Drama as a Resource to Improve Oral Expression (Verbal and nonverbal) at Elementary School: Study !

hrou"h Di##erent Disciplines and !eachin" Su""estions

Eduardo Encabo$ %uan %os& Varela$ mando '(pe)-Valero and Isabel %ere) Eduardo Encabo, Juan Jos Varela, Amando Lpez-Valero and Isabel Jerez, Spain are based at University o !urcia" #aculty o Education" $ampus universitario Espinardo s%n &'('' Espinardo !urcia, Spain" E-mail) edencabo*um"es, tembra+uan*,otmail"com, amandolo*um"es, isa+erez*um"es *enu bstract +re#ace !heoretical #rame,orInnovative content o# this study Explanation and analysis o# the innovation process Results .oncludin" remar-s bstract In t,is study, -e -ant to s,o- ,o- drama, ar rom bein. only a un sub+ect in sc,ool, ,elps t,e ac/uirin. and development o all t,e necessary tools to improve oral e0pression in elementary sc,ool" 1o ac,ieve t,is, -e -ill rame t,is -or2 -it,in t,e teac,in. o Lan.ua.e and Literature because, as a resource, t,is active en.a.ement -it, students -ill ta2e elements rom Literature 3t,eatre as a .enre- and, at t,e same time, rom lan.ua.e to develop t,eir lin.uistic s2ills 4puttin. emp,asis on spea2in. and listenin.5" 6e -ant to do t,is in academic and social conte0ts, developin. students7 verbal and non verbal s2ills" +re#ace 8ein. a part o society implies a relations,ip -it, t,e environment and to di erent people" 1,is ma2es it possible t,at people can use t,eir communication s2ills" Un ortunately, t,e mass media doesn9t ,elp people to improve t,eir 2no-led.e and use o lan.ua.e" 1elevision, radio and tec,nolo.y in .eneral are not enou., to develop lan.ua.e, because people need ot,er people to communicate -it," 8esides amily, riends and tec,nolo.y, students ,ave a sc,ool -,ic, -ill educate t,em to learn ,o- to be a part o a democratic environment in -,ic, t,ey live, and develop tolerance and respect" 8ecause o t,is, it is very important t,at sc,ools promote spea2in., listenin. and dialo.ue, because communication is very closely related to education" I ,uman bein.s can communicate and s,are e0periences in a better -ay, t,eir lives -ill be more satis actory" :rama can be undamental in establis,in. better communication, because it s,o-s many aspects o li e and includes also elements related to creativity and antasy" 1,us,

at Elementary Sc,ool, -e can use drama, alt,ou., until recent times it ,as not ,ad .ot enou., reco.nition, per,aps due to i.norance, losin. in t,is -ay aspects as important as e0pression or sensitivity" At t,e same time, usin. drama, -e can ,elp people to develop oral s2ills; because it seems t,at in sc,ools t,e emp,asis ,as been on -ritten production and, to.et,er -it, t,is, o course, puttin. emp,asis on readin." 1,e aim o t,is -or2 is t,e study o <ral E0pression in Elementary Sc,ool students 3 .rade our- durin. t,e =''&%=''> academic year, and it uses t,e -ide possibilities t,at t,e practice o drama o ers us as a teac,in. resource" 6it, t,e use o drama, -e -ant to ind a systematic approac, to education -,ic, invites pupils to participate, to searc,, to use t,eir creativity and aest,etic competence" In addition, -e -ant t,em to learn to see and eel t,e e0perience o drama, and to invite t,em to communicate in a better -ay, improvin. t,eir oral s2ills" 1,is ,as not been developed in an ade/uate -ay, because teac,ers ,ave ocused t,eir e orts on readin. and -ritin." In t,is -or2, -e -ant to motivate people%students to use listenin. and spea2in. in a better -ay, searc,in. or an inte.ral education" !heoretical #rame,orAn eclectic vie- -ill run t,rou.,out t,is -or2, bein. ta2en rom di erent areas 3 sociolo.y, p,ilolo.y, peda.o.y or psyc,olo.y- elements -,ic, activate c,ildren9s processes o obtainin. a real improvement in t,eir oral s2ills" In t,e same -ay, art 3 Literature and t,eatre are part o t,is- -ill contribute to-ards a-a2enin. senses implied in 2no-led.e" 1,us, -e can understand t,e ?livin. -ord@ and surrender to t,ou.,t; -it, t,is, -e orm our minds, undamental in our lives" 1,e -ord is li2e Aromet,eusB ire and students -ill en+oy and learn -it, it, and it -ill become a 2ey aspect in academic and social conte0ts" Voice is logos and our researc, -ill i0 t,e .uidelines -it, -,ic, to c,an.e t,e class into a space in -,ic, voice -ould be used" 1-o .roups o students a.ed nine years -ill be t,e main participants" 1,ey -ill ,ave been divided into t-o classes" 8ot, belon. to t,e same level 4.rade our5" <ne o t,em -ill be t,e e0perimental .roup and t,e ot,er, t,e control .roup" 1,e irst -ill -or2 t,rou., a met,odolo.y based on creative arts 3 t,eatre and active -ord-" 1,e ot,er .roup -ill carry out -or2 based on traditional education" 1,us, in t,e e0perimental .roup, 2no-led.e -ill be built by c,ildren activatin. t,e s2ills t,at drama demands) voice, body, space, conte0t, and p,ysical action as -ell as mental, creative and artistic s2ills" 1eac,er and classroom -ill develop t,e aspects o lan.ua.e t,at -e need or communication) lin.uistics and semiotics" $onte0t must be ric, to be able to develop oral e0pression" 6e -ant to establis, literary bases -,ic, ,elp our teac,in. processes, and -it, t,is -e can ind t,eatre and o course, drama" It is important too to appreciate art in education) aest,etics and t,eatre as a conse/uence o iconic .estures, and verbal e0pression" 1,eatre -ill become a re erence to t,e art o e0pression and ,uman communication" In our -or2, -e -or2 -it, art, and t,is -ill be a -ay to develop aspects related to spea2in. and listenin. in sc,ool and in li e" 8ecause o t,is, -e -ill include in t,is study aest,etics in Europe in t,e last t-o centuries" 1,e t,eory o !ultiple Intelli.ence ormulated by Cardner -ill ,elp us to ul il our intention o ormin. si.ni icant learnin." 1,us, -e can put in practice people s2ills and can do t,is interdisciplinary study"

