ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s, the use o f drama in the language classroom has grown with the development o f communicative language teaching as a theoretical and practical model in M FL and ELT. Resource books such as those by Wessels (1987), Ladousse (1987), Ham ilton and Reid (1991) and W hiteson (1996) reflect the trend, offering the language teacher materials and ideas for improvisations, task-oriented situations, drama projects on contemporary issues, the use o f play texts and drama in the study o f literature. The challenge to communicate in role can add a valuable dimension to work in the language classroom that complements other modes o f learning; it may be fun, lively and purposeful, but in my experience, it frequently falls short o f its poten tial to motivate meaningful talk. I have in mind here not the larger drama projects drawing on a variety o f resources, but the simple role-play for pairs and small groups. This is the most basic form o f drama, and yet one o f the most flexible: it is easy to set up, requiring no special resources and facilities, and may be employed in building more complex forms o f drama. Students engaged in role-play frequently have diffi culty in sustaining interactive talk, they quickly exhaust their vocabulary o f relevant words and phrases, and the scene falls flat. The teacher can then find it difficult to know what to say to inspire new life into the scene and avoid tiresome repetition. Making role-play work depends on how it is set up and on establishing the right ethos in the classroom, but these skills can fairly easily be learned; the problems that deprive role-play of its power to generate the spontaneity and communicative chal lenge that is its essential purpose are more often rooted in the structure o f the roleplay itself. Devising scenes is a more difficult task. This article is about the process o f structuring role-play to maximize motivation. The target age-range is post-16 students who have gained a basic command o f vocabulary and forms in the target language.
