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FUNCTIONS OF ROLE PLAY FUNCTIONS OF ROLE PLAY IN THE LITERATURE CLASS IN THE LITERATURE CLASS

FOR EFL STUDENTS AT FOR EFL STUDENTS AT HUCFLHUCFL

Tran Thi Thanh Ngoc, M.EdTran Thi Thanh Ngoc, M.Ed

Tran Thi Thu Suong, M.EdTran Thi Thu Suong, M.Ed

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CONTENTSCONTENTS

IntroductionIntroduction Benefits of Role-play in EFL Benefits of Role-play in EFL

literature class.literature class. The studyThe study RecommendationsRecommendations ConclusionConclusion

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INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

1.1. ReasonsReasonsRole play is a favorite activity for Role play is a favorite activity for EFL students at HUCFLEFL students at HUCFL

Role play is our regular and Role play is our regular and positive tool positive tool

Role play is approachable for any Role play is approachable for any teacher of languageteacher of language

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INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

2.2. AimsAimsTo explore the benefits of using To explore the benefits of using role play in literature classrole play in literature class

To suggest more effective To suggest more effective strategies and activities of role strategies and activities of role playplay

To enhance the use of role play not To enhance the use of role play not only in literature class but in only in literature class but in language class as welllanguage class as well

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WHAT IS ROLE PLAY?WHAT IS ROLE PLAY?

Role-play is any speaking activity when Role-play is any speaking activity when you either put yourself into somebody you either put yourself into somebody else's shoes, or when you stay in your else's shoes, or when you stay in your own shoes but put yourself into an own shoes but put yourself into an imaginary situation. (Joanna Budden: imaginary situation. (Joanna Budden: 2005)2005)

Role-play is a speaking activity, Role-play is a speaking activity, normally in not more than ten minutes normally in not more than ten minutes long, that places students in any long, that places students in any characters they like and in imaginary characters they like and in imaginary literary settings.literary settings.

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WHY IS ROLE PLAY WHY IS ROLE PLAY USEFUL IN A LITERATURE USEFUL IN A LITERATURE

CLASS?CLASS?

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Role play creates a safe and Role play creates a safe and supporting atmosphere in a supporting atmosphere in a

literature classliterature classBeing fun and air-changingBeing fun and air-changing

Increasing learners’ Increasing learners’ confidenceconfidence

Enabling genuine Enabling genuine communicationcommunication

Collie and Slatter (1987)Collie and Slatter (1987)

“ “ Role play is a means both Role play is a means both of creasing learners’ of creasing learners’ confidence with the foreign confidence with the foreign language and also of language and also of personalizing their contact personalizing their contact with it” (p.19)with it” (p.19)

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RRole play stimulates ole play stimulates students’ rich students’ rich imaginationimagination

Putting students Putting students into imaginary into imaginary characterscharacters

Placing students in Placing students in imaginary literary imaginary literary settingssettings

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Role play helps to develop Role play helps to develop students’ language students’ language

skillsskillsProviding students with tools for identifying Providing students with tools for identifying distinctive features in a literary textdistinctive features in a literary text

Lazar(1993)Lazar(1993) “ Drama provides students with “ Drama provides students with tools for identifying distinctive features in a tools for identifying distinctive features in a literary text and so appreciating it more fully” literary text and so appreciating it more fully” (p.78)(p.78)

Feeding students on appropriate vocabulary Feeding students on appropriate vocabulary and language structures in a natural and and language structures in a natural and memorable environmentmemorable environment

Helping students learn and acquire oral Helping students learn and acquire oral language at a more profound level.language at a more profound level.

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Role play increases students’ Role play increases students’ awareness of different awareness of different

cultural valuescultural valuesEnabling students to explore the social Enabling students to explore the social background and cultural perspectivesbackground and cultural perspectives

Promoting students’ social interactionPromoting students’ social interaction

Linser (2004) “ By explicitly taking on the Linser (2004) “ By explicitly taking on the attitude of another, something we do implicitly as attitude of another, something we do implicitly as a matter of course in communicating with others a matter of course in communicating with others in many social backgrounds, students discover in many social backgrounds, students discover issues that they would not have otherwise issues that they would not have otherwise encountered had they been viewing the material encountered had they been viewing the material on the basis of their own attitudes.” (p.110)on the basis of their own attitudes.” (p.110)

Bringing real life to literature classesBringing real life to literature classes

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THE BENEFITS OF ROLE-THE BENEFITS OF ROLE-PLAYPLAY

Creating a safe and supporting Creating a safe and supporting atmosphereatmosphere

