The physical theatre at the core of language learning

Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to provide an insightful didactic reflection on a long-running pedagogical experiment (2014- 2024) conducted at the University of Paris 8 as a result of the collaboration between the Language Centre and the Theatre Department. Learning foreign languages through the arts, and more specifically through theatre, is an innovative approach that seeks to overcome cognitive barriers while providing learners with interactive, creative and engaging experiences. The course “L'Italien à travers le théâtre” is intended for students’ specialists of other disciplines, of all levels and who have never studied Italian before (A1.1 and A1.2 levels). It is designed with the conviction that, from a pedagogical point of view, the use of techniques specific to the field of theatre such as acting, improvisation, diction and memorisation, are particularly effective cognitive drivers for language learning. In addition, the various uses of rythme, space and mask make learners' performance more enactive and the learning experience more poly-sensory. First, we will describe the course's general set-up, drawing attention to its strengths and weaknesses; then, based on the comparative study of the results obtained in terms of learning the written and spoken language, we will discuss the specific nature of the use of physical theatre, how it works and what its objectives are.