How effective is a drama-enhanced curriculum doing to increase the creativity of preschool children and their teachers?

In Hong Kong’s recent curriculum reform, creativity has been identified as a generic skill to be nurtured in our students of all levels in the key learning areas, including arts education. The present study evaluated the effects of a drama in education project on both students and teachers. Kindergarten and primary teachers took part in a 24-hour teacher training program on drama in education. Teachers also received support in lesson planning on drama-enhanced learning to the classes they were teaching. Students were randomly drawn from these classes to form the experimental group (83 kindergarten students) whereas 20 students from the same schools but were not taught by these teachers took part in the study as the control group. A total of 58 kindergarten teachers and primary school teachers completed both the pre-test and post-test. Significant differences were found in the teacher-perceived dramatics characteristics in the experimental group of students. Students who displayed more dramatics and creativity characteristics outperformed those with fewer characteristics in their verbal expression in story-telling. Significant positive effects were also found in the creative fostering teaching technique of teachers involved in the training. They encouraged their students to become independent and cooperative learners, accepted students’ ideas and provided them with try out opportunities. They also showed long term commitment to drama in education. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
創造力是近年教育改革下所提倡的一項共通能力，建議在各個的學習領域中，包括：藝術教育，培訓各級學生的創造力。本研究評估了戲劇教育培訓，對學生及教師的成效。幼稚園及小學教師透過二十四小時的戲劇教育教師培訓，然而和戲劇教育導師一起策劃以戲劇輔助教學的課程設計，並且進行試教。實驗組的學生，共83人是隨機從參與培訓計畫的老師任教班級中抽出，而控制組的學生，共20人則由其他老師的同級不同班中隨機抽出。教師組則有58位小學及幼稚園老師參與，並且完成前、後測的問卷。結果顯示實驗組的學生，經過戲劇教學後，老師觀察他們的戲劇特質較控制組的學生明顯地高。本身具較高戲劇特質和創意特質的學生，他們在講故事的口語表達能力亦較戲劇特質和創意特質低的學生明顯地高。至於教師方面，戲劇教育培訓能有效提升教師的創意教學風格。教師更懂得鼓勵學生獨立和合作地學習，他們願意接納學生的意見和提供嘗試的機會。這些教師對在校內推行戲劇教育亦有長遠的承擔。研究的限制和未來方向亦會討論。Copyright © 2011 Hong Kong Drama/Theatre and Education Forum Limited, Hong Kong.