Drama in EFL

The use of drama in EFL classrooms is a proven form of language acquisition and creation to improve the four fields of vocabulary, grammar, and voice. In an organized and communicative approach, a teacher can teach the language more efficiently by actively involving students in classroom practices during the teaching of instructional dramas. In the dramatic aspect of the story, students can also consider the fundamental principles of dramatic texts. The play will create a very informative and productive environment.

The literary works such as drama provide an esthetic, intellectual and emotional joy in that the playwright constantly attempts to convey its view of a human condition by creatively and emotionally applying language, a language which, in turn, gives students a lot of impetus and inspiration to study the language more creatively. One of the prerequisites for studying languages is that students have a grasp of the language; this can be accomplished by using literary texts creatively and objectively, in order to be able to communicate.

The main challenges in choosing a suitable play are:

-Seeking a play of value and interest to students taking into account the extent of understanding of students.

-Duration of the play - it might not be possible to cope with full length play or even Shakespearean play that has a number of scenes and acts, but they provide more contextual information and character and storyline development. The best choices are one Act Series. A full-length play may also be played in one or two acts.

-Cultural challenges –text must not be so dense culturally that externals believe that their simple context is not known.

Activities such as forecasting, gap storming, creative writing, role playing, vocabulary-integrated orthography are very important, for they will create essential links between language and literature, which will ultimately render a very meaningful and effective undertaking to teach and study dramatic texts.

The play offers hints to the prediction of its theme, vocabulary items phrases used in the play. The words and collocated units that appear in the form of keywords, through a semantic link, help readers to predict what the atmosphere of the world inside the play is going to be like. The teacher, who provides a list of specific words and phrases from the game, can ask students to imagine the connotative implications of the items listed. These pre-reading exercises enhance the participation of students in the play and promote interest in it. 

Creative activities.

Students can participate in a wide range of creative activities designed to increase their understanding and recognition and improve their expressive and receptive skills. Some activities, such as rewriting the play with a happy ending, can be experienced in the classroom with guidance from the teacher. A playwright always tries to stage his play. Using the instructions from the stage, the teacher can help students organize a performance of the show for a wider audience.