Playing roles: what are the stakes in LSP / LAP?
Jeux en jeu dans l’enseignement/apprentissage des langues en Lansad
Congrès Apliut 2016
Published on Thursday, November 19, 2015
Abstract
In his work entitled L’anthropologie du geste, Marcel Jousse describes man as an “interactional mimic” who cannot but replay the actions he sees around himself, actions which imprint upon him and which he expresses through replaying them. Man thus constructs his identity, his role by replaying the actions he sees around him. Playing roles allows him to “become the other” and by so doing, to understand and memorise better. As a result, the act of playing (and replaying) a role allows the acquisition of skills and knowledge by bonding with others, because playing requires recognising and adapting to the other’s needs. Finally, playing is a creative process, because replaying is never a simple repetition or holding up of a mirror, but it is a personal and dynamic reaction. It is not a case of a figurative representation of that which we observe and replay, but an acting out of its essence – a dynamic activity.
Announcement
Argument
In his work entitled L’anthropologie du geste, Marcel Jousse describes man as an “interactional mimic” ([1974] 2008) who cannot but replay the actions he sees around himself, actions which imprint upon him and which he expresses through replaying them. Man thus constructs his identity, his role by replaying the actions he sees around him. Playing roles allows him to “become the other” and by so doing, to understand and memorise better (Lecoq 1997). As a result, the act of playing (and replaying) a role allows the acquisition of skills and knowledge by bonding with others, because playing requires recognising and adapting to the other’s needs. Finally, playing is a creative process, because replaying is never a simple repetition or holding up of a mirror, but it is a personal and dynamic reaction. It is not a case of a figurative representation of that which we observe and replay, but an acting out of its essence – a dynamic activity.
In this way, playing roles can be a fun an entertaining activity which we could encourage our students to engage in in order to motivate them; it remains however a behaviour which is innate, which is “profoundly anthropological” (ibid). In a similar vein, Berthoz considers that there can be no learning without action because “the origin of thought resides in the necessity of movement” (2009). Other researchers in neuroscience have underlined the importance of the body in learning, such as Rizzolatti, who suggests the existence of mirror neurons which allow us to unconsciously imitate the actions of others.
The links between play and learning are numerous - both are eminently social phenomena which re-place the individual in his or her environment. They allow the re-presentation of his or her identity and reinforce the role of the body in understanding others. Play remains marginalised however in the language classroom (Lapaire & Masse 2008; Aden 2008). How, under these conditions, should we envisage teaching & learning LSP / LAP so as to give playing its due? This is the question which we will try to address at the next APLIUT conference in Lyon. The notion of playing roles can be approached from a number of angles (theatre, strategy games, video games, physical games, etc.) as well as its implications in terms of teaching and leanrning languages (motivation, pleasure, autonomy, memorisation, etc.)
References
- Aden J. 2008. « Compétences interculturelles en didactique des langues : développer l’empathie par la théâtralisation », Apprentissages des langues et pratiques artistiques, Paris, Édition le Manuscrit, p. 67-102.
- Berthoz A. 2009. La simplexité, Paris : Odile Jacob.
- Jousse M. 2008. L’Anthropologie du Geste, Paris : Gallimard (1978)
- Lecoq J. 1997. Le corps poétique : un enseignement de la création théâtrale, Arles : Actes Sud.
- Lapaire, J.-R. & Masse J. (2008). « Danser la grammaire de l’anglais », dans Aden J., Apprentissages des langues et pratiques artistiques, p. 149-176.
- Rizzolati G., Sinigaglia C. 2007. Mirrors in the Brain. How our minds share actions and emotions, Oxford : Oxford University Press.
Scientific committee
- Anne-Laure DUBRAC (Présidente du Comité Scientifique) – MCF 11e section, UPEC
- Dan FROST – MCF 11e section, Université de Savoie
- Noëlla GAIGEOT – PRCE, Université du Mans
- Marie-Annick MATTIOLI – MCF 11e section, IUT Paris-Descartes, Université Paris Descartes
- Julie MORERE – MCF 11e section, IUT Nantes, Université de Nantes
- Linda TERRIER – MCF 11e section, Université Toulouse 2-Le Mirail
- Jean-Luc WOLF – PRCE, IUT Schiltigheim-Louis Pasteur, Université de Strasbourg
Subjects
- Language (Main category)
Places
- Lyon, France (69)
Date(s)
- Friday, January 15, 2016
Attached files
Keywords
- didactique des langues, enseignement, apprentissage, jeu
Information source
- Anne-Laure Dubrac
courriel : annelauredubrac [at] hotmail [dot] com
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Playing roles: what are the stakes in LSP / LAP? », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Thursday, November 19, 2015, https://doi.org/10.58079/tt3
