Tbe use of drama tecbniques as a teacbing resource to the development of speaking and listening skills in the language classroom in Chile

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that drama and drama techniques implies the act ofreading and performing plays or presentations (Fleming, 1998: 1; Holden, 1981:8) rather than acting as strategies or aids that support the teaching and leaming processes. Notwithstanding the lack of literature devoted to sorne drama techniques, this study aims to unpack the drama techniques used by English secondary teachers in the development of the listening and speaking skills in a Chilean context. Motivated by m ypersonal experience asan English teacher andas an amateur actor, this paper analyses the interview data provided by five English English language teachers and the questionnaire conducted to 19 teachers and 103 secondary students. On the basis of the data analysed, the results indicate that the most used frequent drama techniques weremimicry and role-play. Based on the results, the report suggests that teachers need more training regarding the use of different drama techniques to enhance the students' learning of English as a foreign language.