English through Drama: Creative Activities for Inclusive ELT Classes

Abstract

Email: chin@unii.ac.jp The use of drama in language teaching has been well documented in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Neelands (1992) observes that there is a higher volume of interactional and expressive talk when students are engaged in drama activities. In addition, there will be a greater variety of different contexts for talk if the teacher and learners are able to use drama to create roles and situations (ibid.). In recent years, there has been a plethora of books on the use of drama to help students acquire English in an authentic communicative context. English through Drama by Susan Hillyard is one of the recent editions on the use of drama to help students acquire English skills, but unlike previous publications, this book focuses particularly on teaching students with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, Developmental Order Deficiency (DOD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy, mild deafness, autism, and Asperger’s and Down’s syndromes. The book is also useful for teachers who wish to use ‘drama activities as a tool for learning the language in a more equitable and inclusive way’ (p. 8).