序破急 Jo-Ha-Kyu: enticement - crux - consolidation. From study to learning: Process drama projects in the Japanese English language university classroom

This dissertation investigates how social issues can be explored through process drama projects in the Japanese university English as a Foreign Language classroom context. The trajectory of this dissertation moves along a traditional Noh three part macro-continuum, called Jo-Ha-Kyu, interpreted as enticement, crux and consolidation. Within these three parts, there are six further divisions. Part I consists of three sections: Section I, the introduction, sets the backdrop for the entire dissertation, that of Japan, and aims to draw the reader into its culturally unique and specific world. This section outlines the rationale for placing the ethnographer at the centre of the research, and presents Japan through the eyes of the writer. Section II outlines relevant Japanese cultural norms, mores and values, the English educational landscape of Japan and an overview of theatre in Japan and its possible influences on the Japanese university student today. Section III provides three literature reviews: second language acquisition, drama in education to process drama, and Content Language Integrated Learning. In Part 2, Sections IV and V respectively consist of the research methodology and the action research at the core of this dissertation. Section IV describes the case of Kwansei Gakuin University, then explains the design of the process drama curricula. Section V details the three-process drama projects based around the three social issues at the centre of this dissertation. There is also a description of an extra project that of the guest lecturer project. The ultimate goals of all four projects were to change motivation through English in a CLIL context, to develop linguistic spontaneity and to deepen emotional engagement with the themes. Part 3 serves to reflect upon the viability of using process drama in the Japanese university curriculum, and to critically self-reflect on the project as a whole.

Drama und theater in der fremd- und zweitsprachenlehre: Blick zurück nach vorn

Zwischen dem Bereich Drama/Theater und dem Bereich Fremdsprachenvermittlung gibt es seit jeher Verbindungslinien. Zumindest war der Lehrer immer schon ein Akteur, der den Schülern etwas so ‘vorzuspielen’ versuchte, dass die Aufmerksamkeit des Lernerpublikums gebannt blieb; und eigentlich haben Lehrer und Schüler im fremdsprachlichen Unterricht immer schon ‘Theater’ gespielt, indem sie so taten, als ob die Unterhaltung in der fremden Sprache für sie natürlich sei. Der folgende Beitrag zeichnet wichtige Entwicklungsetappen des Brückenbaus zwischen den Bereichen Drama/Theater und Fremd-/Zweitsprachenlehre seit Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts nach. Es wird davon ausgegangen, dass ‘Drama und Theater in der Fremd-/Zweitsprachenlehre’ sich nunmehr als eines der vielen Anwendungsfelder etabliert hat, die mit dem Fach- und Sammelbegriff ‘Applied Theatre’ erfasst werden. Der Begriff bezieht sich auf das breite Spektrum von Individuen, Gruppen und Institutionen, für die das Theater als Kunstform nicht reiner Selbstzweck ist, sondern zentraler Bezugspunkt und Inspirationsquelle für drama-/theaterbezogene Aktivitäten. Durch solche Aktivitäten sollen im jeweiligen Anwendungsfeld ganz bestimmte Ziele erreicht werden, im Falle des fremd- und zweitsprachlichen Unterrichts z.B. sprach-, literatur- und kulturbezogene Ziele. Dieser Beitrag versteht sich als kompakte Bündelung und insbesondere Aktualisierung von Überlegungen, die erstmalig in meinem Buch Fremdsprache inszenieren (1993) erschienen sind. Zur Ergänzung dieses kompakten Überblicks sei auf die umfangreiche Forschungsbibliographie auf der Homepage dieser Zeitschrift verwiesen. Zum Konzept ‘Applied Theatre’ vgl. z.B. Ackroyd 2000; Taylor 2003; Nicholson 2005

Einleitung: Dramapädagogik und fremdsprachlicher Deutschunterricht

Published Version

Literatur verstehen und inszenieren: Foreign language literature through drama, a research project

Based on the experience that today's students find it more difficult than students of previous decades to relate to literature and appreciate its high cultural value, this paper argues that too little is known about the actual teaching and learning processes which take place in literature courses and that, in order to ensure the survival of literary studies in German curricula, future research needs to elucidate for students, the wider public and, most importantly, educational policy makers, why the study of literature should continue to have an important place in modern language curricula. Contending that students' willingness to engage with literature will, in the future, depend to a great extent on the use of imaginative methodology on the part of the teacher, we give a detailed account of an action research project carried out at University College Cork from October to December 2002 which set out to explore the potential of a drama in education approach to the teaching and learning of foreign language literature. We give concrete examples of how this approach works in practice, situate our approach within the subject debate surrounding Drama and the Language Arts and evaluate in detail the learning processes which are typical of performance-based literature learning. Based on converging evidence from different data sources and overall very positive feedback from students, we conclude by recommending that modern language departments introduce courses which offer a hands-on experience of literature that is different from that encountered in lectures and teacher-directed seminars.

The implementation of a literacy intervention 'Station Teaching' in infant classes in Irish primary schools

Background: I conducted my research in the context of The National Literacy Strategy (DES, 2011), which maintains that every young person should be literate and it outlines targets for improving literacy in schools from 2011 to 2020. There has been much debate on the teaching of literacy and in particular the teaching of reading. Clark (2014) outlines how learning to read should be a developmental language process and that the approaches in the early years of schooling will colour the children’s motivation and their perception of reading as a purposeful activity. The acquisition of literacy begins in the home but this study focuses on the implementation of a literacy intervention Station Teaching in the infant classes in primary school. Station Teaching occurs when a class is divided into four or five small groups of pupils and they receive intensive tuition at four or five different Stations with the help of Support teachers: New Reading, Familiar Reading, Phonics, Writing and Oral Language. Research Questions: These research questions frame my study: How is Station Teaching implemented? What is the experience of the intervention Station Teaching from the participants’ point of view: teachers, pupils, parents? What notion of literacy is Station Teaching facilitating? Methods: I chose a pragmatic parallel mixed methods design as suggested by Mertens (2010). I collected and analysed both the quantitative and qualitative data to answer the study’s research questions. In the study the quantitative data were collected from a questionnaire issued to 21 schools in Ireland. I used Excel as a data management package and thematic analysis to analyse and present the data in themes. I collected qualitative data from a case study in a school. This data included observations of two classes over a period of a year; interviews with teachers, pupils and parents; children’s drawings, photographs, teachers’ diaries and video evidence. I analysed and presented the evidence from the qualitative data in themes. Main Findings: There are many skills and strategies that are essential to effective literacy teaching in the early years including phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and writing. These skills can be taught during Station Teaching. Early intervention in the early years is essential to pupils’ acquisition of literacy. The expertise of the teacher is key to improving the literacy achievement of pupils Teachers and pupils enjoy participating in ST. Pupils are motivated to read and engage in meaningful activities during ST. Staff collaboration is vital for ST to succeed ST facilitates small group work and teachers can differentiate accordingly while including all pupils in the groups. Pupils’ learning is extended in ST but extension activities need to be addressed in the Writing Station. More training should be provided for teachers on the implementation of ST and more funding for resources should be available to schools Significant contribution of the work: The main significance of the study includes: insights into the classroom implementation of Station Teaching in infant classes and extensive research into characteristics of an effective teacher of literacy.