THE THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED: A TECHNIQUE TO TEACH ENGLISH

Techniques to implement in the classroom

1-    The Legislative Theatre functions to determine the need to create or enact laws. The teacher can therefore implement this technique by allowing the students to think of rules that everyone will believe to work out in the classroom. By let them come up with rules, they will be more willing to take part in a good learning environment instead of being told what to do by the teacher, thus breaking barriers between teacher (authority)- students and encouraging interaction between both of them.

2-    With the Image Theatre technique, students can develop their creative thinking by using non-verbal expression that can depict abstract or concrete concepts representing feelings and situations in a scenario where everyone can act out a role. This will enhance students’ social skills and get to know each other in a dynamic environment.

3-    Forum Theatre can be used as a technique for students to react against a situation that presents a problem to be solved. Therefore, the students, who have previously been spectators, will be transformed in spec-actors. The teacher can divide the classroom into two groups: one will enact a bad situation and the other will watch. Afterwards, the spectators will have to take action by trying to solve it in order to make the world (classroom) a better place.

The Theatre of the Oppressed Website 

EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS: AN INTERVIEW ON COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

French teacher, Escuela Oficial de Idiomas

-What is “communicative competence”?

+Es la facultad que tienen dos personas para interactuar.

[It is the faculty that two people have to interact]

-How would you apply this competence in the classroom?

+Es muy complicado, por falta de tiempo en el aula. En una clase normal no se podría

aplicar.

[It is very complicated, because there’s not enough time in the classroom. In a normal

class span of time, it wouldn’t be possible to apply this competence.]

-¿Qué actividades propondría para que funcionara?

+Una actividad fuera del aula donde hubiera un interlocutor.

ACTIVITIES TO EASE YOUR LESSONS

First exercise: emotional management

-A forgiving letter

In the classroom, we remind students of a particular occasion when somebody’s

behaviour hurt us. Afterwards, each student will have to try and empathise with the

other person, expressing his/her feelings. Finally, students will write down a forgiving

letter in order to reflect how they felt at that moment and will their willingness to

forgive.

In order to carry out this activity, students could be asked to describe the offence they

took, to express how that affected them and whether it lingers or not, report what they

would have liked the other person to had done instead and explicitly declare your

forgiving and comprehension towards the other person.

Changing roles could be beneficial especially for this kind of activity, in so far as

teachers can value if the students were able to defend or understand each other’s point

of view and feelings. This will be useful to implement a reflexive activity.

Note: The teacher should bear in mind that the letters are personal and may not be

shared publicly. Moreover, the students can decide whether to send them to the

addressee or not.

Second exercise: cultural awareness

Plan activities that may potentially make students go beyond their close environment by

introducing them to different cultures. Organise students into groups to work on

newspaper articles or surfing on the Internet in order to reflect upon us in a globalised

world and awake the students’ curiosity and interest to get to know new ways of life

(history, languages, traditions). Organise intercultural encounters in which we can get to

know the diversity of nationalities that we have in our schools. Suggest a possible

exchange to these students’ countries within language programs.

Third exercise: why do people emigrate?

Firstly, we will explain students some causes for migration to happen, and everyone

will brainstorm ideas that will be shared in the classroom. The teacher can make a list

and also take advantage if there are immigrant students in the class to ask them about

personal experiences, since stories told in first person are always much more effective

for students to understand. Later on, we will start explaining the inequalities there are in

the world and presenting what the implications are, making students think what can

individuals do to fight against these inequalities.

Finally, we can distribute the students into groups in order to work cooperatively on

actions that could possibly help to integrate these people in the community and show

them the projects that campaigns offer to help underprivileged people.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Students' learning styles may be linked somewhat with what their main intelligences are. Teachers can therefore take into account these so-called different intelligences when planning their lessons in order to motivate and involve as many students as possible at a time through the learning process.

Howard Gardner (1993), proposed in the book Frames of Mind the existence of seven basic intelligences. Later on, he added an eighth and even a ninth possibility.

Here you are mine

Check out what yours are at Multiple Intelligences

LEARNING STYLES

We have learnt that it is important to cater for all students in mixed-ability classes.

Here, there is a test that students can take in order to know what their learning styles are. This will make them be aware of what learning strategies fit them best when studying and also will allow teachers to know their students' abilities and skills.

What's your learning style?

This test will show you what your learning style is through percentages. My learning style is 65% visual. Then it will give you a description of what you, as a learner can do to take advantage of some techniques to enhance your learning skills.

MOTIVATING STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES

1-    Tension and challenge through games. Teachers can design an activity that will let them check the students’ progress and acquired knowledge by playing a game. Thus, students will have the chance to have a great time without noticing they are being assessed. This may create a competitive environment, so that it is important for teachers to bear in mind that they will have to reinforce the fact that nobody will win but everybody can learn and revise concepts.

2-    Active learning. Let them explore through the Internet or other use other technologies in order to activate schemata about what they are about to learn in depth. The teacher can create an interactive interface where he/she can create a discussion about the ideas that will be taught later on. The students will feel engaged in the process of learning.

3-    Praise. Let students know when they are doing well, so that the class will realise and will try to emulate this behaviour and learn from each other.

4-   Use visuals, open-ended cues, information gap activities that will cater for different learning strategies. Create individual and cooperative tasks that will help both students that are more introvert/extrovert to have a chance to do well.