6e -ill ma2e a study o contemporary dramatists, to 2no- -,at t,ese t,in2ers said about t,eatre and education" #inally, -e ,ave included teac,in. su..estions related to drama and oral e0pression t,at -ould be use ul to teac,ers, parents, or educators" Teaching Language and Literature from a critical perspective 1,e critical paradi.m o education provides us -it, t,e necessary rame-or2 to brin. to.et,er t-o concepts) li elon. learnin. and communicative competence" Indeed, it obli.es us to adopt a more democratic and pluralistic approac, to educational action" UDES$< e0plicitly states t,at t,e ri.,t to education and li elon. learnin. is no lon.er somet,in. capricious, but is no- more t,an ever a necessity" Immersed as -e are in an eminently dynamic society, t,e speci ic learnin. o actual 2no-led.e, alt,ou., necessary, is not su icient to combat t,e enormous economic interest -,ic, surrounds us" It is no- vital t,at -e broaden our ,orizons and include ourselves -it,in t,e p,ilosop,y o li elon. learnin., -,ic, is basic to t,e desired educational and social trans ormation" 1,is implies t,at learnin. can no lon.er be an isolated occurrence -,ic, eventually leads to t,e or.ettin. o t,e 2no-led.e" <n t,e contrary, t,is position is not only interestin. in itsel , but also alls into line -it, t,ose positions -,ic, advocate /uality teac,in. and learnin. or all, adapted to t,e needs o t,e disadvanta.ed and concerned -it, overcomin. ailure in sc,ools" 1,is involves -or2in. in accordance -it, t,e E/uity Sc,ema -,ic, see2s .reater social +ustice 4Lync,, (EFG5" As re.ards t,e 1eac,in. o Lan.ua.e and Literature, -e s,ould be primarily concerned -it, unctional learnin." 1,is means enablin. students to adapt t,e our basic s2ills on ma2in. t,e transition rom t,e -orld o sc,ool to t,e -orld o -or2 4Jo,nson, =''&5" 1eam-or2, in our opinion, -ill play a vital role in ,elpin. to create more e/ual social structures" In t,is sense, it is necessary to c,an.e t,e tradition o teac,in. or problem solvin. -,ic, ,as been de ined as processes -,ic, are developed in t,e mind o eac, individual 4!ercer (EEH5" Iat,er, -e s,ould aim to promote collective activities, since -,en individuals participate in .roup practices over lon. periods o time, t,eir outloo2 is necessarily broadened, and individuals become members o communities in -,ic, -ays o seein., 2no-in. and representin. are common 4Dieto, =''(5" As -e ,ave stated be ore, teac,ers -ill be .uides -,o ,elp students to improve t,eir 2no-led.e and to re-construct reality in suc, a -ay t,at sc,ools orm a microcosm -,ic, can be e0trapolated to t,e -ider social community" It -ould seem clear t,at i our intention is to establis, a suitable rame-or2 or t,e active and unctional teac,in. -e are de endin., -e must re lect upon t,e conditions -,ic, prove optimal or teac,in. Lan.ua.e and Literature" In t,is sense -e are in a.reement -it, t,e ollo-in. statement) ?1,e ac/uisition o lin.uistic s2ills does not seem to .uarantee t,e conse/uent ac/uisition o communicative abilities in a lan.ua.e" <n t,e contrary, it -ould seem to be t,e case t,at an overemp,asis on drills and e0ercises or t,e production and reception o sentences tends to in,ibit t,e development o communicative abilities" 4"""5 1,e abilities include t,e s2ills) one cannot ac/uire t,e ormer -it,out ac/uirin. t,e latter" 1,e /uestion is) ,o- can t,e s2ills are tau.,t, not as sel -su icient ac,ievement but as an aspect o communicative competenceJ@ 46iddo-son (EKF) GK5 Do-adays one o t,e principle problems -e are con ronted -it, is t,e act t,at structuralism content ails to motivate pupils" #or t,is reason lan.ua.e only becomes accessible -,en it is real and natural and is anc,ored in a point o reality and -,en it is

