Theater Practices for Foreign Language Learning in higher education
Pratiques théâtrales et enseignement-apprentissage d’une langue étrangère dans l'enseignement supérieur
Feedback and Theoretical Perspectives, between Body and Text
Retours d’expériences et perspectives théoriques, entre corps et texte
Published on Friday, November 24, 2023
Abstract
This One-Day Conference will bring together feedback from projects and presentations of research about the use of theatrical practices in the teaching and learning of a foreign language (in particular English EFL, French and Spanish) in higher and university education. The focus will be on the link with the bodily dimensions of expression in a foreign language, and on the choice of texts and verbal materials.
Announcement
This One-Day Conference will take place on May 14, 2024 at UMONS – Translation and Interpretation Faculty, Belgium.
Argument
Activities for learning a foreign language through theatrical practices have existed for several centuries: "les jésuites y ont eu recours de façon notable, pour que leurs élèves gagnent de l’aisance dans leur connaissance du latin." (Rollinat-Levasseur, 2015: 247) Today, these activities are also increasingly offered in higher education to learners who need not only to become more fluent, but also to perfect their cultural knowledge, their command of varied (social, geographic…) types of language use, and their linguistic creativity and mediation skills (cf. Council of Europe, 2018).
For several years, UMONS’s Faculty of Translation and Interpreting (FTI-EII) has been offering students the chance to experience foreign language learning through 'immersion' in theatre projects in English, FLE or other foreign languages. These projects act as rallying points and landmarks in the careers of many students: "drama cultivates the development of learner's emotions, social skills and participation in the community by providing a more holistic view of foreign language learning." (Uysal & Yavuz, 2018: 376)
This One-Day Conference (organised in Mons, May 14, 2024, 8:45-4:30) will be a time of exploration devoted to this more holistic approach. As part of this, we will be hosting a conference by Joëlle Aden (Université Paris-Est Créteil), on the subject of "Théâtre et matière sonore des langues : vers une pédagogie enactive-performative".
To showcase the development of knowledge and skills fostered by such projects, this study day will aim, firstly, to provide a platform for their key participants –the teachers and students involved– and to enable exchanges with other projects developed in other higher education institutions. In a second phase, however, the aim will be to connect this feedback with the proposals, analyses and conclusions of researchers, teachers and doctoral students who are interested in integrating these practices into foreign language teaching, with a specific focus on English (ESL/EFL), French (FLE), or Spanish (ELE).
Proposals for presentations (lasting around twenty minutes or in poster format) should preferably focus on aspects such as the use of the body, voice and rhythm, or on the texts and verbal supports that are used. Key questions may include
- How and why should students be prepared to project themselves, in voice and body, into the embodiment of a speech in a foreign language?
- What language-related issues (e.g., pronunciation, register levels, socio-cultural references) emerge in the implementation of a given project and the assimilation of specific language materials?
- How do teachers, or groups, choose a text or verbal support, regarding the objectives and expectations in terms of language learning?
- What is the relevance, or any unexpected deviations, of a chosen dramatic text or language material concerning the intended goals?
- How can the choice of text or medium account for students’ language proficiency levels and progression in their language learning?
- Has there been any evolution, in the history of teaching foreign language (recent or more distant), in the types of dramatic texts or textual materials used in these activities, for various groups of learners?
Keynote speaker: Joëlle Aden
Submission guidelines
Researchers, PhD Students and Teachers wishing to submit a paper (20 minutes, in French or English) or poster (in French, English or Spanish, accompanied by a 4-6 minutes presentation) should send their proposal to
- to marina.gioiella@umons.ac.be and estelle.mathey@umons.ac.be;
- by sending an email with the subject line "MONS 14 mai 2024";
- including in the body of the email: the title of the proposal, the desired format (paper or poster), the four or five key words, the name of the author and his/her institutional affiliation.
Deadline : January 15, 2024
The proposals themselves will be presented in a PDF document attached to the e-mail - a PDF document which will contain no mention of the name or affiliation of the author. Proposals should include a title, a presentation text (250-400 words), four or five bibliographical references, four or five keywords and an indication of the desired format (paper or poster). The proposals will then be forwarded to the scientific committee.
Scientific committee
- Michel Berré, UMONS
- Serge Bibauw, UCLouvain
- Élisabeth Castadot, UMONS
- Gonzalo Francisco Sanchez, UMONS
- Nathalie Gillain, UCLouvain Saint-Louis – Bruxelles
- Catherine Gravet, UMONS
- Véronique Lagae, UPHF (Valenciennes)
- Audrey Louckx, UMONS
Organisers
- Nastasja Caneve, ULiège
- Élisabeth Castadot, UMONS
- Laurence Chainaye, UMONS
- Gonzalo Francisco Sanchez, UMONS
- Nathalie Gillain, UCL Saint-Louis – Bruxelles
- Marina Gioiella, UMONS
- Corinne Leburton, UMONS
- Audrey Louckx, UMONS
- Estelle Mathey, UMONS
Bibliography
Aden J. (2012), « La Médiation linguistique au fondement du sens partagé : vers un paradigme de l’enaction en didactique des langues ». In ÉLA, n° 167, p. 267-284.
