Using practiced improvisation and role-play to improve oral communication skills for English second language learners

Many secondary school students from French schools across the province are graduating with a limited ability to communicate orally in English. Based on the work done by educator Dorothy Heathcote in England, I developed a new method of practicing oral communication. This method incorporates elements of improvisation and drama. Participants were required to portray the role of a particular character to resolve a conflict that was presented in the form of a scenario. They had the opportunity to discuss the conflict and practice their arguments while using idiomatic expressions and key vocabulary in the conflict resolution. Once participants completed the practice, they presented it to an audience, demonstrating how the conflict was discussed and finally resolved. Throughout the study, two experienced ESL teachers and one language arts teacher observed the participants in action to provide me with further insight and feedback on the effectiveness of this new method of practicing oral communication. Participants discussed their reactions and thoughts on the activity during the focus group interview. The teachers who observed the group discussed their responses to the activity and the effect it had on the participants during a separate focus group interview. The results show that participants were able to use the English language with more effectiveness, fluency and accuracy. They were also able to use the target vocabulary and English expressions appropriately. Participants were also more engaged and felt less stressed about using the English language to communicate