socially use ul" 1eac,in. Lan.ua.e and Literature usin. a communicative model involves an important c,an.e o mentality -it, respect to educational structures, because it .ives more importance to t,e development o lin.uistic s2ills rat,er t,an testin. academic 2no-led.e 4!oran, =''(5" 6e ,ave to desi.n teac,in. proposals -,ic, ,elp us to do easier t,e t,in.s -e ,ave e0pressed until no-" 8ecause o t,is, later -e -ill see di erent su..estions but all t,ey are included in t,e -or2s,op idea" #rom our point o vie-, t,e -or2s,ops ,ave to be desi.ned to ocus on communicative action" I -e .et people to communicate, it -ill be easier to -or2 t,e values o respect, solidarity and team-or2""" Eac, -or2s,op -ill be di erent, dependin. on t,e individual students and t,e conte0t" <ne must adapt to t,e situation -,ic, an important concept is accordin. t,e critical model" A closer understandin. o t,e situation -ill enable teac,ers to desi.n strate.ies t,at -ill .ive optimal results in t,e communicative trans ormation or t,e e/uality bet-een cultures 4Iic,ards, (EEF5" Ob/ectives 1,e ob+ectives -e -ant to establis, in desi.nin. t,is -or2 are) - to improve <ral E0pression o Elementary Sc,ool students usin. drama as a teac,in. and systematic resource, - to correctly use t,e lin.uistic elements 4p,onetics, .rammar, semantics, and le0ical competence5 and t,e semiotic elements 4Aositions in space, 2inetics, non-lin.uistics5" - to increase t,e possibilities competence o e0pression 4verbal and non verbal5, creativity and critical t,ou.,t, allo-in. students to adapt t,emselves to ne- situations and conte0ts and to increase t,e development o oral lan.ua.e t,rou., t,e use o drama" 6it, t,ese ob+ectives -e -ill try to ac,ieve t,e main idea o t,is study) usin. drama in class" 6e -ill improve education o students, and more concretely, aspects related to <ral E0pression" Innovative content o# this study 6e believe t,at i Elementary Sc,ool Students -or2 systematically 3usin. drama in class- -it, <ral E0pression, t,is situation improves communication related to di erent situations in li e" 8ecause o t,is t,e t-o implied components in <ral E0pression) t,e verbal aspects and t,e non verbal elements -ill -or2 actively" As a re erence, -e -ill ta2e t,e area concernin. t,e 1eac,in. o Lan.ua.e and Literature" 1,is discipline ,elps us to i0 t,e principal a0is o our study) t,e -or2 and development o lan.ua.e, because t,ere can be no doubt t,at lan.ua.e plays a vital role in our lives" It -ould be inconceivable to ima.ine a society -it,out t,is e0clusively ,uman c,aracteristic, since losin. t,e ad+ective L,umanL -ould convert us into animals or robots" I -e re lect on t,is, rom t,e moment -e -a2e until -e .o to sleep, our li e is lan.ua.e-related" Lan.ua.e, in its various orms 4oral, -ritten, e0tra-lin.uistic5 acilitates our interaction -it, ot,ers" $ommunication is a .i t -,ic, s,ould be preserved and involves t,e use o abilities -,ic, are .radually ac/uired" Lan.ua.e is an abstract concept -,ic, serves as a basis or communicative actions" #or t,is reason and rom t,e perspective -e ta2e ,ere, lan.ua.e is undamental or education, since it is t,e

