More and more these days, language teachers are expected to stage some kind of theatre performance with their students, which is often presented to the school and sometimes even to the children’s parents.  It is an event that is always excitedly anticipated by everyone because of its entertainment value and the opportunity it provides for the whole school to come together and enjoy and appreciate the efforts of students (and teachers!).

 

Furthermore, we teachers increasingly ask our students to give oral presentations to the rest of the class and sometimes even to the whole school because it is generally accepted that the skills required to do this effectively are directly transferable to the world outside the classroom and the children’s future lives at work.

 

From the students’ point of view, there is a lot of overlap in the skills needed to participate in acting in a play and giving presentations and it is the teacher’s job to ensure that they carry out these tasks to the best of their ability.  So my plenary and workshop will focus on exactly how we can do this by emphasising the process we should take our students through in order for them to achieve something that is valued, immensely enjoyable and that gives them a sense of pride in their work

 

 

My plenary will cover the benefits and an overview of how teachers can take students through the process of preparing and equipping them for public performance and these workshops will give you hands-on experience of the types of activities you can use with your own classes.  These will include activities that are designed to: strengthen group dynamics; activate language completely in context; provide practice of current idiomatic and natural speech; build confidence; focus on aspects of non-verbal communication and explore the full range of our voices