Making meaning through movement: A theatre pedagogy for English language learning in refugee youth settlement

This research proposes an extension to the English language learning (ELL) classroom of refugee youth by combining the embodied techniques of theatre pedagogue Jacques Lecoq and the learning strategies of educational theorist Lev Vygotsky. Drawing from the movement of everyday human activity, Lecoq observed the body as a storehouse of knowledge that informs the mind and shapes individuation. Vygotsky revolutionized the psychological study of human cognition through his notions of sign and symbol systems in the context of their socio-historical development. The thesis outlines a comprehensive approach to language learning for refugee youth founded on Lecoq's theatre training and supported by Vygotsky's scientific analyses. Locating language meaning through an exploration of the body fosters self-reliance through self-reflective exercises which support the unique capabilities of each student. This approach is tailored to reach diverse learning needs common to ELL classrooms, while empowering refugee youth in their process of Canadian identify formation.