Week 9: Reading skill- Role play for ESL/EFL Children in the English Classroom

Role play for ESL/EFL Children in the English Classroom

 Few years ago, role-playing was used to teach students in the EFL/ESL classroom like the real life situations that they found. Teachers allowed them act out several short play applied from their favorite story book. Students usually enjoyed with acting and playing. However, the scripts looked so long and many English words that they know are limited. They also waste students’ time to learn, practice and memorize. Teachers used some dialog or situations to have students learn more how to act out. Students played characters and speak their dialogs loudly. This strategy guides students to know meaning of vocabularies, lines and how to drama. In addition, teachers let students practice with their partners or small groups. Teachers use drama or role-play to teach students in the EFL/ESL classroom. Role-playing is the one of subjects in curriculum related to speaking, listening, thinking skills and how to play. In this essay, I would like to talk about definition of role play, benefits of it, and learning process of role play.

        Role play is not new teaching strategy for students in the EFL/ESL classroom. It gives students opportunities to practice how to communicate in different social contexts or roles and they can improve listening and speaking skills. There are many benefits of role play. Students can improve communication skill, creativity, increasing social skill, thinking skill, giving opinion, and applying knowledge into the situations that nearly their life. Therefore, there are six steps in learning process. First of all, teachers must decide and create teaching materials available on role play situations such as text book or non-text book (picture book, story book, reader, play script and etc.) Students select situations and create dialogs. Next, teachers need to teach vocabularies, sentences, and dialogs for role-playing to make sure how to use them. Then, teachers have students practice the role play in pairs or small groups. Likewise, students can play different roles and practice all the lines. After that, students act out in the situations familiar with an original role play. Teachers can evaluate and check student understands in the definition of vocabulary, sentences, and dialogs using oral and listening tests. In addition, teachers can ask them some questions related to the role play such as translation into the native speakers.

        In brief, role play is learning activities for both students and teachers. Students can get more opportunities to act in different characters and interact with friends using English as Foreign Language. Moreover, students will develop English speaking, listening, and understanding. Teachers should apply role play into lesson outside the classroom. Students will understand how to act each role out then the situations are nearly their live. In addition, they can become confident to speak English. Role play is useful teaching strategy applied by ESL/EFL teachers more often in the EFL/ESL classroom. According to this essay, I think role play is available with young students because they like to move their physical parts of bodies than only sitting on a chair. Why should teachers teach students using role play teaching strategy? Do you agree with this article? How?

Reference:

Huang, Irene Y.  Role Play for ESL/EFL classroom in the English
           Classroom.  Relieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Huang-
             RolePlay.html (On July 31 st, 2013).