Using drama texts in the classroom

Introduction

 

In this article, I try to define what I mean by language learning through drama/theatre texts, outline some of the benefits it can bring to the language learning classroom and some of the differing methods and approaches
that can be utilized to fully exploit the potential of drama and theatre texts.

       Why use drama / theatre texts in the language classroom?

       The "a" type analytical approach to drama / theatre texts

       The "b" type experiential approach to drama / theatre texts

       Learning activities using drama / theatre texts

       Classroom method

       Conclusion

       References

Why use drama / theatre texts in the language classroom?

 

The benefits of using games in language classrooms

 

 

'In an effort to supplement lesson plans in the ESL classroom, teachers often turn to games. The justification for using games in the classroom has been well demonstrated as benefiting students in a variety of ways. These benefits range from cognitive aspects of language learning to more co-operative group dynamics.'

General Benefits of Games

Affective:
- lowers affective filter
- encourages creative and spontaneous use of language
- promotes communicative competence
- motivates
- fun

Cognitive:
- reinforces
- reviews and extends
- focuses on grammar communicatively

Class Dynamics:
- student centered
- teacher acts only as facilitator
- builds class cohesion
- fosters whole class participation
- promotes healthy competition

Adaptability:
- easily adjusted for age, level, and interests
- utilizes all four skills
- requires minimum preparation after development

 

 

Tears, idle tears

 

Tears, idle tears ٌٌ

With a special thanks to my dear friend in order for his cooperation

Tears, idle tears

The following poetry has been written by Alfred lord Tennyson. I translated it into Persian, although I believe translating a poem is the most difficult job, and it's not possible to convey the emotional effect of the poem and translate the feeling that a native speaker enjoy the poem to the target language , therefore I hope you tell me the deficiency of my translation by commenting and criticizing it. It should be noted that this poem is converted into a short story in which has published in the literature 1 sound and sense (it is a book which is taught in the universities of Iran as the course of literature ). I hope this poem would be useful for the students of English language in general and English literature in particular. The title of this poem has a verbal irony

 Finally, I should thank to my dear professor Mrs. RASHIDIPOUR , our literature professor ,because she led me to change my ideas and attitudes toward life and the world.

 

Tears, idle tears

اشکها, اشکهای بیهوده

Tears idle tears, I know not what they mean

Tears from the depth of some divine despair

Rise in the heart and gather to the eves,

In happy autumn fields,

And thinking of the days that are no more.

 

Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail

That brings our friends up from the underworld.

Sad as the last which reddens over one

That sinks with all we love below the verge

So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more

types of listening activities

Our group work at the university about 3L METHOD will be continued hopefully even after graduating of the university. we, as the members of one the groups, are ambitiously confident with this method and with the success of  the research .To them  and the whole of the class I am grateful. Furthermore, special thanks go my great professor  Mr. BAGHAEI whose great help and creative ideas helped and motivated us to do such a research .meanwhile I would like to appreciate my dear friend and classmate Mr JAVANBAKHT  because of his perseverance and meticulous studies that really helped all of the groups .

 

The main emphasis of 3L PRECEDURE is on listening skill                                        

Here is some types of listening skill activities that  relating to the suitable activities, age level of the class, background knowledge and many conditions and  situations in the class can be used.

The main emphasis of 3L PRECEDURE is on listening skill                                                                                

Listening for the main idea - students listen to identify the overall ideas

expressed in the whole recording.

 

Listening for details – students listen for groups of words and phrases at

sentence level.

 

Listening for specific information – students listen for particular information at

word level

NLP

         What is NLP?

 (With a special thanks to my dear professor, Mr.J.M.SHARIATI )

 

 

 

     Neuro- Linguistic Programming is an attitude to life. It is also a collection of techniques, patterns and strategies for assisting effective communication, personal growth and change, and learning. It is based on series of underlying assumptions about how mind works and how people act and interact. It is a means of achieving intra-personal excellence.

     The neuro part of NLP is concerned with how we experience the world through our five senses and represent it in our mind through our neurological processes.

      The linguistic part of NLP is concerned with the way the language we use shapes, as well as reflects, our experience of the world.

The programming part of NLP is concerning with training ourselves to think, speak, and act in new and positive ways, in order to release our potential and teach those heights of achievement which we previously only dreamt of.

