3.1.1Listening, Speaking, Writing, Reading and Acting Participation.
From the above two observations, we know well that drama class creates a real environment for language study. Students learn the vocabulary, make sentences, negotiate with each other and write compositions. In this case they can practice their listening, speaking, writing and reading. Basically, their English skills can be promoted. Of course, their acting is developed well during the practice and performances.
3.1.2Spiritual, Moral, Social and Collective Skills Are Developed.
Unlike other school activities, for example painting, writing and reading, a student can not do drama on his or her own. They will have to listen to each other, hold on to an idea, share each other’s ideas, discuss, compromise, co-operate, present and enjoy their successes together. During the process, each will have to take the responsibility individually and collectively. If all the teaching methods, drama is often cited as the one which is the most effective to develop the skillsofspirit, moral and society”(Drama and Traditional Story for the Early Years: 78).
“Moral development is concerned with the extent to which the school teaches the principles which distinguish right from wrong, including respect for other people, truth, justice and property”OFSTED, 1996:3). For example, there is an article in the Chinese national curriculum about a journalist who would like to know about how the store owners deal with their business. She dressed up as a lower class lady with her coat unfastened. First, she went into a clothing shop. The owner looked her up and down for a while and then sneered at her “The items in our shop are all expensive. No touching.”She went away to another shop, which dealt with shoes. The owner served her kindly and patiently. There she tried on many pairs of shoes, but bought none. At last she came to a wine shop where the owner wouldn’t return her ￥9 back. After learning the text, I asked the students to make up a drama in groups, based on the text, or on their experience in real life. The students would present their performances the following day.
As an educator, one needs to lead his/her students towards a moral life, to lead them towards asking the prime moral question. “what sort of person am I to become??(MacIntyre, 1984). To think about how we areand what we need to be, we have to think about what happens to us and how we handle it.
3.1.3 Emotional Learning
As everybody knows, drama “contains a myriad of images and ideas.”Thus, in the fiction of drama, students, both actors and observers, will experience all kinds of emotions of different characters, such as love, hatred, depression, sadness, joy, success, etc. For example, the story, “All These Things Are to Be Answered for”(The Tale of Two Cities) describes the story of what a doctor saw and heard. The story happened just before the French Revolution. One night, Doctor Monet was walking by the River Seine when he was kidnapped and thrown into a dark room, where he met a peasant boy who was dying. He was badly wounded under his arm. The boy told him the terrible wrong done to him and to his sister. He had a sister who had been engaged. Unfortunately, a noble man saw her and was stuck by her beauty and then took her away by force. The boy’s father was very sad and fell ill. In order to save her sister, the little boy stole into the nobleman’s room. First the noble man threw him some money, but the boy refused it. The nobleman’s younger brother drew out his sword and hurt him badly under his arm. Her sister was whipped badly and kept in another room upstairs. The boy was telling what had happened when the nobleman’s younger brother came in. At the sight of him, the boy stood up suddenly, gathering all his strength without the doctor’s supporting him. He pointed to the nobleman’s brother and swore: it was he, the bad family’s race who should answer for all they have done ...? The boy’s hand dropped down and then he died, with his teeth clenched and his fists on his chest, his glaring eyes still fixed open. The doctor was shown to the room upstairs. There he met the boy’s sister, who kept shouting crazily. The doctor tried to calm her, but failed. She was obviously mad. A week later the girl died too. At last the doctor was sent into prison. After comprehension of the text, the students were asked to compare the old China with the case in context, and make up their own dramas. It could be based on the text or could be explored through the history of China. The students showed their performances in their formed groups. The performances were realistic. It seemed like it was yesterday. Some students were moved to tears while watching the performances. All the students felt pity for the sister and brother, and at the same time they had the feeling of hatred for the nobleman.
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