Radio Drama: A PAL You Can Count On
By: Gordon Rees
Performance-assisted Learning (PAL)
A few years back, I was asked to teach an EFL reading course for second-year students at a foreign language university. I had never taught reading before, and initially, I struggled with how to make the class truly engaging. The curriculum was predetermined, and the textbook we used was dry. Week after week, we fell into the same routine as we worked through the text. I felt like I was boring my students to death. At the time, I didn’t realize it, but what I needed was a good PAL to help bring these reading classes to life!
Around that time, I was an active member of the Performance in Education SIG (PIE). Through my participation in PIE SIG events, I began learning about different ways performance could be integrated into reading classes and was introduced to the concept of performance-assisted learning (PAL). PAL includes any form of performance—such as music, speech, presentations, debates, drama, reader’s theater, and oral interpretation—to support the learning, consolidation, and assessment of content (Head et al., 2018). According to Kluge: “PAL is the most efficient and authentic form for solidifying learning because it gives students opportunities to use real language in real settings, encouraging them to produce something that they would actually be able to use outside of the classroom.”
Inspired by this, I started experimenting with reader’s theater and found some success using it to teach presentation skills and help students in the reading class build confidence for public speaking. It also helped break up the monotonous routine we had fallen into. In this article, I will discuss how I have been exploring radio drama—another PAL activity—in EFL reading courses as a dynamic approach for teaching presentation skills, enriching understanding, and promoting deep learning. I will also examine the brain science that supports integrating PAL into the EFL classroom.
Radio drama: Building skills out of the spotlight
I was introduced to radio drama at a PIE SIG conference and immediately saw its potential as a method for teaching basic presentation skills. Radio drama in education involves scripted audio performances that enhance language learning by encouraging students to collaborate in creating and performing stories. Through this process, students improve their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills while working in an authentic context for communication. The format also helps create a low-stress environment where students can practice without the added pressure of being in front of an audience. As Maiullo (2018) notes: “Radio drama activities not only develop students’ speaking and listening skills but also foster creativity, teamwork, and the ability to express emotions through voice alone” (p. 5).
“Radio Thriller”
When I decided to introduce radio drama to a third-year reading class, I realized that while my students were familiar with podcasts, many had little exposure to traditional radio drama. To bridge this gap, I needed to present them with a simple and accessible example. At the PIE SIG conference, I discovered an excellent resource — English Through Drama: Creative Activities for Inclusive ELT Classes, by Susan Hillyard. The book includes an engaging radio drama activity called “Radio Thriller,” designed to help students explore exclamations, interruptions, and hesitations in natural speech. Hillyard provides clear, step-by-step instructions for implementing this activity, making it an ideal introduction to the world of radio drama.
The “Radio Thriller” activity is a short, humorous radio drama featuring three characters and a love triangle gone wrong. It’s a fast-paced, entertaining script that can be practiced, performed, and recorded in a single class period. The story takes place late at night as a couple gets ready for bed when the wife’s lover unexpectedly shows up at their front door. Desperate to prevent her lover from meeting her husband, the wife tries everything she can to keep him out—but things quickly spiral out of control. When the husband, unaware of the situation, invites the lover inside for a drink, chaos ensues. Determined to eliminate the obstacle standing between him and the woman he loves, the lover stops at nothing to achieve his goal.
On top of reading their lines expressively, students must also create or find the sound effects specified in the script. They’re encouraged to experiment with natural sounds or search for audio files online, adding an extra layer of creativity to the performance. The script also includes numerous interruptions and moments of hesitation, requiring students to carefully coordinate their dialogue and sound effects. This challenge promotes active listening and strengthens teamwork.
During the recording, the three students in each group sit around a desk with a smartphone placed in the center to capture their performance. They deliver their lines with expressive voices and add sound effects at just the right moments. For those using pre-recorded sounds from the internet, they play the effects from their phones, timing them precisely with the script. My students seemed to really enjoy this activity, and it served as a fun and effective introduction to the world of radio drama.
Steps for implementing “Radio Thriller”
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Sound learning: The brain science behind radio drama in education
The idea of using radio drama to enhance learning appeals to me but is there really any research out there to validate its use? Well, according to neuroscience there definitely is! The NeuroLeadership Institute’s video, “Your Brain at Work LIVE | The Neuroscience of Social Learning,” investigates how social learning can enhance educational experiences. The principles discussed in the video can be applied to support the use of radio drama in the EFL classroom. Social learning theory says that individuals learn more effectively when they observe and interact with others. Incorporating radio drama involves students collaborating to perform scripts, thereby engaging in peer-to-peer learning. This collaborative effort can lead to increased language acquisition and confidence.
The video highlights that engaging in social learning activities activates specific neural pathways associated with empathy, understanding, and memory retention. When students participate in radio dramas, they not only practice language skills but also develop a deeper understanding of context and emotion, which are necessary for becoming more proficient in a new language.
Cooperative Learning
Judy Willis’s article, “Cooperative Learning is a Brain Turn-On,” discusses the cognitive and social benefits of cooperative learning strategies, which can be effectively applied to and support the use of radio drama in an EFL classroom. Cooperative learning activities lead to:
- Enhanced Engagement and Investment: Willis observed that when students collaborate interactively to achieve common goals, they become more invested and engaged in their learning.
- Supportive Classroom Communities: The article highlights that well-structured cooperative group activities build supportive classroom communities, which, in turn, increase self-esteem and resilience among students.
- Neurochemical Benefits: Willis notes that engaging in enjoyable social interactions during learning can lead to the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation, thereby enhancing learning outcomes.
By integrating radio drama—a form of cooperative learning—into the EFL curriculum, educators can create a dynamic learning environment and take advantage of the benefits of social learning. Students work together, share feedback, and learn from each other’s performances, making language learning more engaging and effective. You can watch the full discussion here.