2ey -,ic, opens t,e door to all 2no-led.e; moreover its relations,ip -it, ,uman t,in2in. is too interconnected to be i.nored" At Dursery level, lin.uistic s2ills are developed, -,ile at Elementary Sc,ool, teac,ers use met,ods to teac, ,o- to read and ,o- to -rite" Later, pupils develop t,eir lin.uistic and literary s2ills, puttin. emp,asis on .rammar or vocabulary" At Secondary Sc,ool, students can use t,eir discourse in a better -ay, includin. aspects related to culture, lin.uistics and literature" 6e -ant to ocus our -or2 on t,e second sta.e) Elementary Sc,ool" At t,is point, -e must as2 t,is /uestion) is solely .rammar enou., to communicate -ellJ 1,is Muestion re ers to -,et,er teac,in. must only be ocused on .rammar" In t,e ei.,ties, in Spain, t,is area; t,e teac,in. o Lan.ua.e and Literature, became a speci ic discipline -,ic, ,ad t,e ob+ective o revisin. t,eoretical content, o selectin. and or.anizin. t,em, establis,in. ob+ectives and t,e suitable met,odolo.y or t,e si.ni icant learnin. o lan.ua.e and Literature" At t,e same time, it ,ad t,e related mission o revisin. t,e materials and t,e assessment re errin. to teac,in." 1o ac/uire t,e lin.uistic s2ills it is not enou., to 2no- .rammar but also to 2no- and use more important elements rom Lan.ua.e and Literature" <ne o t,ese aspects is drama, proposed as a resource or teac,in." #or a lon. time, teac,in. o lan.ua.e ,as ocused on .rammar" It is important to say t,at readin. and -ritin. ,ave been t,e t-o s2ills -,ic, teac,ers ,ave developed in classrooms, but people need to develop t,e t-o ot,er s2ills) spea2in. and listenin." Spea2in. -ill become t,e tool t,at s,o-s us reality" 1,rou., it -e can establis, relations,ips, communicate, and to do it -idely and -ell -e need to 2no- and use our discourse" 8ut at t,e same time, -,en -e orm a messa.e and use it, -e must be a-are o t,e importance o listenin." #or our personal development -e need to e0press our t,ou.,ts and eelin.s, and to do t,is, -e must communicate properly, usin. all our o our lin.uistics s2ills" I -e treat drama as a resource -e -ill use oral e0pression in a dynamic -ay in di erent conte0ts and situations" At t,e same time -e -ill develop listenin. because t,ere are actors and an audience -,o ,ave t,e mission o bein. critical listeners 48ailin, (EEF5" In our -or2, -e -ill try to improve t,e discourse 3individual and collective-, in t,is development -e -ill carry out t,emes related to readin., listenin. and -ritin." 8ecause o t,is, t,e desi.n o t,is -or2 is complete) it considers t,e development o all our basic lin.uistic s2ills and does it in an active and dynamic -ay" 1o 2no- and to use oral e0pression correctly -e need to understand lin.uistics and semiotics" #or t,e irst point; lin.uistics, -e -ill develop aspects related to p,onetics, .rammar, semantics and le0ical competence; -,ile, in semiotics -e -ill -or2 -it, 2inetics, spatial positions and non-lin.uistics elements" 6e can say t,at -,ile -e are learnin. to spea2, -e are learnin. to t,in2" 1,e use o lan.ua.e is related to people9s processes o education, and it is in sc,ool -,ere -e .et t,e 2no-led.e and s2ills necessary to use lan.ua.e correctly" 8ecause o t,is, teac,ers ,ave to care about students9 oral e0pression" 1,is -ill be a tool to bein. a part o society and become t,e startin. point o li elon. learnin." Lan.ua.e, in its oral aspect, is an element -,ic, continues t,rou.,out t,e curriculum" All sub+ects depend on it and in

