Abstract
This chapter considers the kinds of classroom discourse generated by performative language teaching approaches, particularly process drama. It introduces the constructs of learner engagement, agency, and perception-in-action. It examines both the practice of Teacher Talk (TT) and some of its typical features in the second language classroom, and juxtaposes that with Teacher in Role (TiR), a core pedagogical strategy in process drama. It discusses pre-TiR and post-TiR phases, and how awareness of TT features can support or hinder engagement. The chapter also discusses the art of questioning and the difference between make-believe and make belief in classroom dynamics. It includes a drama structure, Pygmalion, a workshop that investigates the connection between teacher and learner, artist and the work of art, power and agency.
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Workshop 6: Pygmalion
Workshop 6: Pygmalion
Description: This workshop investigates the connection between teacher and learner; artist and the work of art; power and agency.
Students’ context—inspiration for the Workshop: This is a drama workshop I designed for Irish postgraduate students of education. These student-teachers were on a teaching placement and the inspiration came when looking at their English students’ textbook, in particular the extract taken from their textbook featuring a passage from Pygmalion, Act 2.
Educational aims: Familiarising the student–teachers with the use of process drama to teach English.
Pre-text: Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw and Ovid’s myth from The Metamorphosis.
Level: Native speakers.
Duration: Three hours.
This chapter considered the kinds of classroom discourse generated by performative language teaching approaches, particularly process drama. It introduced the constructs of learner engagement, agency, and perception-in-action. It examined the practice of Teacher Talk (TT) and some of its typical features in the second language classroom, including the Initiation Response Feedback (IRF) exchange. It juxtaposed TT with TiR, a core pedagogical strategy in process drama. It discussed pre-TiR and post-TiR phases, and how awareness of TT features can support or hinder language engagement. The chapter also discussed the art of questioning and the difference between make-believe and make belief in classroom dynamics.
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Piazzoli, E. (2018). Language Engagement and Teacher in Role. In: Embodying Language in Action. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77962-1_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77962-1_7
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