Abstract
     Using drama in the ESL classroom to teach English is not  new methodology.  There are many books and papers on the subject.  All teachers know the value of drama to offer training in speech.  What is not obvious is the abstract benefits derived by using drama in the classroom.  It reveals aspects of the human condition and students soon realize the importance of shared space, time, attention, information and even ideas.  The benefits of drama to develop the imagination should also be looked at.  We would all be worse off without this skill.


KEY WORDS:- Drama, ESL,ELT,Classroom,Teaching and Learning

     Learning English through drama will become an elective in the Hong Kong Secondary schools by the year 2012(Miller 2008). This change will provide new avenues for teaching English and enriching the students classroom experience.  Drama can be useful for teaching new lexical content, improving the four skills and especially for enhancing the spoken communication skills of the students. Drama is certainly an excellent technique of communicative language teaching.  It can be said that important values and skills can be taught through drama.  What activities are the most effective as perceived by students and teachers will be the concentration of my follow-up research.  For now, I would like to look at some general characteristics of using drama in the ESL or ELT classroom.
     Drama in the English classroom can provide an opportunity to develop the imagination of the students. The students can go beyond the here and now and even ‘walk in the shoes’ of another. It provides an opportunity for independent  thinking(McCaslin 1996). Students are encouraged to express their own ideas and contribute to the whole.  Creative drama will offer exercises in critical thinking and the chance for the students to be creative. The ELT group will get many instances where they can develop their own ideas as well as skills of cooperation.  The group work builds social awareness and understanding as we walk in the ‘shoes of another’. Drama gives an excellent method for studying human nature and working in harmony.  The play acting provides the opportunity for a healthy release of emotion in a safe setting which can work to relieve tension.
     All teachers see the value of drama in offering training in speech. What isn’t obvious is how even abstract learning is easier when acted or demonstrated. Drama can also be used to bring literature to life for the students.  While drama does have a characteristic of recreation, the fun aspect shouldn’t be under-estimated .  When the students are enjoying an activity they are learning and letting their guard down.  The shyness and fear of English sometimes blocks learning.  When the students are submerged in an active fun activity, they are more open to new concepts and learning will occur. 
     In the ESL classroom, role-playing is a powerful tool.  It teaches cooperation, empathy for others, decision making skills and encourages an exchange of knowledge between students and with the teacher and students.  This aspect alone would make role-playing beneficial.  Yet, there are many other positive aspects to the role-playing.  Apart from the obvious development of communication skills, it encourages leadership, team work, compromise, authentic listening skills and practice with real life  savior-faire.  The practice with role-playing contributes to the self-esteem of the students, confidence increases in English as well as real life, self-acceptance can be encouraged in subtle ways and acceptance of others.  Drama has the potential to empower the students, give them many opportunities to have pride in their work, it teaches them responsibility, problem solving, management and directing proficiencies.  The many activities of team work force students to develop organizational skills and to think on their feet.  These are tools that can be used in all aspects of their lives.
     When you think about it, drama is a method to reveal aspects of the human condition, life is nothing more than a grand series of improvisations(Price 1980).  Through the games, the students begin to realize the importance of shared space, time, attention, information and ideas.  The games spark spontaneity and minimize self-consciousness which often inhibits learning.  The games are also good for developing concentration and trust in the classroom.  While the students are having all this fun, they are developing skills of coordination, imitation  while focusing on the task at hand.  The improvisation enables the students to flex their emotional, mental as well as physical muscles in a safe and controlled setting. The students will develop an increasing facility to meet changing and unknown stimuli with immediate responses.  The drama activities give the student several avenues to self-awareness.  Drama is the closest literary form to life itself.  It is a dynamic process that reveals and examines aspects of the complicated lives we lead (Price 1980). There are many subtle benefits to drama in the ELT classroom.
     The benefits of drama to develop the imagination should not be undervalued.  In our rote school routines of memorization and compulsory subject matter, we sometimes do not spend enough time on encouraging our students to use their imagination.  It is the spark that makes the ordinary into something incredible.  Imagination is the magic force that is beyond facts, figures and techniques which can inspire new ideas.  It is with imagination that the ordinary is transformed into something significant.  There is a need to cultivate this trait in our students.  Imagination is closely linked to dreams and inspire us to get up every morning.  Drama has the capability to keep this alive and/or rekindle what our routine daily lives are burying in ourselves.  We need imagination to make a better world. In order to accomplish anything worthwhile, we first need to imagine and dream it.  We should not neglect this facet of human behavior.  It may seem like a trivial point but dreams without imagination would be like life without colour.  We would all be worst off without it.
     As a teacher, I am intrigued by what drama activities are the most effective as seen by students and staff. The above mentioned characteristics of learning English through drama has provided me with the motivation to further research this matter. My aim will be to identify and make recommendations on which activities are the most effective in teaching language skills in Hong Kong at the high school level. Drama in the English classroom will certainly become bigger as a specialized ESP field and it is without doubt worthwhile to investigate how the teacher can make it more effective. 

References:

Cheung, Man and David Peatfield(2006). Adventuring into Drama.  Hong Kong, Dramatic English ltd.

Hadfield, Jill(1992).  Classroom Dynamics. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

McCaslin, Nellie(1996).  Creative Drama in the Classroom and Beyond.  London, Longman Publishers.

Miller, Lindsay and David Li (2008). Innovations in ELT Curricula and Strategies of Implementation in Hong Kong SAR. Hong Kong, Asia TEFL.

Morgan, Norah and Juliana Saxton(1987). Teaching Drama. London, Hutchinson Education.

Price, Pamela(1980).  Creative Play Production in the Classroom.  Yale, Yale Publishers.

Wessels, Charlyn(1987).  Drama.  Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Whiteson, Valerie(1996). New Ways of Using Drama and Literature in Language Teaching. Alexandria,VA., TESOL.