Page 89 - Diversity in Action

Process Drama in Teaching Multilingualism and Multiculturalism

Development of Cultural Competencies
Process drama enables children of early and preschool age to explore and
understand the cultural aspects of language, creating a safe environment
in which they can get to know the norms, values, and customs of differ-
ent cultures through playful, immersive activities that integrate language
and culture as inseparable elements of communication (Kramsch, 2009). Un-
like traditional methods that often separate language from culture, process
drama uses role-play for children to embody different cultural perspectives,
fostering empathy and intercultural sensitivity through active participation
in imaginary worlds (Kao & O’Neill, 1998). For example, children can partici-
pate in a scenario where they act as members of an internationalkindergarten
organising a joint birthday party, learning about different birthday celebra-
tion traditions – such as singing Cro. Sretan rođendan, Eng. Happy birthday,
It. Tanti auguri or Ger. Zum Geburtstag viel Glück – while sharing stories about
customs, such as blowing out candles or giving flowers in different cultures
(Galazka & Baldwin, 2021).
In another example, children can play roles in a magic village where each
family brings a traditional game from their culture, such as a Chinese dragon
or a Mexican piñata, using simple phrases in multiple languages (e.g., Cro.
igra, Eng. game, It. gioco) to describe the rules, thereby getting acquainted
with the cultural values associated with play and community. A third exam-
ple involveschildren actingasinhabitantsofa world zoo, where each animal
represents a different culture and shares a story about its home, such as a
Japanese panda garden with bamboo or an African lion’s savanna, learning
words like home or friend in different languages and understanding cultural
differences in the relationship with nature. A fourth example involves chil-
dren participating in a global puppet theatre, where each puppet represents
a character from another culture and tells a story about its favourite holiday,
such as Diwali or Christmas, using simple expressions in multiple languages,
through which children get to know cultural traditions through storytelling
(Galazka & Baldwin, 2021).
Through these activities, process drama enables children to develop cul-
tural competencies by embodying different perspectives, which deepens
their ability to understand and respect different values and customs, key for
life in a globalised world where intercultural communication is an everyday
reality. For example, in a scenario where children act as friends creating a
world mosaic together from symbols of different cultures, such as the heart
for love in Western cultures or the lotus flower in Eastern traditions, they

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