“The Killers”—bringing the story to life with radio drama
Having introduced my students to radio drama, I decided next to try and integrate a radio drama adaptation of one of the short stories from our syllabus into the course. In the first semester, we focused on short stories in American literature. We were scheduled to read Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers.” I felt this story would be a perfect fit for a radio drama activity. The story is set in a small town outside of Chicago during the 1920s Prohibition era. Two hitmen come into a lunchroom looking for a man named Ole Andreson, a former prizefighter. As they wait for him, they tie up the staff and casually reveal their plan to kill him. When Ole is warned, he calmly accepts his fate, refusing to run or hide.
Why did I choose Hemingway? And why did I want to do a radio drama in addition to reading the story? Hemingway’s writing style is short and direct, with lots of dialogue and very little narration — perfect for radio drama. He uses simple words and sentences and often leaves out details on purpose, letting readers figure out the deeper meaning for themselves. I believed performing the story as a radio drama would better help students experience its tension, mood, and character dynamics. Through voice and sound, I hoped students could bring the story to life while also working on presentation skills.
Lesson Plans
What lesson plans did I develop? We began by reading “The Killers” over two class periods, followed by completing a vocabulary quiz and comprehension quizzes after each session. To help students more fully understand the story’s context, I gave a short lecture on Prohibition, organized crime, and the racial prejudice pervasive at the time — providing a brief overview of the era’s cultural and historical background. The story contains some racially insensitive language, which I explained to the students and had them modify for the radio drama. Fortunately, many radio drama scripts are available online, and I was able to find an adaptation of “The Killers” complete with sound effects described in the script. In week three, I implemented the radio drama activity following the same approach Hillyard suggested in the “Radio Thriller” example.
I started with a brief review of the plot and characters before dividing the students into two groups. Each student was assigned a character to perform, and I also appointed a group leader, a sound effects coordinator, and a recording leader for each group. The group leader acted as the director, guiding the overall performance. The sound effects coordinator ensured that all the necessary sound effects were prepared and timed correctly. The recording leader was responsible for overseeing and capturing the final performance on their smartphone.
Next, students marked their scripts with voice inflection and emotion. They were also tasked with making an audio file of a “best recording” of their lines for homework using a free audio recording app called Audacity. The following week in class, students transformed the classroom into a makeshift sound studio, rehearsed the script, and recorded the first part of the play. In the next class, they recorded part two of the play.
PowerPoint presentations—“The Killers”—promoting deep learning with PAL
With the radio drama complete, I wondered how I could capitalize on the students’ work. To encourage deeper learning and provide historical and cultural context to the world Hemingway depicts in his story, I decided to have students prepare short PowerPoint presentations on topics related to Prohibition-era American society. I hoped that the radio drama had motivated students for the presentations that would follow. Combining research with creative performance felt like a good way to promote deeper learning of the literature and its background.
To my surprise, I found great advantages to this follow-up. Despite the challenging topics, the presentations went well and helped students deepen their insight into the story’s cultural and historical background. The class appeared to have grown closer as a team through the radio drama project, which contributed to a relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere on presentation day. Student use of voice inflection, volume, and gestures was fairly effective, and, for the most part, the presentations were engaging.
Presentation Topics: The Killers
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The Takeaways
I have discovered that PAL activities, particularly radio drama, are exactly what the (brain) doctor ordered for EFL reading classes! Radio drama can be used to teach presentation skills and boost student confidence for public speaking, while also deepening students’ understanding of class readings. In addition to these advantages, there are many other benefits to integrating PAL into EFL reading classes, all supported by neuroscience. These benefits include reducing anxiety, enhancing pronunciation, improving non-verbal communication, fostering deeper understanding, building teamwork and collaboration, and encouraging creativity—just to name a few.
Beyond the cognitive and linguistic benefits, PAL activities are also fun! Both you and your students will enjoy them, making the classroom a more dynamic and supportive environment. By integrating activities like radio drama into the curriculum, you can help students build the confidence to deliver engaging presentations in English and encourage them to engage in deeper learning.
References
Head, P., Kluge, D., Lyons, C., Rees, G., White, J., & Bussinguer-Khavari,V. (2018). Performance-assisted learning: Enabling students to thrive and jive. In P. Clements, A. Krause, & P. Bennett (Eds.), Language Teaching in a global age: Shaping the classroom, shaping the world. JALT https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327623494_Performance-Assisted_Learning_Enabling_Students_to_Thrive_and_Jive
Hemingway, E. (1927). The Killers. Scribner’s Magazine, 81, (3), 234–239.
Hillyard S. (2016). English through drama: Creative activities for inclusive ELT classes. Helbling Languages.
Maiullo, J. (2018). Radio drama for speaking practice. English Teaching Forum, 56(2), 16–25. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1181088.pdf
Marguerite, T. (2015, June 11). Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers”: A radio drama. Text Mapping as Modelling. https://textmappingasmodelling.wordpress.com/2015/06/11/ernest-hemingways-the-killers-a-radio-drama/
NeuroLeadership Institute. (2023, August 15). Your brain at work LIVE | The neuroscience of social learning [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/live/17URyJoQJLM?si=MAxfJ6UmioYb-BTL
Willis, J. (2007). Cooperative learning is a brain turn-on. Middle School Journal, 38(4), 4–13. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ756482.pdf
Gordon Rees is an associate professor in the Faculty of Policy Management at Yokkaichi University. Gordon holds an MA in Asian Studies. His research interests include performance-assisted learning (PAL), the teaching of culture, Japanese cinema and modern Japanese literature. Other interests include running, bicycle touring and hiking.