Play on : teaching drama in an EFL class

Abstract EN

Using drama in the language classroom is an enormously rewarding and enjoyable activity for both the teachers and the students.

This paper tries to examine the use of drama in an EFL class that consists of Arabic speaking Omani students of 18-20 years where English is taught as a foreign language.

Its opening part looks at the importance of teaching language through literature and argues that the context and form of a literary work like drama arouses a lot of interest in meaningful use of that medium.

This, in the words of George Eliot is “aesthetic teaching”.

The paper further discusses the role of the teacher who becomes rather a facilitator by way of supporting the students’ efforts to establish an intensive relationship with the dramatic text without interfering too much in their act of creating meaning.

The paper then takes a look at some useful strategies like integrative and communicative approaches, Pre-reading, While-reading and Post-reading activities that can be used while teaching a dramatic text.

The question of how dramatic activities like role playing, mime etc.

along with language exercises can be employed in the language class effectively will also be examined in the paper.