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drama

Page history last edited by Daf 17 years, 2 months ago

Readers's Theater: A Passage to Language

 


 

 

 

Title:

 

Readers' Theater: A Passage to Language

 

Sponsors

TESOL Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Speech, Pronunciation, and Listening ISs

 

Syllabus

 

Description

Readers' Theater refers to the process of acting out a script without memorizing lines, using elaborate costumes and props, or building a set. In the L2/FL classroom, this is an ideal technique to use to enhance student's reading and listening comprehension and improve pronunciation while at the same time lowering students' affective filters. A readers' theater performance can bring alive many sorts of text (plays, poems, stories, nonfiction) and also be used as a springboard to other activities such as studying grammar in context, investigating a culture where the target language is spoken, and creative writing. Readers' theater brings with it many of the benefits of producing full-fledged plays in the foreign language but without the expense and time commitment. In this workshop, we will consider the pedagogy underlying its use and how it can best be utilized for language training. This workshop will lead participants in a discussion of why readers’ theater is an effective approach to language learning, how it can be organized for different language levels and class sizes, and what materials may be used.

 

Target Audience:

Appropriate for elementary, secondary, and tertiary teachers who are teaching beginning through advanced levels. Few computer/Internet skills are needed (email, word-processing, Web browsing)

 

Weekly Outline:

Week One:

Introductions, discussion of work situations, needs, interests, and classroom goals.

 

Week Two:

Introduction to readers’ theater, what it is, why it is an effective tool in language teaching, how to use readers’ theater for pronunciation training, how to construct a performance, and how to select materials depending on level.

 

Week Three:

Discussion of materials appropriate for differing levels of language learners,poetry, “jazz chants,” short stories etc. and how these may be used effectively for a readers’ theater production. We will also discuss how best to guide learners to effective dramatic reading.

 

Week Four:

How to lead students to develop their own material for presentation: initiating the creative process, developing the material, brainstorming and planning the rehearsal process.

 

 

Week Five:

The rehearsal process and professional acting techniques applicable to ESL/EFL readers’ theater. Mounting the finished production.

 

Week Six:

Contributions by participants of self-created or found material appropriate for readers’ theater production. Final evaluations and discussion.

Suggestions for the 2008 EVO TESOL-Drama session, and evaluations.

 

Communication media:

Yahoo Groups postings, chat, possible presentations of readers’ theater performances on personal websites.

The Readers Theater Group is found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EVO_drama_2007

 

Moderators:

Gary Carkin, Nigel Caplan, Sarah Dodson, Judy Trupin, Yordana Hristozova, Susan Hillyard

 

 

Gary Carkin is an actor/director and Professor of ESOL at the Institute for Language Education at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, NH. Gary has been a co-moderator for EVO Drama for the past three years. Also co-moderator for TESOL-Drama, his specialty is teaching English through drama. You may visit his website at:

http://garycarkin.tripod.com/garycarkinseslefldramalog/

garycarkin@yahoo.com

 

 

Nigel Caplan is an ESL instructor at Michigan State University and a member of his local community theater group. He has presented workshops on drama at local and international TESOL conventions and is the co-moderator of TESOL-Drama

nigelcaplan@yahoo.com

 

 

Sarah Dodson-Knight teaches French at Colorado State University, where she has produced one play with ESL students and four plays in French. She has also written articles and presented workshops on using drama to teach languages. She’s currently teaching her nephew French and documenting the process on her blog: http://babybilingual.blogspot.com/

sarah.dodson@gmail.com

 

 

Judy Trupin has been a co-moderator for EVO Drama for the past three years. Judy has been involved with all aspects of theater, from directing to writing to performing and stage managing and has worked as an artist in schools, taught dance, yoga, and creative movement. For six years, she was a frequent guest artist at Bajazzo, a school for experimental theater in Italy. In the ESOL world, she has worked with all levels of adult learners. Currently, she is the Assistant Program Manager of the Queens Library Adult Learner Program in New York City.

trupinjet@gmail.com

 

 

Yordana Hristosova is a Ph.D. candidate at Sofia University in Bulgaria. Holding an MA in English Lingustics, she has been a language trainer for the U.S. Peace Corps in Bulgaria and teaches for the military elite, including Iraqi troops. She uses drama and role play to teach English and has graduated from the Association Psychodrama 2000 at the assistant level.

i_hristozova@yahoo.com

 

 

Susan Hillyard holds a B.Ed. from Warwick University (U.K.) in Dramatic Arts and Sociology and has worked as a classroom teacher, a Head, or a teacher trainer in eleven countries. She taught Language IV at two major training colleges in Buenos Aires. She is Educational Advisor for The Performers Theatre and an Educational Consultant. She has co-authored a Resource Book for Teachers “Global Issues” for OUP, and teaches a course on Creativity on-line for Net-learning.

hillyard@ciudad.com.ar


Join this session

 

To join this group:

 

  1. Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EVO_drama_2007
  2. Click on the blue button:
  3. Follow the instructions
Note: When you register for the group, you will have to be approved by the moderator. In order to reduce the possibility of "unwanted" members (such as spammers), please be sure to explain who you are and why you want to enroll in the session

 


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