This document discusses using drama to teach English to students with diverse needs. It describes teaching English in remedial schools, hospital wards, orphanages, and home visits to students with disabilities, diseases, poverty, behavioral issues, and lack of prior education. Drama is presented as a holistic teaching method that develops students socially, physically, intellectually, creatively, and emotionally. It engages multiple intelligences and learning styles. The benefits of drama for language learning, empowerment, fluency, literacy, and thinking are outlined. Drama techniques are described for teaching pronunciation, body language, interaction, role-playing, and making language fun and meaningful.

1. English in Action
Teaching English as a Challenge
Susan Hillyard B.Ed.(Hons)
ssnhillyard@gmail.com.ar
http://susanhillyard.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EVO_
Drama_2013/

2. From
I CAN’T
to
I CAN!

3. Making Visible
the Invisible
and
Giving Voice
to the Voiceless

4. S.E.N.
• Remedial Schools
• Shantytown
Schools
• Hospital Schools
(Transplant unit, psychiatric unit,
cancer ward)
• Orphanages
• Physically
Challenged
• Home Visits
•
•
•
•
•
Learners with varying
disabilities such as
broken bones
diabetes
HIV
physical disabilities
terminal illnesses

5. Specific Educational Needs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
dyslexia
DOD
ADHD
a physical challenge
deafness
school phobia
a disease ( sometimes
terminal)
• cerebral palsy
•
•
•
•
poverty
problems of conduct
disruptive behaviour
inadequate adaptation
to formal educational
settings
• immigrants, some of
whom may not have
had any prior formal
education

6. English in Action
Teaching English through Drama
Drama
is
the Art of Self Control
Dorothy Heathcote

7. Drama as Education: SPICE
drama is
the art of
self control
drama is a
drama is a
holistic
holistic
discipline
discipline
The five developmental processes are:
Social
Physical
Intellectual (cognitive)
Creative
Emotional

8. Language learning through drama as supported
by the drama, brain and language research
reviewed here can no longer be ignored.
Drama involves the whole body and the whole
brain in learning in a fictional context; it
engages all of the multiple intelligences
(Gardner, 1985) and matches the learning
styles (Kolb, 1983) of all children. Enjoyable
physical movement embeds the emotional
impact of multi-sensory experiences on the
cells of the body to form deep neuronal
patterns in the brain and thereby enable
memory and recall more readily than methods
having lesser sensory impact” (Wilkinson,2000:27).

9. Running a PLC
Professional Learning Community
• virtual Platform –NING, Edmodo
• virtual Classroom- WizIQ
• F2F Meetings
• presenting at Conferences –
Living PPT, papers
• publishing articles

10. Achievements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Concentration Exercises
Cooperation
Hospital Classes
Working as a Team with the Teacher
From alienation to Participation
From silence (selective mute) to role play
Role playing” In the Resto”
Changing Attitudes
Accepting the Rules
Starting to Listen and Look
Following Instructions
Working in Pairs
Working with ActionSacks
Working across the Curriculum ( LAC)
Engagement through Storytelling
Expressing feelings

11. ActionSack Work

12. Action Sacks and
Contents

13. Lost and Found :Oliver Jeffers

15. Action Sacks
Bruner’s
Routine and Excitement:
a) Basic English for classroom
activity
b) Drama deriving from Action
Sacks

16. Basic Contents of Action Sacks
Story book/theme
Ball
Flashcards
Guide to drama activities
The play of the story/theme
Pictures/picture dictionary
Paintings or books on
paintings
• Poems
• Old clothes for costumes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

17. Drama IS…….
•
•
•
•
•
•
An activity which combines vocal
expression and body action. It is true
communication
The ability to move an idea of the
imagination or an event into a concrete
happening through interaction of the mind
and the body
Self expression through role play and
improvisation
Willing suspension of disbelief
Artistic play
Our main method of receiving stories of
the human condition today

18. Drama is NOT……
• …..the teacher telling the students
about drama/theatre/acting
• …..the study of
theatre/text/character/setting
• ….. theatre/TV/film
• …..an activity which requires expensive
resources

19. The benefits of Drama for ALL
Drama for transformation
Drama as empowerment
Drama for fluency (speaking)
Drama as culture (play and
storytelling)
• Drama for thinking (all types)
• Drama for literacy (reading and
writing)
•
•
•
•

20. Drama for ELT
• Pronunciation, diction and voice
control
• Body language and gesture
• Stance and posture
• Blocking/interacting in space with
others
• Register / speaking in
role/improvisation
• Language games
• Lifting the word off the page
• Making language active, meaningful
and fun

21. Drama for SEN Students
• confidence building and self
esteem
• self control
• self-expression
• communication
• multisensory education
• the here and now
• the mask

22. Thank you!
Susan Hillyard B.Ed.(Hons)
ssnhillyard@gmail.com.ar
http://susanhillyard.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EVO_
Drama_2013/