Applying Dramatic Narrative in ESL Education (Cebu 2019) 2

APPLYING DRAMA AND NARRATIVE
STRUCTURE IN ESL LANGUAGE EDUCATION
Professor John Maloney

Department of Applied English
Tainan University of Technology
CEEHS-19
Introduction
In the beginning was the word…

John 1:1
Introduction
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was

with God, and the Word was God.
 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν,

καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
Λόγος / Logos
Classic Greek:
reason or plan
Λόγος / Logos
Greek philosophy and theology: the divine reason

implicit in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form
and meaning.
 Aristotle: “reasoned discourse“ or “the argument”

 one of the three modes of persuasion: logos, ethos, pathos
 Stoic Philosophers: divine animating principle of

the Universe.
Λόγος / Logos
Christian doctrine: describes or defines the role of

Jesus Christ as the principle of God active in the
creation and the continuous structuring of the
cosmos and in revealing the divine plan of salvation
to man.
The Gospel of John identifies the Logos, through

which all things are made, as divine (theos), and
further identifies Jesus Christ as the incarnate Logos.
What is Narrative?
Information organized and contextualized into a

form that communicates meaning.
Information vs Narrative
Information
How to drive a car.
Narrative
Where you might go…
What you might see...
How you would share the experience…
What is Narrative?
Jesus is a narrative
History is a narrative
This conference is a narrative
A song is a narrative
A meal is a narrative
A scientific experiment is a narrative
Narrative’s Connection to Language
 Noam Chomsky: language is a result of evolution,

and we all have an innate, inborn, grammar.
 The earliest forms of communication were pre-

language forms (sounds, images).
 What was communicated was often a “narrative.”

Narrative’s Connection to Language
Narrative existed before language.
Language evolved to communicate narrative.

Aristotle on Dramatic Narrative Structure
 A “complete” action.
 events follow each other by probability or necessity
 A causal chain from beginning and an end.
 There is a central problem.
 It has two parts:

 Complication = the problem is revealed (and develops)
 Unravelling = the problem is resolved
Five stages of dramatic progression
 Exposition: introduces characters/sets the scene.

 Rising Action: introduces of conflicts/complications
 Crisis: the point of no return/the moment of choice.
 Falling Action: the final or major confrontation.
 Dénouement: the resolution of the action
Gustav Freytag (1898)

Simplified Narrative Structure
 Introduction
 Action
 Crisis
 Resolution
What about Drama?
With so many types of narrative, why use

dramatic narrative in ESL Language
education?
Psycho-Physical Connection
Drama activities involve the whole body and the

whole brain in learning in a fictional context;
they engage all of the multiple intelligences.
musical-rhythmic visual-spatial
verbal-linguistic logical-mathematical
bodily-kinesthetic interpersonal
Intrapersonal Naturalistic
Existential Moral
Enjoyable (meaningful) physical movement embeds

the emotional impact of multi-sensory experiences on
the cells of the body to form deep neuronal patterns
in the brain and thereby enable memory and recall
more readily than methods having lesser sensory
impact.
Experience vs Knowledge
Learning a second or a first language through drama,

the language art form which imbues the narrative and
social structures of any culture, is essential in 21st
Century foreign language education.
The Power of Drama in English Language Learning: The Research Evidence

Joyce A. Wilkinson Ph.D.
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education,
University of Toronto (retired)
Application
How can we apply dramatic narrative

structure to ESL language education?
The Story Spine
The “Story Spine” is a basic plot structure developed by

playwright Kenn Adams, and is discussed at length in his book:
The Art of Spontaneous Theatre.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Improvise-Full-Length-Play-Spontaneous/dp/1581154933
https://www.facebook.com/pages/How-to-Improvise-a-Full-Length-Play-The-Art-of-Spontaneous-Theater/381896955159017
The Story Spine
 Once upon a time there was a…

 Who wanted/liked…
 And every day…
 But, one day…
 Because of that… (repeat with variations)
 Until, finally…
 And, ever since then…
Extra: The moral of the story is…

The Story Spine: Setting the Scene

The Story Spine: The Changes
 But, one day…
 Because of that…
 And so…
 And then…
 After that…
The Story Spine: Conclusion
 Until one day…
 Finally…

The Story Spine

 But, one day…
 Because of that… (repeat with variations)

The Story Spine
Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling
1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. Keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to

do as a writer. They can be very different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually
about until you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of
that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/pixar-tips-brave-artist-emma-coats-shares-her-storytelling-wit-and-wis
dom-on-twitter%20followher/2012/06/25/gJQADaxd2V_blog.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.
4d4ce547c84c
Review
What is Narrative?
Λόγος / Logos
Information organized and contextualized into a form that

communicates meaning.
Review
Historical Perspective
Dramatic narrative predates language.
Language can be seen as a tool that evolved to communicate

narrative.
The structure of narrative is universal around the world and

widely applicable to education.
Review
The Psycho-Physical Connection
Drama enables students to experience learning on a cellular and

neuronal level.
Experience vs Knowledge
Review
The Story Spine
 But, one day…
 Because of that… (repeat)

APPLYING DRAMA AND NARRATIVE
STRUCTURE IN ESL LANGUAGE EDUCATION
Professor John Maloney

Department of Applied English
Tainan University of Technology
Thank You!

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APPLYING DRAMA AND NARRATIVE

STRUCTURE IN ESL LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Professor John Maloney

In the beginning was the word…

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was

 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν,

Greek philosophy and theology: the divine reason

 Aristotle: “reasoned discourse“ or “the argument”

 Stoic Philosophers: divine animating principle of

Christian doctrine: describes or defines the role of

The Gospel of John identifies the Logos, through

Information organized and contextualized into a

 Noam Chomsky: language is a result of evolution,

 The earliest forms of communication were pre-

 What was communicated was often a “narrative.”

Narrative existed before language.

Language evolved to communicate narrative.

 There is a central problem.

 It has two parts:

 Exposition: introduces characters/sets the scene.

Gustav Freytag (1898)

With so many types of narrative, why use

Drama activities involve the whole body and the

Enjoyable (meaningful) physical movement embeds

Learning a second or a first language through drama,

The Power of Drama in English Language Learning: The Research Evidence

How can we apply dramatic narrative

The “Story Spine” is a basic plot structure developed by

 Once upon a time there was a…

Extra: The moral of the story is…

 Once upon a time there was a…

 And every day…

 But, one day…

 And, ever since then…

Extra: The moral of the story is…

 Once upon a time there was a…

Extra: The moral of the story is…

2. Keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to

Information organized and contextualized into a form that

Dramatic narrative predates language.

Language can be seen as a tool that evolved to communicate

The structure of narrative is universal around the world and

The Psycho-Physical Connection

Drama enables students to experience learning on a cellular and

Extra: The moral of the story is…

Professor John Maloney

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