DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L315.15
Authors: Jianfei Chen
Abstract:
This paper proposes a model of theatre-based foreign language course. This model demonstrates that a theatrical way of foreign language teaching is much more than just an isolated oral activity with elements of improvisation. With this model, an advanced foreign language course can be characterized as a dramatic text-based, performance-oriented, two-pronged approach, “two pronged” in the sense that it also incorporates more traditional advanced language-teaching. A practitioner inquiry study was conducted to clarify the utility of using dramatic literature, the importance of including performance, and the possibility of their combination with regular coursework to form this two-pronged approach in a fourth-year Chinese-language course. The findings of the study include positive feedback from students in terms of how a dramatic text helped to motivate their continuous Chinese study. Observation and reflection on actual teaching practices from a teacher’s perspective also revealed the effective collaboration of traditional classroom exercises with performance-oriented activities in securing the benefits of teaching theatrical texts to Chinese language learners.
Keywords: model; dramatic text; performance; advanced Chinese teaching
Updating...