Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JeJuJitsu]

Have any of you that teach Drama tried to do Improv Comedy? I'm new to teaching Drama, and as familiarization exercises and trying to eliminate some of the shyness, I thought Improv Comedy would be perfect. However, seems my kids (which are almost exclusively higher level students), don't seem to "get" Improv. I even have the luxury of showing them clips from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and actual stage Improv theatre. Still no luck. I then showed them Korean Gag shows, not so different in spirit from Improv, but my students refuse to do anything "silly," even though they are watching a video of Koreans hitting each other over the head with frying pans and such.

They understand the "Scene Set-Up" but when it comes time to perform, they just stand and stare. Now this is a voluntary group, so they WANT to act, and want to participate, but they just draw a blank in perhaps 90% of scenes. I did a little Improv back home, and this same "freezing" under the 'spot-light" happened maybe 10-20% of the time. So it happens, I'm just wondering if anyone here has had success "unlocking" Korean kids' frequency for "freezing" on stage?

My guess is that it's simply the Improv, and that a combination of: 1) thinking quickly on the spot being a little difficult for Koreans given the educational/ rote learning system, and 2) putting thoughts into English quickly enough.

[Novernae]

[Hotpants]

Try:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dyWGvgu0YA
and
http://www.teachers.tv/subjectBlockProgramme.do?transmissionBlockId=278080&zoneId=1&transmissionProgrammeId=278635
For ideas on drama improv...

[kermo]

Alcohol.

[Scott in Incheon]

I have done a lot of improv work in my speaking classes.

Like anything new you have to move into it slowly. I start out by having them list words under certain categories. Things that are red....I feel....Big things...Things I can't lift...

Then I moved to Word Tennis where you put two teams in lines and then have to add to a vocab list....giving them 4 secs to answer and no repeating old answers. Back and forth until someone makes a mistake...again...easy categories...things that fly...thing in your school bag...

Then start moving into real improv. I use one word story where each student adds a word to a growing story. I write the first one on the board one word at time. Then do the next one verbally....then in groups of 4 then finally in groups of 2.

We do alphabet conversation next where the class has a conversation where the sentences begin with the letters of the alphabet in order...I usually start around H and give them a topic like 'what are we going to do after class' and we go through the alphabet once...then smaller groups and do it again...

Then it is sentence snap where students write down eight words on slips of paper. They are given a topic to discuss and have to use the words to make sentences to carry on the conversation. First one to use all their words wins...you can't go twice in a row and the conversation has to be fairly linear....then we do it by adding one more word to each slip (eg Computer becomes Old Computer) and then again using short sentences.

Finally I have a improv text with first sentences and positions so I use those as the year progresses.

I have used other ones with better classes and all in all it has work. There were a few times when it flopped. It depends a lot on your connection with your students. That is why you have work slowly towards the more creative tasks. But when they get it and get into it...it can be really fun

[Peter Jackson]

Drama is tough for Korean EFL students. I recently did a drama camp and have always used a bit of drama in my regular classes. Here are a few things that have worked with various degrees of success:

Drama games: type it in to google. A bunch come up. The best were put out by BC Education (my province in Canada). They are not too difficult and are quite engaging. A good place to start...

Improv pick up lines: This works best with higher level students. Have each student write 5 (or more) random sentences and tear them into strips. Encourage funny and ludicrous lines. Two actors then start a scene. Get ideas from the audience (location, occupations, conflict, etc) and appoint someone to call "Pick up". One actor must pick up one of the lines (scattered on a table or the floor). The other actor must respond to the line and make it fit in the story, somehow. It can get quite funny. Give the scene a time limit and then change actors.

Giberish: Have two (or more) actors perform a scene in Giberish. Explain that it MUST be a totally new language (not Korean, English, Japanese, etc). Appoint another student to act as translator. After each student says a line, the translator must translate. Great fun...

Readers' Theater: There are LOTS of scripts on line. No need to memorize and some have really amusing plots. Type in Readers Theater into google.

If you would like more ideas let me know.

Take care,

[JeJuJitsu]