The Bridge Between Students and Professions: Drama in Education

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to explore how Drama in Education in China can help students to develop their profession. ‘Drama in Education (DiE) first originated in Britain in the 1960s’, and it is ‘a theatrical art form of a pedagogical nature’. DiE uses drama as means and methods to achieve the educational aims of imparting knowledge and developing skills. This form of education developed in China in the late 20th century. In order to adapt to Chinese situation, scholars have studied and adapted it and put it into practice in drama workshops and courses. Huizhu Sun developed a new form of performance studies in China, 1999, known as social performance studies. ‘It includes Drama in Education, and professional training’. The paper therefore tries to explore the role of DiE as a bridge: connecting students to professions and exploring their creativity and possibilities in terms of this part. I will base on a study of DiE at eduwings kindergarten in Haidian District, Beijing, and focus mainly on a six-person drama programme. Part One explores the reasons for and need for professional development in DiE. Part Two goes on to use the theoretical research of Huizhu Sun to support the argument, analyse the cases and methods shown in social performance studies and explain how it has been applied with a simplified approach in eduwings kindergarten. In the final part of the essay, I claim that there are still obstacles to the creation of the bridge and analyse it in terms of some social roles.