Download pdf - Nikolay Markov Nikolov: The way to go – acting students, directing teachers, reflective efl classrooms

Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015

THE WAY TO GO:

ACTING STUDENTS,

DIRECTING TEACHERS,

REFLECTIVE EFL CLASSROOMS!?!

www.eaquals.org

Eaquals International Conference, 16 – 18 April 2015 2

PROFESSIONAL DRAMA

OR IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

IF NOT, WHY NOT?

IF YES, HOW?

IS THAT POSSIBLE?

DISCUSS THAT IN PAIRS OR GROUPS, PLEASE!

(task time limit: 2 mins.)


MY ANSWER TO THE QUESTION

YES or

T.I.M.E. The Teenodrama Interactive Method

in English


WHAT IS TEENODRAMA?

Interactive FL teaching of teenagers through professional acting techniques instruction, dramatisation of texts and participation of the learners in stage activities in the target language during which they evaluate their partners’ or their own artistic and language skills.


T.I.M.E. – the major outcome of my study intended to:

prove the hypothesis that the instruction of professional acting techniques in the target language (English) alongside learners’ participation in stage activities in the target language enhances learners’ FL interactive speaking skills.

prove that T.I.M.E. training makes learners

more motivated to participate actively in the process of FL acquisition and additionally develops in them a number of paralinguistic skills.


The research subjects: 16 Bulgarian teenage learners

At FL (English) B2/C1 level (CEFR)

Streamed into a Control Group (CG) and an Experimental Group (EG)


The experimental phases:

standard drama training (the common drama in the EFL

classroom based on the teacher’s amateur understanding of stage art)

professional drama training (based on Stanislavski’s

System and adapted to suit the EFL context)


Stanislavski’s System

А progression of techniques used to train actors and actresses to draw believable emotions to their performances. Originally created and used by Constantin Stanislavski from 1911 to 1916, later on (between 1934 and 1938) this technique evolved to a method of physical actions in which emotions are produced through the use of actions.


The T.I.M.E. Model (the professional drama training phase in the study)

PLAY PREMIERE

(THE FINAL ART PRODUCT)

STAGE WORK AND

EVALUATION

SCRIPT ANALYSIS AND TEXT

WORK

ACTING EXERCISES

SPEECH EXERCISES

BODY EXERCISES

PLAY AND CAST SELECTION


THE RESULTS

(BASED ON THE EXPERIMЕNTAL DATA)

2,86%

20,18%

0,00%

5,00%

10,00%

15,00%

20,00%

25,00%

GROUPS' OVERALL

SPEAKING PROGRESS

Control Group

Experimental Group

(The groups’ overall progress

in their FL speaking

accuracy, fluency, interaction and

the use of communication

strategies)


SUSTAINABILITY CHECK

Check of the sustainability of the 16 learners’ knowledge acquired during the experimental study period with a specially designed TEST based on “The Importance Of Being Earnest” (the final art product) including 3 tasks – a vocabulary task, a content-based task and a creative writing task.

11 months after the T.I.M.E. experiment


KNOWLEDGE SUSTAINABILITY RESULTS

GROUPS’ AVERAGE SUSTAINABILITY TEST RESULTS

TASKS CONTROL GROUP EXPERIMENTAL GROUP

VOCABULARY 45,5% 84,2%

CONTENT-BASED 38,8% 88,7% CREATIVE WRITING

60,3% 79,5%

TOTAL 50,5% 78,3%


KNOWLEDGE SUSTAINABILITY CAN SURPRISE…

MY DEAREST PRESENT…


THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ACTED OUT THE PLAY AGAIN

Without having thought about or read the play script for 11 months

Completely unprepared

Masterfully improvising

Shortening the play, but still presenting the main events of the plot

MAKING IT A MUST-SEE PERFORMANCE!!!


CONCLUSIONS

Professional drama training in the EFL context (T.I.M.E.) is more effective than the standard drama in the EFL classroom

T.I.M.E. enhances learners’ interactive speaking skills

T.I.M.E. significantly enhances learners’ learning motivation


CONCLUSIONS

T.I.M.E. develops additional paralinguistic skills in learners, such as teamwork (noted by over 70% of the respondents of the final inquiry at the end of the experiment)

T.I.M.E. guarantees a funny and interesting way of

learning (according to most inquiry respondents from the Experimental Group)

T.I.M.E. develops learners’ language and artistic

performance evaluation and self-evaluation skills


CONCLUSIONS

AND ABOVE ALL:

T.I.M.E. PROVIDES LEARNERS

WITH SUSTAINABLE

FL KNOWLEDGE

AND ENHANCED

FL INTERACTIVE

SPEAKING SKILLS


TRIBUTES TO:

the participants in the experiment and the

cameraman

Assoc. Prof. Dr Svetlana Dimitrova Giuzeleva (New Bulgarian University), my PhD supervisor

Assoc. Prof. Dr Alexander Iliev (National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts)


AN INNOVATIVE PRODUCT

“T.I.M.E. for teenagers” (a practical book set), self-published

a Practical Guide (the book) a pack of 46 reusable

Instructions Cards a CD and DVD set (2 CDs and 2

DVDs) a Teacher’s Evaluation Book a Velcro-strapped laminated

File Folder

A FOLLOW-UP OUTCOME


THE RECOGNITION

the only international awards

that recognise and celebrate innovation

in ELT

THE PRODUCT WAS NOMINATED BY THE BRITISH COUNCIL IN THE UK FOR THE ELTons 2015 AWARDS:


~The End ~

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!!!