Date: Sunday, May 25, 2:00 — 3:45 p.m.
Place: Hokusei Gakuen University in CALL Room 3, "A" Building 2F
Cost: Free for JALT members; 500 yen for guests

Presenter: Hitoshi Eguchi, Hokusei Gakuen University

Abstract: The benefits of using drama in language teaching have been explored by many language teachers. The pragmatic aspects of language can be taught with relative ease by putting students in a realistic context for language use in the real world. However, using such teaching techniques with Japanese college students is challenging because of their shy character and because it's not likely to be a teaching style in which they have been taught before.

The first half of this presentation will focus on the underlying principles of using drama in language teaching. The presenter will demonstrate how he gets his students to think about the differences between an "oral" class and a "communicative" class.

The second half will show how the teaching techniques can be employed without losing the students' cooperation and motivation through the use of a CALL classroom and its functions. The results of a student questionnaire about these techniques as well as possible variations of the techniques as options in teaching English at the college level will be introduced.

Bio: Hitoshi Eguchi is an assistant professor in charge of the pre-service teacher training courses and TEFL related classes at Hokusei Gakuen University. He is also an assistant CALL teacher at Hokusei. He taught English in Korea and at a number of colleges in Miyagi before coming to Sapporo and has experience teaching the skills of writing, speaking, listening and grammar.

Report: Eguchi began the presentation, given in a CALL room, by facilitating an online chat discussion among participants on the topic of the challenges of using drama techniques with college students. He wouldn't accept the commonly held assumption that it's because Japanese students are shy. Because using drama in the classroom is different from what they're used to, students need to be convinced of its educational value. But Eguchi sees using drama as an effective way to recreate the situation of "living in an English-speaking country" which makes it easier for students to form an identity as an English speaker. Writing and performing their own dramatic skits also helps Eguchi focus his students' attention on the pragmatic features of the English language.

Eguchi explained how students use a variety of software to create characters, write and revise their scripts, and record their performances. Participants also watched two of the dramas that were completed in one of his previous classes. Although this kind of activity isn't completely realistic, the advantages include its student-centeredness — students have real control over what they are doing. And because there's a finished product, it's easy for teachers to give feedback.

Reported by Wilma Luth