Published in ELT News- October 2026 issue
by Evi Karydi, Director of iLearn Language School and Founder of DramActivate
Most people would say that English teachers teach vocabulary, grammar and communication skills. They’re right. But they’re only partly right.
Every English lesson teaches something more. Whether we realise it or not, every time students work together, solve a problem, step into a role or tell a story, they’re learning something about people as well.
That’s why I believe English lessons can become a safe place to explore ideas, build understanding and practise respectful communication.
Not by telling students what to think. Not by avoiding difficult topics. But by inviting them into stories.
Most English teachers have experienced it. A student makes a comment that catches everyone off guard. Another student disagrees. Suddenly, what was supposed to be a vocabulary lesson feels much bigger.
These moments can make us uncomfortable. We worry about saying the wrong thing. We wonder whether we should step in, change the subject or pretend nothing happened. But avoiding these moments doesn’t prepare our students for the real world.
After all, language isn’t only about ordering food, describing holidays or talking about hobbies. We use language to agree and disagree, to ask questions, to explain ourselves, to listen, to solve problems and to understand people whose experiences may be very different from our own.
So how do I approach sensitive topics?
I rarely begin with a discussion. I begin with a story. Through drama and interactive storytelling, students step into someone else’s shoes, and something changes.
Instead of talking about inclusion, they might become a new student on their first day at school. Instead of discussing fairness, they might become members of a village trying to solve a problem together. Instead of talking about loneliness, they might become two strangers who unexpectedly meet on a train. Instead of debating kindness, they might decide how a group of characters can help someone in need.
Suddenly, they are no longer defending their own opinions. They are exploring another person’s perspective. The focus shifts from Who is right? to What might this person be thinking? What might they be feeling? That small shift makes sensitive conversations feel much safer.
Stories create distance. Drama and interactive storytelling create curiosity.
Students don’t have to expose their own beliefs before they are ready. They can think through a character. They can test ideas, ask questions, make mistakes and discover that people often have reasons for acting the way they do. And all of this happens while they are using English for a real purpose.
What role should teachers play beyond language instruction?
Of course, this doesn’t mean every lesson needs to tackle serious social issues. Children deserve joyful classrooms. Teenagers need moments of laughter. Adults often come to English lessons simply because they want to communicate more confidently. Our job isn’t to turn every lesson into a debate about the world’s problems.
Our responsibility isn’t to give students the right answers. It’s to create the conditions where they can ask better questions, listen with empathy and communicate with respect.
When that happens, language learning becomes about more than language. Students learn to express themselves, listen to others and understand perspectives beyond their own. Sometimes that happens through a funny story. Sometimes through an imaginative role play. Sometimes through a fictional dilemma that quietly reflects real life.
So where do I draw the line?
For me, the answer is simple. I never use drama or interactive storytelling to persuade students what to think. I use them to help students imagine what it might feel like to be someone else. I don’t ask learners to reveal personal experiences or defend political opinions. Instead, I create fictional worlds where they can safely explore ideas together, while respecting that every learner brings different experiences, values and beliefs into the classroom.
The classroom should never become a place for winning arguments. It should become a place where students learn to ask better questions, listen respectfully and express themselves with confidence.
When students step into a story, they’re not leaving the real world behind. They’re practising how to live in it. Perhaps that’s what we’re really teaching. Yes, we’re teaching grammar. Yes, we’re teaching vocabulary. But every time students collaborate in a story, negotiate a problem, speak as a character or try to understand another perspective, they’re learning something else too.
They’re learning that communication isn’t just about speaking. It’s about connecting.
📖Read the full issue here: https://eltnews.gr/eltdigital/202610/#contents