sc,ool are so important because -e can .et in ormation and 2no-led.e mainly t,rou., t,e use o oral e0pression" :ialo.ue becomes an important aspect o teac,in. and must be used in t,e classroom" 6e -ant pupils to reac, a communicative competence -,ic, ,elps t,em academically and, above all, in li e" $ommunicative spaces, conte0ts and situations are di erent in developin. oral e0pression" 1,ere ore, content must re er to real situations in -,ic, people 3in t,is case, students- ,ave to e0press t,emselves properly" 8ecause o t,is, in early years pupils -ill establis, t,e base o t,eir uture use o oral e0pression" At t,is point, -e ,ave to state t,at t,e act o communication is more t,an only speec," 8ecause o t,is, in oral e0pression, -e combine lin.uistic and non lin.uistic aspects" A-areness o t,e body belon.s to a non verbal universe and it is involved -it, oral communication" 1,e use o t,e body ,elps -ords to obtain a complete meanin." Sometimes, t,e body denies -,at t,e -ords ,ave e0pressed" 1,is non verbal lan.ua.e ,as to be a part o education and included in our teac,in. desi.ns" 6e ,ave to include t,em as an important element, -or2in. in a systematic -ay to .ive t,em t,eir real importance" In our study, -e -ant to e0plore t,e teac,in. o non verbal aspects -it,out or.ettin. lin.uistic elements" :rama needs to -or2 -it, t,e body, -or2in. t,e -ords, t,e e0pression, and at t,e same time, -or2in. -it, di erent roles inside di erent situations and conte0ts 4Slade, (EH>5" 1,us, students -ill learn t,in.s related to real li e or iction" 1,e idea is t,at to ,ave a .ood discourse, people must combine bot, verbal and non-verbal elements" 1eac,in. su..estions must include elements -,ic, allo- pupils to value and t,in2 about learnin., because alt,ou., t,e lin.uistic and semiotic dimensions are so important, students need to develop t,eir critical t,ou.,t to obtain an inte.ral education" 8esides t,is, students need to ,ave an education in values, to inally incorporate t,ese values and critical t,ou.,ts, and so t,ere ore, in t,eir lan.ua.e" 6e can say t,at creativity and critical procedure -operatin. to.et,er- motivates t,rou., an active teac,in.-learnin. process" <ur study, in re errin. to oral e0pression, ,elps to develop diver.ent t,ou.,t" 1,is is a .ood -ay to .ive di erent solutions to one problem due to its le0ibility and innovative c,aracter" <ral communication implies t-o 2inds o learnin.) instrumental and comprehensiveexpressive" Instrumental learnin. develops p,onetic elements suc, as pronunciation, t,e use o consonants and vo-els; semantic structures and t,eir lo.ical use" In t,is instrumental learnin. o t,e lan.ua.e -e can use semantics to discover ,o- students compre,ension -or2s, related to oral and -ritten messa.es or -,et,er t,ey ,ave a real 2no-led.e o t,e vocabulary t,at t,ey daily use" 6e -ant to 2no- also ,o- students use synonymous and antonyms" In semiotics, t,e use o corporal .estures suc, as ma2in. aces, are e0amples -,ic, veri y 2inetics, 2no-in. t,e positions o t,e body and space related to t,is conte0t are .ood e0amples o related corporal aspects" 6e cannot or.et elements related to t,e non-lin.uistic dimension suc, as r,yt,m, intonation or t,e tone o voice" 1,e 2no-led.e and development o bot,, instrumental and comprehensive-expressive, learnin., must be tau.,t to.et,er, because one is not more important t,an t,e ot,er" 1,ere is a eed-bac2 process, and t,ey orm a person per ect discourse i t,ey ,ave been used in a .ood -ay" In t,is study, -e -ant to establis, t,is idea in elementary sc,ool

and to ac,ieve t,is -e ,ave used drama as a resource because -it, it -e ind t,e development o all e0pressive elements 3lin.uistics and non-lin.uistics-" Its dynamic c,aracter can be included in teac,in. as a part o t,e critical model, in -,ic, it is important to value processes and not only immediate results" Education is a buildin. process t,at is a result o interaction bet-een people and in -,ic, t,eory and practice .o to.et,er" Explanation and analysis o# the innovation process 1,e selected resource in our study to develop oral e0pression -as drama" 1,eatre involves .ivin. te0ts t,eir o-n lives, allo-in. us to see an active discourse -it, t,e use o t,e body and voice" 1,e meanin. o t,e -ord ?drama@ is action and t,is is t,e startin. point t,at -e -ill use in promotin. our proposal to motivate t,e improvement o t,e use o oral e0pression" 1,eatre restores t,e peda.o.ical value o lan.ua.e and its meanin. ul sense, because it .ives lan.ua.e a per ormin. c,aracter and allo-s all t,e elements implied in oral communication to be s,o-n" 6it, t,e use o drama, -ords are .iven li e 4Nornbroo2, (EFE5" 8esides t,is, it ma2es people t,in2 about t,in.s and situations and s,o-s aspects o li e, includin. social, political and moral-a ective elements" 1,rou., our per ormances as actors -e can re lect on t,ese aspects, and not only can -e re lect, but also an audience t,at is seein. our per ormance" 1,e dramatic activity t,at -e proposed as a met,odolo.y to develop oral e0pression or c,ildren must not be con used -it, t,e spontaneous play o early years, or -it, pro essional t,eatre 4#lemin., (EE>; (EEK5" Eac, student -or2s ta2in. as a re erence a common .oal t,at is previously establis,ed concernin. t,e curriculum ob+ectives" At elementary Sc,ool, -e -ill use dramatic creation or.anizin. t,e .uidelines ocusin. on oral s2ills and startin. rom individual -or2 to ac,ieve collective en.a.ement" 6e -ill motivate t,e students by puttin. t,em in sub.roups, developin. various roles suc, as author 4readin. and creatin. te0ts or improvisations5, actor 4lin.uistic and nonlin.uistic demonstrations5, and spectator 4critical observant -,ose main s2ill is listenin.5" 1o develop t,ese roles, -e need t,e compre,ension o our basic lin.uistic s2ills) reading, writing, listening and speaking" 1,e systematic -or2in. -it, drama includes t,e ac,ievement o -ide ran.e ob+ectives" 1,ese are) - developin. cooperative ,abits, - improvin. lan.ua.e, - elaboratin. communicative messa.es and veri yin. its reception, - stimulatin. perception, - developin. creativity and searc,in. or ori.inal solutions to concrete problems" - analysis and synt,esis processes" - developin. readin." 1,rou., t,e use o drama, o dramatic e0pression, -e are able to ma2e t,e sc,ool and, o course, Lan.ua.e and Literature classes dynamic" At t,e same time, t,e pupils can develop di erent 2inds o lan.ua.e 4verbal, corporal, iconic, music5 and constitute anot,er -ay o teac,in., -,ic, is more active, cooperative and -it, more input rom students"

