Numerous advantages of using drama activities in foreign language education are described in this study. The practices of intermediate French classes are reported, with the introduction of various drama activities such as dramas designed to prompt the use of certain communicative skills, dramas based on given scene settings, dramas based on given grammatical forms, dramas based on literary works, and the combination of these dramas. The results of a questionnaire given to students are also presented in order to clarify the students' thoughts on drama activities.
The significances and advantages of using drama activities are then discussed, especially in regard to intermediate classes in foreign language education. (Some of them are possible in beginner classes, but we can present more difficult challenges in intermediate classes.) For example, students can deepen their understanding of the grammatical forms that they have learned and make practical use of them. They can also check expressions that they have written by themselves or do peer reviews of expressions their classmates have written, and these tasks lead to active learning. Further, students can establish links between the drama set and their own lives in order to create and act out vivid dramas. They can also develop their logical thinking abilities by writing complicated and structured scenarios, and learn to cooperate and create a final product through collaborative learning. The importance of fostering an environment in which students feel free to engage in discussion with their classmates is also argued. By watching dramas, students can notice various cultural and social matters, and discuss them with their classmates in French in order to deepen their understanding.
Finally, the roles of drama activities at university levels are argued. Furthermore, the possibility of using drama activities in plurilingual and pluricultural education is also discussed.
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