Use of Drama in Teaching

Ms Janice Koh asked the Minister for Education (a) what percentage of teachers who currently use drama as a pedagogical tool in the classroom have had (i) specialised drama training (ii) in-service drama training at NIE and (iii) no relevant training at all; (b) whether the Ministry will provide all Primary school pre-service teachers with relevant training to use drama as a vehicle for learning; (c) whether the Singapore Teachers' Academy for the aRts can include drama programmes in addition to music and visual art programmes; and (d) whether drama will be formally included as part of the Primary school core curriculum in the future.

A recent study on drama pedagogical practices in Singapore by the National Institute of Education showed that more than 70% of Primary and Secondary schools use drama across various subjects.

To help teachers use drama in the classroom, MOE offers a range of pre- and in-service courses. Currently, pre-service teachers can offer drama as an area of study or elective. An in-service course for Chinese Language teachers on the use of drama and storytelling techniques in teaching oral interaction is offered by Singapore Centre for Chinese Language.

From 2014, the Singapore Teachers' Academy for the aRts will be providing professional learning opportunities for drama teachers through two schemes the Artist-Mentor Scheme and the Arts Pedagogical Research Fund. Drama teachers can look forward to working with established drama practitioners as mentors to enhance the teaching-learning of drama. They can also engage in research on drama pedagogies to improve their teaching practices. In addition, Primary schools may offer drama as part of the Programme for Active Learning (PAL) for Primary 1 and 2 pupils.

Teachers use a range of teaching methods in the classroom. These methods include, for example, inquiry-based learning, experiential learning, direct instruction or drama. What matters most is that the teaching method

Page: 164

meets the learning needs of students. As such, MOE provides training in a variety of teaching methods so that teachers are well-equipped to use the appropriate teaching method in the classroom, depending on the subject and the needs of students.