scholarly journals Enhancing EFL Students’ English Competency Through Drama: A Case Study in a Primary School in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Chen Yuanyuan
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
English Drama ◽  
Drama In Education ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Language Competency ◽  
Set Up ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Competencies Development

Drama courses are widely set up in K-12 education in Western countries, and drama in education promotes both language acquisition and drama acting in the West. Therefore, in the current K-12 education curriculum in China, the practice of offering English drama courses is in line with the needs of students’ core competencies development. Drawing on the participants’ interview narratives, classroom observations and journals, based upon the case in a foreign language primary school in Guangzhou, China, this study examines how the drama course is carried out and how the students’ English competency is enhanced through the drama course. The enquiry revealed that the drama course had helped promote both students’ language competency and drama acting capacity. These findings will be discussed with suggestions for making setting up drama courses in other schools and cities in China possible.

Performing international outreach: PhUn Week in an Australian primary school

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Halpin
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Heart Function ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Science Outreach ◽  
Heart Rates ◽  
Set Up ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Family Vacation

Physiology Understanding (PhUn) Week is an annual science outreach program sponsored by the American Physiological Society in which K–12 students learn about physiology through meeting a physiologist and performing an experiment. Performing PhUn Week at an Australian private primary school during a family vacation in 2014 enabled me to receive a fellowship to return the following year for further implementation. To set up the outreach, I contacted the assistant principal of a public primary school, and she connected me with the physical education (PE) teacher. Together, the PE teacher and I planned the event. Over the course of 2 days, I taught eight classes, a total of 176 K–12 students. I started each lesson by explaining the role of a physiologist. The scientific method was described and explained. A hypothesis, “Exercise increases heart rate,” was designed and tested. The students measured their heart rates, exercised, and measured their heart rates again. After data collection, results were reported, and the students all agreed that their hypothesis was supported. We then discussed heart function and why heart rate increases with exercise. The students then performed a pedometer challenge, where they estimated the number of steps during walking, running, and kangaroo hopping. They enjoyed testing their predictions and repeated these experiments several times. The students then made suggestions of ways they could continue this lesson outside of school. This first report of an international PhUn week confirmed that these events form partnerships among educators and inspire K–12 students to think about becoming scientists.

scholarly journals Digital Escape Game

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Megan Lea Clune
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Classroom Teacher ◽  
Mathematical Content ◽  
Subject Knowledge ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
Game Format ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Time Point

The Escape Room phenomena began in Japan in 2007. The premise of an Escape Room is that ‘players’ are locked inside a room and, in order to escape, they must solve a range of puzzles, riddles, and open mechanisms and locks inside a given timeframe. While the educational affordances of an escape room have been and continue to be explored (see for example Brown, Darby & Coronel, 2019) the grandeur and physical complexities required to set up an escape room mean than it is not a sustainable option for the average classroom teacher or smaller tertiary courses. The Escape Game, however, is played on a smaller scale with portable (often mostly printable) resources with players aiming to either break into something (a toolbox for example) by solving riddles, puzzles and opening locks within a given timeframe. The logistical ease of set up and iterability mean that the escape game format is becoming increasingly popular across all sectors of education—from young primary school learners to tertiary tauira (see for example Yachin, & Barak, 2019).  A successful example of the escape game movement in education is Breakout EDU (see for example Detwiler, Jacobson, & O’Brien, 2018). In addition to being a platform that provides resources to create your own and use other educator-made physical breakout games, Breakout EDU also provide members with a digital escape game creator and online repository. It was the Breakout EDU digital game format that was used as the mediating artefact in this case study.  A digital escape game, Mathematical Medley, was created for educators undertaking a postgraduate mathematics education course. The game was embedded into the course’s learning management system and activated at a certain time point for tauira to complete in groups or individually (as they chose). The purpose  of the study was to explore how a digital escape game might promote the learning of mathematical content (subject knowledge); and how a digital escape game might enable the use and development of key competencies and mathematical processes. An overview of the escape game, purpose, findings and implications of using the mediating artefact will be shared during the presentation of this case study.

Drama in Education Reaching Beyond the “Art Form or Teaching Tool” Dichotomy

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 70-77
Author(s):  
Irina Lešnik
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Drama In Education ◽  
History Curriculum ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
Theatre Pedagogy ◽  
Emotional Level

Abstract In the following article we try to re-evaluate, the place drama occupies in contemporary elementary education. By limiting the role of drama to literature studies and theatre productions, we lose a greater potential Theatre Pedagogy has to offer to a much broader educational spectrum. The participatory practices of Theatre and Drama in Education (TiE, DiE) promote active learning, based on a most organic children’s activity - play. While students co-create the fictional world of drama, teacher's guidance is crucial in setting new challenges, encouraging students to find creative solutions and reflect on often-complex social issues. Because of its art component, drama challenges the participants on a cognitive as well as emotional level, becoming a truly transformational experience. As such, Drama in Education is especially useful when approaching sensitive and controversial topics. This thesis is presented on a case study observing Year 6 students at St’ Michael’s CE Academy in Birmingham, UK, using Drama in Education method as part of History curriculum.

Asian American Dropouts: A Case Study of Vietnamese and Chinese High School Students in a New England Urban School District

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phitsamay Uy
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
New England ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Dropout Rates ◽  
School Students ◽  
Study Support ◽  
Asian American Student ◽  
K 12

In the world of K–12 education, the growing numbers of dropouts are a major concern. This article examines the dropout rates of Chinese and Vietnamese high school students. Using logistic regression analysis, this article examines the influence of ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) on dropout rates. The distinct contribution of this analysis lies within the intraethnic comparisons within the Asian American student population and its use of longitudinal data. The results of the study support existing research that gender and SES are related to dropout rates. Moreover, an interesting interaction between ethnicity and SES exists.

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