6e ,ave based our -or2 on ot,er artistic areas suc, as music, literature, dance or visual arts to ac,ieve a -,ole communicative .oal" 1,e development o psyc,omotor aspects, e0pression and symbol, ima.ination and creativity; t,e a-a2enin. o aest,etic sense; sensibility; perception and 2no-led.e o everyt,in. t,ey ,ave created, are inte.ratin. elements t,at must be establis,ed in an education ield" 6,en t,ey develop verbal and non verbal s2ills, students improve t,eir codi ication abilities, t,eir lan.ua.e, t,e 2no-led.e o t,eir body 4dance is included in drama5, t,eir voices, r,yt,m 4e0ercises -it, son.s to improve p,onetics or readin.5, t,eir appreciation o aest,etics 4creation o te0ts, verbal improvisations5" 1,ey also improve t,eir 2no-led.e and compre,ension o reality, -,ic, ,elps t,em to solve concrete problems in a clear -ay" $ritical education, active and creative, -,ic, uses artistic resources, must ocus on our undamental aspects o learnin." 1,e irst one -ould be ?Learn to 2no-@" It means ac/uirin. compre,ension tools" ?Learn to do@; t,is -ill a ect t,e environment" ?Learn to live to.et,er@, to participate and to cooperate in all ,uman activities; and inally, ?learn to be@, a undamental process t,at includes elements rom t,e t,ree previous lessons%teac,in.s and ,elps to brin. us closer to t,e li elon. learnin. t,at -e -ant" 1o ,elp sample students -it, a lan.ua.e problem -e can use a undamental met,od-art 4speci ically, education usin. son.s and music5" 1,is 2ind o teac,in. ,elps students to understand t,e di erent sub+ects in a better -ay" 1,ere ore, t,ese /uestions arise) -,y do -e not .ive drama t,e importance -,ic, it is -ort,J 6,y -e do still consider t,is artistic ield to be only a trivial disciplineJ 6e are not .oin. to ans-er t,ese /uestions ,o-ever -e believe in t,is 2ind o teac,in. and t,at t,is artistic resource improves oral s2ills" 6e ,ope t,is study ,elps to demonstrate t,at art must be included in teac,in. 41arlin.ton and Verriour, (EE(5" <ur aim o motivatin. ima.ination and creativity must .ive more value to culture, and to t,e 2no-led.e -,ic, comes rom t,e e0periences o adults and c,ildren" Results 1,is -or2 intends to study oral e0pression in elementary sc,ool students, usin. drama as a teac,in. resource" 1,rou., drama, -e try to invite participation and motivation to create, besides -or2in. -it, aest,etic values" 1o do t,is, -e -ill ocus on a ourt, .rade o primary sc,ool, and our sample -ill be t-enty ive students" 1,e procedure -ill consist o applyin. a test%post-test desi.n, usin. an e0perimental .roup 3our .roupand a control .roup 4-,ic, ,as t,e same c,aracteristics and level5" At t,e be.innin. o t,e academic year a test -as applied to bot, classes and -as ilmed" 1,en, t,e sample -or2ed all year usin. drama -,ile t,e ot,er -or2ed in a traditional -ay" At t,e end o t,e year, once a.ain, t,e test -as applied" A ter t,is, -e analyzed t,e dates obtained usin. a test tool -,ic, served to e0tract t,e in ormation rom t,e videos 4see t,e appendi05, and t,e in ormation -as analyzed usin. t,e statistic pro.ram SASS (("'" 1,ese are some si.ni icant results t,at -e ,ave obtained in our study)
ORAL MESSAGES COMPREHENSION

