Teaching English under Occupation

This chapter reports on a collaboration between educators in Palestine and England to employ process drama and Mantle of the Expert as transformative approaches to the teaching of English as a second or additional language. To contextualise, we give an account of the relationship between historical and current Palestinian curricula and the influence of British colonialism. Our rationale for drama-based learning against a background of worsening political instability is fully explored. Examples from classroom practice demonstrate how a drama-based pedagogical approach not only enhances the students’ engagement and their proficiency in English but also cultivates critical thinking, empathy, and a sense of agency. In contrast to simply memorising vocabulary or grammar rules, we argue that students’ active participation in imagined but authentic situations is important in developing their fluency and accuracy in speech and building their confidence. This work highlights the pressing need for a more authentic and dynamic learning environment that connects language skills to real-world applications in a very creative way.