserversengagedthemselvesinchallengingandconstructivediscussion.

　　3.ReflectingonDrama

　　3.1StudentsBenefitalotfromDrama

　　3.1.1Listening,Speaking,Writing,ReadingandActingP