Stimulating students’ rich Stimulating students’ rich imaginationimagination

Helping to develop students’ Helping to develop students’ language skillslanguage skills

Increasing students’ awareness of Increasing students’ awareness of different cultural valuesdifferent cultural values

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THE STUDYTHE STUDYMETHODOLOGYMETHODOLOGY Methods: Methods:

Class observation , Questionnaire, Deep Class observation , Questionnaire, Deep interviewinterview

Subjects:Subjects: 80 students of 380 students of 3rdrd and 4 and 4thth year classes at year classes at HUCFL and 5 teachers of literatureHUCFL and 5 teachers of literatureTheoretical backgrounds:Theoretical backgrounds:

Carter and Long (1991)Carter and Long (1991)Collie and Slatter ( 1987)Collie and Slatter ( 1987)Lazar ( 1993)Lazar ( 1993)Linser (2004)Linser (2004)Savignon ( 2001)Savignon ( 2001)

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THE STUDYTHE STUDY

FINDINGSFINDINGS

QuestionQuestion: Do you feel safe and : Do you feel safe and confident to speak English in role-confident to speak English in role-play activities?play activities?

YesYes 87 %87 %

NoNo 2.6 %2.6 %

A littleA little 10.4 %10.4 %

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THE STUDYTHE STUDYFINDINGSFINDINGS

QuestionQuestion: What do you benefit from : What do you benefit from role-play for your language learning ? role-play for your language learning ?

Learn new languageLearn new language 95%95%

Select and restructure new Select and restructure new languagelanguage

82%82%

Integrate English more closelyIntegrate English more closely 78%78%

Express themselves in English Express themselves in English through different characters’ through different characters’ voices voices

89%89%

Make meaningful interpretationMake meaningful interpretation 85%85%

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THE STUDYTHE STUDY

“ “ A simple cone of white card with the name A simple cone of white card with the name Hamlet or Mr. John written on it helps me Hamlet or Mr. John written on it helps me feel more empowered to express myself feel more empowered to express myself through different voices. I also feel excited to through different voices. I also feel excited to explore my familiar classmates under other explore my familiar classmates under other names.” ( Student C )names.” ( Student C )

By allowing reading and the adding of some By allowing reading and the adding of some characterization to a drama, learners became characterization to a drama, learners became fully involved in the learning process and fully involved in the learning process and realistic social context to express themselves realistic social context to express themselves through the multiple voices of different through the multiple voices of different characters”characters” ( Savignon 2001)( Savignon 2001)

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RECOMMENDATIONSRECOMMENDATIONSCreating a safe and supportive Creating a safe and supportive environment of communicationenvironment of communication

- - The freedom to exchange personal The freedom to exchange personal experiencesexperiences

- The cooperation of all group members, - The cooperation of all group members, including the teacherincluding the teacher

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RECOMMENDATIONSRECOMMENDATIONS

Choosing appropriate literary works for Choosing appropriate literary works for role-playingrole-playing

- theme- theme

- language proficiency- language proficiency

- cultural background- cultural background

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RECOMMENDATIONSRECOMMENDATIONS

Selecting appropriate techniques Selecting appropriate techniques and activitiesand activities

Step 1: StartingStep 1: Starting

Step 2: Imagination stimulatingStep 2: Imagination stimulating

Step 3: InvolvingStep 3: Involving

Step 4: PresentingStep 4: Presenting

Step 5: FeedbackStep 5: Feedback

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ROLE PLAY ACTIVITIESROLE PLAY ACTIVITIES ‘ ‘Film-making’Film-making’

Character exploringCharacter exploring

Listening and scriptingListening and scripting

Creating new versionCreating new version

Portraying a character Portraying a character

Playing an additional scenePlaying an additional scene

Puppet showPuppet show

Silent playsSilent plays

Returning to the pastReturning to the past

Scripting the lines for an episode Scripting the lines for an episode of a film.of a film.

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PROBLEMS AND PROBLEMS AND SUGGESTED SUGGESTED SOLUTIONSSOLUTIONS

Communicative Communicative effect may overweigh effect may overweigh interpreting goalinterpreting goal

Differences in Differences in language language competencecompetence

Language barriersLanguage barriers

Error correctionError correction

Setting clear goals for Setting clear goals for each role-playeach role-play

Having students Having students choose appropriate choose appropriate rolesroles

Feeding in new Feeding in new language before-hand language before-hand

Self-correction, peer Self-correction, peer correction, evaluation correction, evaluation sheet sheet

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTIONATTENTION