M.Ed Thesis Research: Embodied Grammar
Dublin, Ireland
2017-2018
As part of my Masters in Drama in Education, I undertook a practitioner-based research study in my own ESL classroom to investigate the impact of an embodied approach to the curriculum on my students' acquisition of grammar. Practically speaking, this meant that for one full week of classes I taught the curriculum entirely through drama with a particular focus on embodying the grammar. For anyone interested in pursuing an M.Ed in Drama in Education, you can learn more here:
https://www.tcd.ie/Education/programmes/masters/drama-summer-school
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Modal Verbs

"I might protect you..."

"I will protect you..."
.As a teacher, I found that using drama made it so much easier to create lessons which naturally integrated the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and included grammar and vocabulary in a realistic, meaningful way. As a researcher, I was delighted and surprised by the results which I observed and my students reported experiencing: higher levels of comprehension, engagement and motivation and a deeper sense of connection, both to the material and to each other as a class. There was so much more movement, laughter and a real sense of community developed within the classroom.


Noun and verb forms
"Motivate/ Motivation"
"Imagine/ Imagination"
Conducting this research revolutionised my approach as an English language teacher, it opened my eyes to the power of learning through drama and the need to bring movement and emotional connection into the language classroom. It also led to the development of a whole series of drama-based embodied grammar lessons which eventually evolved into my Learn English through Drama course.
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https://flyingturtleproductions.com/drama-school/adult-courses/learn-english-through-drama
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