1. Action grammar
-More fun into learning and teaching
grammar
Nina Maunu
nina.maunu@espoo.fi

2. Why action grammar?
* Learning grammar is to ”learn by rote, ”boring,
mechanical and useless”
* Action increases the students’ motivation
resulting in DEEPER learning:
learning grammar may even BE FUN!

3. • Activation
• Concentration
• Increased self-knowledge and self-assurance
• Skills in team work
• Creativity, imagination and artistic thinking
utilized
• Increased remembering and learning
• Collaborative learning
Action benefits

4. Action grammar - Key words
• Discussion – TALKING ”GRAMMAR”
• Learning by DOING and by using ONE’S BODY
• MIND/BODY cooperation: writing
• Improvisation, play, drama
• Self-made pictures, poems, songs, fairy tales and
stories
• COLLABORATIVE learning: Work in pairs and in groups
• ROLE-taking
• imagination and thinking skills
• Facing the Other – acceptance of differences

5. About action methods
• Atmosphere: enthusiastic, safe, comfortable
and relaxed
• Overall respect – possible disturbances taken
care of on the spot
• Motivation before each activity
• Involving current topics or themes students
are interested in as well as other school
subjects

6. About action methods
• All activities adaptable to different forms, ie.
”the hot seat”
• Many activities involving CASE or PARTS OF
SPEECH are adaptable for WORD CLASS and
vice versa
• Discussion before and after each activity:
What was learned? Why such activity? How
did it feel?
• Text books not necessary – notebooks and
pencils enough

7. Learning grammar
First BIG PICTURE!
Studying CASES and WORD CLASSES
in written form:
what makes a word a noun/verb etc.?.

8. A Lesson
• Usually every lesson starts with a big picture,
the students write down it or continue the
subject discussing about subject.
• For ex. we can search from abstracts how
human beings they are. We find both sides of
human caracters like in Commedia dell´arte.
Nominative is always true and not smiling
(serious), but knows a lot (or best) all kinds of
things (a basic form).

9. Word Class activites 1
• Improvisation
• Bean bag activities
• Pantomime
• Situational Accomodation
• Acting out word classes and part of speeches

10. Word Class activites 2
• Creating symbols
• Making songs and choreography
• Writing stories and making sound plays or
sound poems
• Spurring circle (games)
• Creative writing

11. Case activities 1
• Warming up – characterizing cases by discussion
• Salad of Cases - taking roles
• Sculptures
• Improvisational games
• Hot seat
• Drama/short plays

12. Case activities 2
• Commedia Dell’arte in cases
• Collaborative story making
• Acting
• Improvisational chain
• Comic strips
• Word and movement

13. Word Class activites 3
• The Trip (process drama)
• Story (turning points)
• Music (poem, Revision Rap)
• Word class personification => improvisations
• If wanted: GRAMMAR PARTY! (= every small
group do their own performance)

14. References:
• Hannu Heikkinen: Draamakasvatus – opetusta, taidetta,
tutkimista! (2005)
• Päivi ja Timo Sinivuori: Esiripusta aplodeihin (2001)
• Tapio Toivanen: Draama ja teatteri koulussa (2007)
• Bolton, G.: Acting in Classroom Drama. A critical Analysis.
• Allan Owens & Keith Barber: Draama suunnistus –
prosessidraaman arviointi ja reflektointi (2002)
• Paolo Freire: Sorrettujen pedagogiikka (2005)
• Bowell,P. & Heap, B.: Prosessidraama (2005)
• Korhonen,P. & Ostern A-L (toim.): Katarsis. Draama, teatteri ja
kasvatus.