Experimental group

September test June test Control group September test June test

8ad (GO 'O

Avera.e >'O FO

Cood >>O H=O

Very .ood 'O >'O

8ad >,=O 'O

Avera.e GG,KO KHO

Cood =HO =HO

Very .ood >,=O 'O

60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 1 0% 0%

Bad Good

80% 70% 60% 50% Exp group Sept Exp group J une 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Bad Average Good Very good

Control group Sept Control group June

As -e can see in t,is section -,ic, re ers to t,e oral messa.e compre,ension, t,e e0perimental .roup ,as improved t,eir capacities usin. drama as a met,odolo.y, because in September t,e combined score -as F>O, bet-een avera.e and .ood; and t,en, in June, t,ey ,ave E=O, bet-een .ood and very .ood" At t,e same time, t,e control .roup ,as maintained t,eir percenta.es, not re.isterin. any variation rom September =''& to June =''>"

USE OF CORPORAL GESTURES

Experimental group September test June test Group B

45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 1 5% 1 0% 5% 0%
Unsui table S ui table

Unsuitable >>O (=O

Avera.e >>O &=O

Suitable (=O &GO

Aer ect 'O ='O

September test June test

Unsuitable K',FO K',FO

Exp gro up Sept Exp gro up J une

Avera.e 80% =HO 70% =',FO 60%

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
n!u"ta#le

Suitable >,=O F,&O

Aer ect 'O 'O

Control group Sept Control group June

Su"ta#le

Ielated to t,e use o corporal .estures t,e e0perimental .roup improved t,eir abilities, because in September t,ey ,ad a combined score o FFO, bet-een unsuitable and avera.e, -,ile in June t,ey obtained HGO, bet-een suitable and per ect" 1,e control .roup did not s,o- any c,an.e and maintained t,eir percenta.es"

INTONATION REFERRED TO THE CONTEXT

Experimental group September test June test Control group September test June test Unsuitable &K,HO G=,HO Avera.e HF,&O =E,=O Suitable 'O F,&O Aer ect >,=O 'O Unsuitable ='O 'O Avera.e H=O &GO Suitable =FO >FO Aer ect 'O (GO

60%

50%

70% 60%
E xp group Sept E xp group J une

40%

50% 40% 30% 20% Control group Sept Control group June

30%

20%

1 0%

10%
0%
Unsuitabl e S ui tabl e

0%
n!u"ta#le Su"ta#le

Nere, in t,is section -,ic, re ers to t,e intonation related to t,e conte0t, -e can see t,at in September t,e e0perimental .roup ,ad a combined score o K=O, bet-een unsuitable and avera.e, -,ile in June t,ey obtained F>O, bet-een avera.e and suitable" 1,e ot,er .roup 3control-, maintained t,eir level but .ot -orse because rom avera.e t,e cate.ory drops to unsuitable, in bot, combined scores in September and June or E'O" 1o consolidate t,ese results, -e can see ne0t t,e main aspects -,ic, re er to t,e e0perimental .roup and t,eir improvement" MAIN ASPECTS REFERRED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 'in"uistic aspects Pronunciation use of vowels and consonants! Semiotics Improvin" 1,ey are a-are o t,e importance o t,eir partners7 understandin. t,eir messa.es -ell" 1,ey try to ma2e t,eir pronunciation clearer 1,ere ,ave been improvements because t,is .roup is very .ood academically" No-ever, t,ey ,ave developed t,e t,in.s t,at t,ey ,ave already 2no-n better :ue to t,e dynamic c,aracter o our -or2, compre,ension is better" <ral improves semantic aspects 0otes 1,ere are di iculties -it, ?S@ and ?D@ at t,e end o t,e -ord" 1,is is because o t,e particular lan.ua.e o !urcia 4Spain5 A .ood 2no-led.e o .rammar implies di iculties -,en -e -ant to or.anize activities based on creativity and ima.ination 1,e dynamism t,ey ,ave discovered t,rou., drama ,as sli.,tly slo-ed t,eir pro.ression at -ritin." 8ut, no-, semantic elements are balanced

Grammar structures Logical use of coordinated and su"ordinated orations! #emantics reading and oral comprehension!

Lexical competence s$non$ms, anton$ms, voca"ular$!

