Milli mála - 01.01.2010, Side 163

experience ‘subjective expression’23 while studying a foreign lan -
guage. My interest and motivation for language teaching is based
on my experience with theatre.
Why theatre?
During my French studies in Montpellier, France, there was a
course for future teachers in French as a foreign language which
was taught using theatre techniques, pratique théâtrale. The main
aims of this course were to increase ‘subjective expression’ and to
perform a play in front of an audience. I participated in this course
and I decided that I would integrate this kind of teaching into my
work, if possible. I have been teaching French at the university of
Iceland since 2005, mostly in the fields of grammar, writing, and
oral expression. I had the opportunity to design my own (theatre)
course for oral expression, Leiklist, based on Pierra’s method 24, and
was able to draw on my own experience in theatre. I started teach-
ing Leiklist in 2007, which is an optional course in the second year
of French studies. This course provides a specific pedagogical space
and is different from other language courses. I try to create a sup-
portive space for students in their learning process. The framework
of the course is to stage a performance in front of an audience and
communicate an interpretation a text, as proposed by the teacher.
The main pedagogical goals are to give the students the possibility
to express themselves in a subjective way in the foreign language,
to improve their pronunciation, and, in particular, to experience
learning in a different relationship with the language. It is also
important that students feel themselves to be not only members of a
group, but also to be individuals who are motivated to improve their
speech with the performance in mind. The process lasts thirteen
weeks, eighty minutes a week. The assessment consists of their par-
ticipation in staging a play, performing in front of an audience, and
writing (in French) about their experiences in the course.
anDrEa MILDE anD ÁSTa IngIBJarTSDÓTTIr
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23 ‘Subjective expression’ is a term also used by Pierra and means that the whole person is
involved, not only the intellect, but also the body.
24 gisèle Pierra, PhD (Linguistics), Lecturer at the university of Paul-Valéry Montpellier III,
http://recherche.univ-montp3.fr/dipralang/telecharger/PIErra.pdf (accessed november 1,
2010).
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