To Speak or Not to Speak?: Drama Techniques, Narration and Other Real-Life Activities

Abstract

Although students report that they are interested in learning to speak Spanish, they often seem reticent to do so. The conference presentation summarized below was a three-hour workshop in which a brief overview was provided on the importance of communicative classroom interaction practices and the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. The bulk of the session was dedicated to illustrating numerous dramatic, narrative, and real-life activities to promote student oral proficiency. Most second/foreign language teachers are familiar with communicative language teaching practices as well as the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century (1996), and express a commitment to practices that reflect the exchange of meaning over the practice of form. Research on classroom interaction suggests, however, that there are practices common to many language classrooms which may undermine these stated pedagogical goals. Several practices that may discourage students from speaking include: asking more display (when answers are obvious) than referential questions, for example, ?De qu? color es tu camisa? vs. ?Cu?l es tu color favorito?', insisting that students answer in complete sen tences, when in natural speech only a sentence fragment would be used; and correcting students in the middle of a communicative exchange. (For a brief review of the literature and numerous examples, see Ballman, Liskin-Gasparro and Mandell, 134-67.) Our classrooms should provide students with the best opportunities to develop their oral language skills, which include using appropriate vocabulary and grammar; developing dis course; and showing an awareness of audience by using appropriate tone and register. Drama techniques allow students to take on another persona and character, and in so doing be less self conscious. Narrative activities evoke the power of story-telling. And real-life activities remind our students about why we use language. A brief description of several of the activities presented in the session is given below. The categories are: Drama Techniques, Narration, and Real-Life Activities.