A preliminary investigation of the development and rationale for drama as an integral part of curriculum reform in the special teacher training course

Drama can be used as a useful means of teaching students with special needs. Unfortunately, this paper shows that with very few special schools are implementing drama in their curriculum and there is no existing policy, which encourages the implementation. It is argued in this paper that the preparation of special education teachers for drama education should be included in the present training course content, so that student can perceive the professional perspectives of drama regarding the assumptions, values and outcomes. Having maintained a broad view of drama, and hence drama education, special education teachers are more likely to develop skills in writing scripts and stage performance to foster higher order thinking in students. Based on the above findings, this paper also attempts to develop a module in the teaching of drama for children with special needs.