1,e composition o t,e classes does not ,elp semiotics" 6e can ind students -,o don9t use nonverbal e0pression" Do-, t,ey are discoverin. t,e possibilities o t,eir bodies" 1,ey are a-are but no- need to use t,ese possibilities in di erent situations %se of upper 1,e same as in .estures 1,e same as in extremities section .estures section Corporal position 1,ey use balanced positions and dependin. on eac, student t,ey are more open or close #patial position 1,ey ,ave improved as At t,e be.innin. individuals and as a t,ey -ere .roup competitive &h$thm 1,eir r,yt,m is suitable Sometimes r,yt,m ,as been accelerated because t,ey ,ave been motivated 'ntonation 1,e intonation ,as been At t,e be.innin. suitable t,ey -ere very in,ibited 'ntensit$ S,y c,ildren could play better and popular c,ildren could communicate better Pauses 1,eir pauses are .ood Sometimes, t,e enou., pauses do not appear because o too muc, motivation and action

Gestures

1,ey 2no- t,at t,ey ,ave to adapt t,eir vocabulary to di erent conte0ts" 1,ere ,as been an advance in t,e use o synonyms and antonyms" 1,is ma2es t,eir discourse ric,er and more concrete 1,ey are a-are t,at .estures ,elp ma2e discourse ric,er but t,ey are not con ident because t,ey don9t use .estures as muc, as t,ey could"

At t,e moment t,ey only use t,e nevocabulary in class, but in time t,ey -ill .o by t,ey -ill use it in ot,er conte0ts

As -e can see improvement is evident and i t,ey continue -it, t,eir -or2 it -ill be better, because 2no-in. t,e possibilities o lin.uistics and body ,elps to develop oral e0pression" .oncludin" remar-s In t,is section -e are .oin. to ma2e a summary o some aspects -e ,ave seen -it,in t,e te0t" #irst o all -e must say t,at lan.ua.e and its use is t,e startin. point o t,ou.,t" 6e are attemptin. to improve oral e0pression, usin. drama to .ive students a better education" 8ecause o t,is, -e need a suitable rame-or2 to teac, in a -ay -,ic, allo-s us to promote t,is communicative environment" 6,en -e ,ave tal2ed about t,e critical perspective on t,e te0t, -e -ill discover t,is rame-or2" 6e ,ave ta2en a loo2 at t,e possibilities o drama and -e ,ave seen ,o- -or2in. all academic year -it, t,is met,odolo.y, t,e results ,ave been very .ood" 1,is implies t,at drama is not trivial or only an artistic demonstration but is also a use ul resource" 6e conclude t,is contribution -it, t,e principal ideas in t,is te0t) 6e ,ave to searc, or a communicative environment to promote t,e development o oral e0pression" $ritical teac,in. is a .ood -ay to .et teac,ers and students to learn to.et,er in a meanin. ul -ay" :rama is t,e ideal resource to be.in to develop oral e0pression, related to verbal as -ell as non verbal aspects" 6e ,ave many strate.ies and su..estions to-ards ma2in. better societies, and drama is one o t,em" 6e -ant only to apply t,ese su..estions to t,e classroom 4Deelands, (EF>5"

Re#erences 8ailin, S,aron 4(EEF5" $ritical t,in2in. and drama education" &esearch in (rama Education, &, 4=5, (>H-(HH" #lemin., !ic,ael 4(EE>5" #tarting (rama Teaching) London) :avid #ulton" #lemin., !ic,ael 4(EEK5" The art of drama teaching" De- Pealand) !acmillan Aublis,ers" Nornbroo2, :avid 4(EFE5" Education and dramatic art" <0 ord) 8asil 8lac2-ell" Jo,nson, Lauri 4=''&5" !ulticultural Aolicy as Social Activism) Iede inin. 6,o L$ountsL in !ulticultural Education" &ace-Ethnicit$ and Education; v G n = p ('K-=(" Lync,, James 4(EFG5" *ulticultural education+ principles and practice" London) Ioutled.e" !ercer, Deil 4(EEH5" The guided construction of knowledge+ talk amongst teachers and learners" $levedon) !ultilin.ual matters"

!oran, Aatric2 4=''(5" Teaching culture) Perspectives in practice" 8oston 4!assac,usetts5) Neinle and Neinle" Deelands$ Jonat,an 4(EF>5" *aking #ense of (rama" London) Neinemann" Dieto, Sonia 4=''(5" Language, Culture and Teaching) Critical Perspectives for a ,ew Centur$" London) La-rence Erlbaum Associates" Iic,ards, Jac2 4(EEF5" Be$ond training) Perspectives on Language Teacher Education " $ambrid.e) University Aress" Slade, Aeter 4(EH>5" Child (rama" London) University o London Aress" 1arlin.ton$ $arole and VEIII<UI$ Aatric2 4(EE(5" 'n role+ teaching and learning dramaticall$" London) Neinemann" 6iddo-son, Nenry 4(EKF5" Teaching language as communication" <0 ord) <0 ord University Aress" !he Drama .ourse can be vie,ed here1 !he 2uildin" +ositive 3roup Dynamics course can be vie,ed here1 !he +ronunciation course can be vie,ed here1