Developed by Singapore Centre for Chinese Language, the “Drama is the Laboratory of Learning Chinese as a Second Language” teaching toolkit (Updated Version) is designed for use in the teaching of Chinese language in primary and secondary schools. The toolkit comprises two parts: the Written Part and the Demonstrative Videos.

The Written Part begins with an introduction to the theories of drama in education and their application processes. It continues with an exploration of how drama can be integrated in the teaching and learning of Chinese, followed by a concise account of eight common drama conventions. The accompanying lesson plans, 7 for secondary school and 3 for primary school, give teachers a concrete idea of how the drama conventions can be applied in the Chinese classroom. Samples of students’ compositions written with the aid of drama conventions are also appended.

The Video Section comprises the interviews of participant teachers and students as well as examples demonstrating how the drama conventions are used in the classroom. There are 13 videos in the toolkit.

The Written Explanations together with the Demonstrative Videos in the toolkit equip teachers with a deeper understanding of how drama can effectively be integrated in Chinese language teaching. The toolkit aims to change the stereotype concepts of the use of drama in education and ultimately promote drama pedagogy in Chinese language education.