Page 93 - Diversity in Action

Process Drama in Teaching Multilingualism and Multiculturalism

manner. The theme can be linked to children’s songs or stories about
friends, which encourages engagement and facilitates the integration
of basic vocabulary in different languages (e.g., informal greetings like
Cro. Bok!, Eng. Hello! or It. Ciao!), and getting acquainted with cultural
norms of friendship, such as shaking hands or sharing toys. This theme
is flexible and does not require a deep knowledge of cultures from the
teacher, as it utilises universal motifs of friendship.
2. Defining goals. Thegoals are adapted to thechildren’s age, focusingon
developing basic language skills, such as learning simple greetings and
phrases in multiple languages (e.g., Croatian, English, Italian), promot-
ing intercultural awareness through getting acquainted with different
friendship customs (e.g., sharing or greeting), and fostering social skills
likecollaboration andempathythrough groupplay.Thesegoalsensure
that the activity is focused on the spontaneous acquisition of language
and cultural elements, developing multicompetence in a safe environ-
ment.
3. Creating the dramatic context. The dramatic context is an imaginative
World Friendship Day – a magic park where children from different
‘countries’ come to a party. The teacher sets the scene using simple
props like paper flags or drawings, defining the time (e.g., a sunny day)
andplace(e.g.,amagicparkwith‘gates’toenterdifferentcultures).This
context is clear and appealing, encouraging children to use language
and explore cultural norms through play, with flexibility for adaptation
according to the children’s reactions.
4. Designing roles. The roles are simple and diverse, adapted to the chil-
dren’s age, such asa‘friend from Croatia’ whosharestoys, a‘friend
from England’ who teaches English greetings, or a ‘friend from Italy’
who learns the names of various forms of pasta. The roles are assigned
according to the children’s interests, with the teacher’s support in mod-
elling phrases (e.g., Bok, prijatelju!, Ciao amico/a or Hello, friend!), en-
couraging diverse interactions and collaboration.
5. Structuring the activity. The activity is structured in three phases for a
balanced flow:
• Introduction to the dramatic world (5–10 minutes): The teacher tells
a short story about the magic park and assigns roles, using picture
cardswithillustrationsand audiorecordingswithsongs in different
languages so that children can get acquainted with basic phrases
and cultural elements.
• Plot development (15–20 minutes): Through short, playful episodes,

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