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Dialogues, Role Play, and Drama Dialogues and role play have an important place in language classrooms. They help otherwise inhibited student express themselves,

help to consolidate learning, and encourage students to work cooperatively. First, we will look at some ideas for memorizing

dialogues and the different configurations for practice. Then, we will think about some things we can do to bring more meaning and

more interest to these activities. On the elementary school front, we will look at ways we can make some of the target language

more meaningful by using local place names and familiar situations. Let’s also do a little solving together and look at some ways we

can make Hi, Friends 2, Lesson 7 a more fruitful, and perhaps even peachy, experience.

Why use drama? Here are some insights from two language teaching experts1

・It integrates language skills in a natural way.

・It integrates verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication, thus bringing together both mind and body, and

restoring the balance between physical and intellectual aspects of learning.

・It draws upon both cognitive and affective domains, thus restoring the importance of feeling as well as thinking.

・By fully contextualizing the language it brings the classroom interaction to life through an intense focus on meaning.

・The emphasis on whole-person learning and multi-sensory inputs helps learners to capitalize on their strengths and to

extend their range. In doing so, it offers unequalled opportunities for catering to learner differences.

・It fosters self-awareness (and awareness of others), self-esteem and confidence; and through this, motivation is

developed.

・There is a transfer of responsibility for learning from teacher to learners- where it belongs.

・It encourages an open, exploratory style of learning where creativity and imagination are given scope to develop. This,

in turn, promotes risk-taking, which is an essential element in effective language learning.

・It has a positive effect on classroom dynamics and atmosphere, thus facilitating the formation of a group which learns

together.

・It is low-resource. For most of the time, all you need is a roomful of human beings.

Drama can be enjoyable for students and teachers!

1 Adapted from Drama Techniques Third Edition: A resource book of communication activities for language teachers by Alan Maley

and Alan Duff (2005).

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How to dial in your Dialogues: Start with the basics

“To go far you must begin near, and the nearest step is the most important one.”

Perhaps one way to approach dialogues is by searching for the next best little thing you can offer in the classroom. Are there any

small adjustments that can lead to improvements? You can ask yourself if there is any small thing you can do to make this dialogue

more real, more enjoyable, or more memorable for the students. Try experimenting with little changes before trying to anything too

risky.

・Ideas for speaking practice and script and memorization:

・Shadowing

・Hide portions of the text (e.g. erasing items on the blackboard, maintaining eye contact, etc.)

・What kind of changes can you make in seating arrangements? ….and in the learning environment?

Pairs

・How are pairs decided? (side by side, number off, nominated by teacher) ・Background music

face to face? back to back? across the room? silent dialogue? standing up? ・Backdrops, signs

・desks to simulate an environment that suits the dialogue or a real life encounter

How can you move the furniture to represent a station, a ticket window, a travel agent, or a customs office, etc.?

・What kind of options do you have for different patterns of interaction?

・Free pairs (or specify boy or girl, etc. )

・Lines

・Concentric circles / donuts

・How can you bring a little creativity and imagination to the dialogue?

・superimpose gestures or actions on to the dialogue

“Do the dialogue but at the same time play table tennis.” (baseball, lift weights, eat ramen, brush your teeth)

・designate emotional or physical states for students to act out

・Dialogue Fluency building tips

1. Scripted Textbook

2. Semi-scripted

3. Semi-scripted and personalized

4. Personalized and re-scripted

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Activities to get you started:

Mirror Hands

1. Students stand in pairs facing each other with their hands raised to shoulder height.

Students palms face outward and as close to their partner’s hands as possible without

actually touching.

2. One student is the leader and begins to move both hands in a plane, i.e., always keeping

the palms facing toward the partner’s hands. The partner must try to follow the

movements as accurately as possible, as if in a mirror. Switch.

Catch the ball

1. In pairs. Stand opposite each other and throw and catch an imaginary ball back and

forth. After a few minutes, change partners.

Pass the word “Kotobaokuri game” (vocabulary practice and communication skills)

Students sit in a circle. They say a vocabulary word and pass an imaginary object to each other

through eye contact and gestures while saying a target vocabulary word.

Train Platform Messages (Charades with a setting)

1. One person on either side of the room has an important message which they must

gesture (no mouthing) to their partner.

2. The partner guesses the message.

Stadium Wave

Members in the group have a piece of paper with their names written on it. They form a line.

Starting from one side they raise and lower their paper in order to create the impression of a

wave moving from one side to the other. As each person raises their paper the class calls out

their name. Variations include moving at various speeds and changing the info on the cards

(names, favorite food, age).

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Momataro Create a Story Activity Example (Drawing as an option

Error!Error!Error!

Sorry! I don’t know how this bear got here,

but can’t get it to go away!

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Example Dialogue 1:

Example Dialogue 2:

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Seminar Comments and Participant Feedback

1．What is something you gained from being at today’s session?

2．What is something you enjoy about being an ALT? What is something that is challenging?

3．What is something you want to know more about?

Participant responses to Item 1:

・Ideas for improve use in the classroom

・Ideas for making dialogue activities more engaging

・It’s OK to make mistakes. Interpersonal skills

・I learnt the “kotobaokuri” game and I’m excited to use it in class. The last activity with

scripted reading/ memorization was great. I want to use that in class too. Train platform was

cool, too.

・Some warm up ideas, criss cross food game, mimicking activity pair work, hand puppets,

greetings, rotation conversation.

・The Train Platform Messages activity was very interesting. In the class, having messages

clearly related to a specific grammar point or written by the students themselves might be a way

to help lower level students.

・Ways of getting the students to loosen up while warming up.

・Some ideas for warm-up activities. I love the train platform messages!! I will use it as soon as

I can. Hand puppets!! Stadium wave was also great.

・Different drama activities that can be used to warm a class-up or summarize a class.

・Some new activities to do with my elementary classes.

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Participant responses to Item 2:

Something you enjoy:

・Having the freedom to be a little bit crazy in the classroom to get people involved

・Being in Japan and helping advocate the young Japanese people.

・I love teaching students and seeing that moment when it clicks, when they got the grammar

point and they get excited about using it. I like to see them improve.

・Having fun in the classroom.

・Interacting with the students; not having a lot of creative freedom during lessons (heavy rad-

and-repeat)

・Talking with students outside of class is really rewarding. It’s great to communicate with

them and hear about their different day-to-day activities. Communication with JTEs is the

greatest challenge for me.

・I enjoy having many opportunities to try new things (both in the classroom and outside)

It’s sometimes challenging to have little structure.

・Being able to see the students and make a difference in their lives.

・Being able to engage with the students during class and sometimes apply what has been

learned outside of class and sometimes apply what has been learned outside of class through

interactions.

Something that is challenging:

・Getting students to be more confident in answering questions during class is a challenge.

・Not having full control over some things like how to structure a lesson, when to introduce

items, etc.

・The dead-eyed silence that means whatever you’re doing has fallen flat. Can also be very

frustrating when people won’t answer easy questions

・Making activities that are the right level for the students.

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Participant responses to Item 3:

・Techniques for using and teaching tone in speech. Different learning styles

・Learning more from other ALTs.

・Bring your own best lesson class.

・Education Committee

・Interesting fun ways to teach English, especially ways that involve communication and

speaking

・How to encourage risk-taking in quiet, reluctant students. A Bring-Your-Own-Best-Lesson

seminar like last year would be great.

・Class flow and class structure－both short term and long term

・Effective problem-based activities

・Facilitating discussion

・How to get students to be more confident in their abilities.