Over the last two decades drama pedagogy has helped to lay the foundations for a new teaching and learning culture, one that accentuates physicality and centres on performative experience. Signs of this 'performative turn' in education are especially strong in the field of foreign/second language teaching. This volume introduces scholars, language teachers, student teachers and drama practitioners to the concept of a performative foreign language didactics. Approaching the subject from a wide variety of contexts, the contributors explore the extent to which performative approaches, emphasising the role of the body as a learning medium, can achieve deep intercultural learning. Drama activities such as improvisation, hot seating and tableaux are shown to create rich opportunities for intercultural encounters that transport students beyond the parameters of conventional language, literature and culture education.

About the Author

John Crutchfield is a theatre artist and lecturer in the Department of Didactics, Institute for English Language and Literature, Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany.

Manfred Schewe is Head of the Department of Drama and Theatre Studies at University College Cork, Ireland. He is the founding editor of SCENARIO (http://scenario.ucc.ie), a bilingual Online Journal for Performative Teaching, Learning, Research.

Reviews

This is a thought-provoking collection that provides a series of rich insights into the way intercultural education is enhanced by performative approaches. It makes a significant contribution to the field. The variety of perspectives from different countries and contexts, and the open, enquiring tone means that the book itself embodies some of the key principles of interculturality.

* Mike Fleming, Durham University, UK *

A most timely publication, Going Performative in Intercultural Education provides important impulses for thought and action. Crutchfield and Schewe have compiled an impressive collection of theoretical and practical approaches by international scholars, practitioners, teacher trainers, and artists. The contributions demonstrate the transformative potential that 'going performative' possesses for intercultural education.

* Barbara Schmenk, University of Waterloo, Canada *

This book is an important contribution to performative education, introducing the reader to the theories and practices of this complementary or alternative teaching and learning approach [...] These empirical studies provide positive results suggesting that the traditional approaches used worldwide could or should be completed by more holistic experiences.

-- Leila G-Blili, University of Toulouse 3, France * Etudes en Didactique des Langues, No. 34 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781783098545
Author John Crutchfield
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Multilingual Matters
Publisher Channel View Publications Ltd
Weight(grams) 576g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 21mm