Teaching through Drama, Teaching the Teacher: Challenges and Supports for Drama-Based Pedagogy in Language Education

Drama-based pedagogy (DBP) has become a prominent method in education, especially language teaching, recognized for its benefits to both learners and educators. This approach improves active language use, leads confidence, and enhances creativity and artistry making it a preferred language teaching method among language instructors worldwide. However, this study investigates the challenges encountered by student teachers and inexperienced language instructors, particularly those teaching English, when implementing DBP. One of the main obstacles these teachers face is structuring lesson plans to integrate drama activities effectively. DBP requires a high level of coordination and planning to ensure activities flow smoothly and align with linguistic goals, which can be difficult for novice teachers. Classroom management is another significant challenge, as DBP activities involve movement, interaction, and performance, which can lead to behavioral and logistical difficulties. Inexperienced teachers often lack strategies to manage these dynamics, resulting in challenges in maintaining a productive and organized learning environment. Despite these challenges, DBP offers substantial benefits for teachers' professional growth, including enhanced adaptability, creativity, and student engagement skills. This research underscores the need for targeted professional development to equip novice teachers with the skills required for successful DBP implementation, emphasizing structured lesson planning and effective classroom management techniques. Supporting teachers in mastering these elements can help maximize the pedagogical advantages of DBP for both educators and learners.