 

 

what is A GAME , really

If English teachers could return the joy of learning through the learners, I believe, most of the psychological and emotional problems and barriers of learning (e.g.  Demotivating, afraid of appearing  foolish or stupid by other classmates s, hyness etc) would be removed .to do so we, as responsible teacher should pave the way in order to have joyful atmosphere in the class. one of the major task of the teacher to have this kind of class is learning through games, dramas and role plays .but first of all we ought to know what a game is really ,then we at the other  ups I am going to write some other articles about ESL games in very detailed and classified  parts (e.g. in areas of language and skill )we want to decrease the barriers that  lead in frustrating in learning as much as possible.

1. what is a game, really?

In the German language a game is any activity which is executed only for pleasure and without conscious purpose. In this definition every activity that brings pleasure is a game. For example, people dance, play musical instruments, act in plays, and play with dolls and model trains.

This definition people use today comes from the works of Johan Huizinga (Homo Ludens, 1938) and Friedrich Georg Jünger (Die Spiele, 1959). But there are more ways to define games. Manfred Eigen's and Ruthild Winkler's definition for game goes beyond the definition used by Huizinga. They see a game as a natural phenomenon: half necessity and half coincidence (Das Spiel, 1975). Their definition of games comes closer to Adornos' definition, who set himself apart from Huizinga by identifying games as an art form.

But in our sense these definitions are too wide, we define game more succinctly. Thus, I am writing about games which belong to the class that includes Chess, 9 Man's Morris, Checkers, Halma, Go, Parchisi, Monopoly, Scrabble, Skat, Rummy, Bridge, Memory, Jack Straws, Dominoes, and so on. Unfortunately, our language does not have a good term to call these games. Terms like table games, society games, tournament games are too narrow. In my opinion, the best term would be "rulegames" = "games with rules" 

METACOGNITION

 

[methodology]

                                                                                     

بحث Metacognition( که فراشناخت ترجمه شده است) یکی از مباحث روز روش های نوین تدریس است وعموما

در آزمون های کارشناسی ارشد  در رشته آموزش زبان انگلیسی به این بخش بهای زیادی داده می شود. امیدوارم مود توجه داوطلبان ورود به  دانشگاه  در رشته  آموزش در مقطع فوق لیسانس قرار بگیرد.

 

                                                                                      Learning Strategies

Metacognitive  is a term use in information processing theory to indicate an executive function , strategies that involve planning for learning , thinking about learning process as it is taking place , monitoring of one's production or comprehension and evaluating learning after one's activity is completed.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Metacognitive strategies and the deccriptions

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Advance organizers: 

  Making a general but comprehensive view of the organizing concept or principle in an anticipated learning activity

              Directed attention:

Deciding in advance to attend in general  to learning task and to ignore irrelevant distractors

Selective attention:

Deciding in advance to attend to specific aspects of language input or situational detail that will cue the retention of language input.

Self management:

Understanding the conditions that help one learn and arranging for the presence of those conditions

Functional planning

Planning for and rehearsing linguistic components necessary to carry out an upcoming language task

 Self monitoring

Correcting on's speech for accuracy in pronunciation , grammar , vocabulary or for appropriateness related to the setting or to the people who are present

Delayed production

Consciously deciding to postpone speaking in order to learn initially through listening comprehension

Self evaluation

Checking the outcomes of one's own language learning against in an internal measure of completeness and accuracy

 

 

WHAT IS LANGUAGE

 

Suppose you were stopped  by a reporter on the street ,and , in the course of an interview

About your field of study , you were asked "well since you are interested in second language acquisition ,please define LANGUAGE  in a sentence or two".

What  do you say?

Here are some definition of language  that you might respond to your questioner :

Encyclopedia(over simplified definition):  systematic  communication by vocal symbol

Prinker: language is acomplex, specialized skill which develops in the child spontanously, without conscious effort or formal instruction ,.

A consolidation of a number of possible definitions of language yields the following composite definition.

1-language is systematic

2-language is a set of arbitrary symbols

3-those symbols are primarily vocal, but mayalso be visual.

4-the symbols have conventionalized meanings to which they refer

5-language is for communication

6-language operates in a speech community or culture

7-language is essentially human, although possibly not limited to humans.

8-language is acquired by all people in much the same way: language and language learning both have universal characteristics.

 

Happy Mother’s Day

 

 

Oh Mom,

 

HAPPY YOUR DAY

 

The most beautiful

 

Word of the world,

  Thank God for

your creation.

 

He did the best.

 thank you so much  

dear mom for  your

 

efforts you did to

 

 foster and train me.

  

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

 

TO YOU.