When St. Joan of Arc teacher Catherine Ellis’s students first begin school, they often have little English skills, no formed friendships and feel unsure about their new surroundings.
As soon as they walk in to Ms. Ellis’s class, through the power of drama and self-expression, that all begins to change.
Ms. Ellis – who has been teaching with York Catholic for four years as an ESL, English and Dance teacher – works hard to build the confidence of her students from the moment they walk through the door, with her drama class.
“Self-confidence is a key component of my students’ growth and I try to include activities that build self-esteem and confidence in every lesson,” said Ms. Ellis.
Since beginning the ESL Drama program at St. Joan of Arc, Ms. Ellis has noticed that students new to both Canada and the English language are able to develop close friendships quickly. Because high school can be a challenging time, the confidence the students build in Ms. Ellis’s class will be helpful through the rest of their time at St. Joan of Arc, as well as through their lives.
“My favourite part of being a teacher is encouraging students to challenge themselves intellectually, emotionally and physically in the classroom,” said Ms Ellis.
Ms. Ellis focuses on the process of learning the dramatic techniques, not necessarily on evaluating the techniques. For example, she has an exercise which asks students to choose eight verbs from a larger list to act out.
First, they must each decipher the meaning of the action word – such as “sneak” or “shuffle” by using a dictionary or asking a friend. After the student understands the meaning of the word, they can more confidently perform the action in front of the larger group. The exercise not only helps enhance the student’s dramatic acting ability, but their vocabulary as well.
The ESL drama program has been running at St. Joan of Arc for two years, and is a great success.
“It’s one of my favourite classes to teach,” said Ms. Ellis.
Ms. Ellis’s ESL Drama program is so innovative, that it is being featured on the Ministry of Education’s “Learning Through the Arts” website. This ESL Drama program is just one example of the innovative, inclusive and unique programs that the York Catholic District School Board offers. By providing these programs, we encourage each student to reach their full potential and leave our board as lifelong, Catholic learners.