Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Master of Education (Drama)

MDR901 Theatre Making: Theory, Practice, Pedagogy (4 AUs)
This course addresses the growing interest in the use of drama as a pedagogical tool in schools. It addresses the processes of theatre-making, as well as the theories that accompany them, as creative and engaged participants. It will consequently focus on the understanding of theoretical frames, their translation and applicability to the practice of theatre-making, and the use of such practice in the creative classroom. The course is thus suited for educators who want to develop alternative learning spaces that draw on theatre as a creative and dynamic medium. It requires students to have comprehensive knowledge of the theories introduced and to experiment with theatre as a collaborative art form, as well as participate in dialogical processes of developing a vision for theatre in relation to context and culture.

The course will be conducted as a lecture/seminar/practical workshop that involves students in critical reading and analysis, theatre improvisations, group discussions and individual reflection. These are done as both non face-to-face and face-to-face activities.

MDR903 The Teacher as Facili-Actor (4 AUs)
This course examines the role of the teacher as a reflective and reflexive practitioner, who is both facilitator and actor/performer in her capacity as a collaborative and dialogical educator. It attends to how interactive and participatory learning require teachers to be adaptable to varied styles of learning, and self-aware in relation to multiple cultural dynamics. This entails an ability to improvise and perform multiple roles in order to meet the needs of varied teacher-student dynamics in the 21st century context.

The teacher as performer is interrogated in relation to cultural and social practices that inform how teachers are expected to articulate themselves and execute particular duties. Students will engage with performance theory, facilitation techniques and practical tasks that apply notions of performativity to the work of education through drama-based activities and frameworks. They will learn and develop teaching processes that draw from performance strategies and skills.

This course responds to the ongoing changes in the education landscape that require teachers to become more engaged in active learning processes that exceed conventional book learning approaches, and embrace holistic, multi-dimensional and inter-disciplinary frames. The arts, particularly drama, is an ideal platform through which to do this, as it is inherently open to change and integrative of multiple knowledges. The teacher as facili-actor can then embody and enact these critical pedagogies and practices.

MED900 Educational Inquiry (4 AUs)
This course introduces participants to the fundamental processes involved in conducting research such as formulating research questions, writing a review of the literature by synthesizing empirical studies, understanding various methodological approaches, collecting and interpreting research data. Participants in this course will have opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge and strategies needed to read, interpret, and evaluate the quality of research reports. In addition, participants will gain a critical understanding of quantitative, qualitative, and combined research approaches.

MED902 Integrative Project (2 AUs)
This capstone course requires participants to identify an education issue which forms the focus of inquiry, locate and read the most relevant literature to generate suggested potential solution to address the problem. The solution should show evidence that they are able to take the available information and restructure it in an appropriate way to deal with the issue.