Ead. (2013), « De la langue en mouvement à la parole vivante : théâtre et didactique des langues ». In Langages, Le vécu corporel dans la pratique d’une langue, n° 192, p. 101-110.
Ead. (2017), « Langues et langage dans un paradigme enactif ». In Recherches en didactique des langues et des cultures, Les cahiers de l'Acedle – Notions en questions – Emergentisme, n° 14/1. [En ligne : https://journals.openedition.org/rdlc/1085]
Aden J. et Aden S. (2017), « Entre je, jeu et jeux. Écoute polysensorielle des langues pour une pédagogie enactive ». In Intellectica – Revue de l’Association pour la Recherche Cognitive, n° 68, p. 143-174.
Aden J., Eschenauer S. (2014), « Théâtre et empathie en classe bilangue : didactiser l’émergence ? ». In Les Langues Modernes, n° 4, p. 69-77.
Alix C., Rollinat-Levasseur È.-M., Lagorgette D., éds. (2013), Didactique du français langue étrangère par la pratique théâtrale. Chambéry, Université de Savoie.
Anderson P. (2015), Une langue à venir. De l’entrée dans une langue étrangère à la construction de l’énonciation. Paris, L’Harmattan.
Chadli Abdelkader Y., éd. (2023), Les Langues Modernes – Enseigner par les arts de la scène. Performances scéniques et compétences orales en classe de langue, n° 2.
Cocton M.-N. (2019), « Évaluer une pratique innovante : essai réflexif autour de l’expression théâtrale ». In Revue internationale de pédagogie de l’enseignement supérieur, n° 35. [En ligne : https://journals.openedition.org/ripes/2116]
Conseil de l’Europe (2018), Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues : apprendre, enseigner. Volume complémentaire avec de nouveaux descripteurs. (trad. de l’anglais par Breton G. et Tagliante Chr.) [En ligne : https://rm.coe.int/cecr-volume-complementaire-avec-de-nouveaux-descripteurs/16807875d5, consulté le 20 septembre 2023]
Cormanski A. (2014), « ‘‘Recorporaliser’’ la langue ». In Les Langues Modernes, n° 4, p. 57-68.
Giebert S. (2014), « Drama and theatre in teaching foreign languages for professional purposes ». In Recherche et pratiques pédagogiques en langues de spécialité. Cahiers de l’Apliut, n° 33/1, p. 138–150.
Holden S. (1981), Drama in language teaching. Essex, Longman.
Pierra G. (1998), Chemins de paroles. D’une pratique théâtrale en Français Langue Étrangère : vers une esthétique de l’expression. Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry.
Rollinat-Levasseur È.-M. (2015), « La littérature en acte : voir, entendre, ressentir ». In Godard A. (éd.), La littérature dans l’enseignement du FLE, Paris, Didier, p. 220-264.
Santos Sánchez D. (2010), Teatro y enseñanza de lenguas. Madrid, Arcos La Muralla.
Trocmé-Fabre H. (2022), L’Arbre du savoir Apprendre : Vers un référentiel cognitif. The Art of Learning and the Knowledge Tree: Toward a Cognitive Framework. Le Manuscrit. [En ligne : https:// hal.science/hal-03633652/document]
Uysal N. D., Yavuz F. (2018), « Language learning through drama ». In International Journal of Learning and Teaching, n° 10/4, p. 376-380.
Zucchiatti M.-L. (2009), « Théâtre universitaire et didactique des langues étrangères. Expérience de traduction intralinguistique, construction du texte et théâtralisation ». In Fernández García M. I., Zucchiatti M. L. , Biscu M. G., éds., L’Esperienza teatrale nella formazione dei mediatori linguistici e culturali. Bologne, Bolonia University Press, p. 127-139.
Subjects
- Education (Main category)
- Mind and language > Language > Linguistics
- Mind and language > Representation > Cultural history
- Mind and language > Language > Literature
- Mind and language > Education > Educational sciences
Places
- De Vinci salle Mirzakhani - Université de Mons 17, avenue Maistriau
Mons, Belgium
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Monday, January 15, 2024
Keywords
- didactique des langues, foreign language learning, théâtre, jeu, theater, play
Contact(s)
- Elisabeth Castadot
courriel : elisabeth [dot] castadot [at] umons [dot] ac [dot] be - Nathalie Gillain
courriel : nathalie [dot] gillain [at] uclouvain [dot] be
Reference Urls
Information source
- Elisabeth Castadot
courriel : elisabeth [dot] castadot [at] umons [dot] ac [dot] be
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0 .
To cite this announcement
Elisabeth Castadot, Nathalie Gillain, Michel Berré, « Theater Practices for Foreign Language Learning in higher education », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Friday, November 24, 2023, https://doi.org/10.58079/1c86