<영어 연극: 이론과 실제> 수업 사례 연구

A Case Study of <English Drama Practicum: Theory and Practice>

A careful observation of the unique values of drama&#8722;both as educational material and methodology&#8722;dictates the need for the implementation of a drama curriculum. Drama is an abundant resource of practical modern language usage; drama provides opportunity for the individual study of the separate components of a language; drama offers a realistic and faithful portrayal of culture together with its audio-visual aids of setting, costume, lighting and sound effects; drama is a flexible and syncretic approach that encompasses numerous and diverse major language learning approaches; drama facilitates learning by encouraging students to feel, think and do as the characters do; drama functions to reinforce certain psychological factors such as motivation for learning, a sense of belonging and a sense of achievement in the participant. <English Drama Practicum: Theory and Practice>, which is a drama curriculum, combines the study of dramatic texts as literary genre with the actual staging of drama. During the first stage of the semester the students are introduced to: 1) the reading of an article in order to acknowledge a succinct truth that drama is the most suitable vehicle to adopt into the language learning procedure; 2) the reading of diverse dramatic dialogues in an attempt to discover that certain accents and emphases create different meanings and moods; 3) the actual staging of a short play. The students then study the four representative English and American dramas, exploring the background information and analyzing the selected scenes. During the final stage of the semester, the students are responsible for: 1) writing their own drama piece by adapting the foretasted renowned dramas; 2) rehearsing and staging their creative dramatic work; 3) submitting a drama journal. <English Drama Practicum: Theory and Practice> accompanies a serious task, requiring much planning and significant effort. However, it also gives all the participants an opportunity to enjoy themselves while learning and to have fun while tackling a task. Thus is justified the assertion that “In the teaching situation it is the methods used, more than any other factor, that determine the results achieved.”