First Digital International School Drama Courseware Development Launched in China Digital Interacti

　　On 29 September, Western International School of Shanghai (WISS) and Shanghai SZB Institute for Research of Arts (SZB) launched a cooperation in to the development of digital drama courseware - "Art Tree", which will cooperate deeply in exploring the connotations of theatre in the new era, collaborating on digital theatre education, integrating international arts curriculum, and talents exchange.

　　Dr. Gregory Brunton, Mr. Myles d'Airelle, Mr. Al McDowall, Mr. Stewart Paterson, and Ms. Christie Lewis from Western International School of Shanghai, Mr. Guo Yincheng, the Executive Director of Western International School of Shanghai, Mr. Hong Bin, the Director of Shanghai SZB Institute for Research of Arts and Associate Professor of the Acting Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy, and academic representatives of the university's theatre program attended the launch ceremony.

　　from left to right: Wu Jiangang, Al McDowall, Christie Lewis, Myles d'Airelle, Hong Bin, Dr. Gregory Brunton, Tim Guo, Stewart Paterson)

　　Before the ceremony, Zhang Weiling, Vice President of Shanghai Theatre Academy, accompanied the representatives of all parties to visit the Dance Centre of Shanghai Theatre Academy, Shanghai Theatre Academy Huashan Road Campus, and held a discussion at the School of Continuing Education of Shanghai Theatre Academy on how to promote the superior disciplines and quality professional resources in the future. The courseware research and development aim to improve the level of arts education, cultivate more excellent artistic talents, promote good socialist core values and excellent traditional culture.

　　After the visit, representatives from WISS and SZB signed the project cooperation intention agreement. The unveiling ceremony was held at the SZB Institute in the Olivier Building of Shanghai Theatre Academy to inaugurate the research and development centre for the drama curriculum of WISS.

　　Dr. Gregory Brunton, Head of School for WISS, said that unlike traditional school drama education, the "Art Tree " use AR, VR and other intelligent devices to allow students to further experience the script and characters through a combination of real and imaginary scenes and role-play interaction. Through this strong sense of immersion, school drama education will be more intuitive and infectious. He also emphasized that the courseware development centre of WISS in the Shanghai Theatre Academy will cooperate with the SZB Institute to explore the possibility of presenting both interactive modes and experiencing VR and AR theatre scenes in the same physical space, creating the first composite theatre education experience space featuring digital interactive experiences in China.

　　Dr. Gregory Brunton, Head of School, WISS

　　With the breakthrough of virtual reality technology, the application of drama education can be infinitely enlarged. As the academic support team of the base centre, the SZB Institute has started the creation of digital school drama education content in January 2017, and has been firmly moving towards shouldering the cultural transmission in recent years. The school aesthetic education application and "drama pedagogy" technological innovation meet the market demand. Using electronic technology to run "Art Tree" , especially for international schools, is a very meaningful occassion. In this regard, Professor Hong Bin took out his mobile phone to demonstrate and emphasised: "Shangzhongbei has created a series of red-themed teaching dramas based on patriotic stories from the national compulsory education textbooks, forming a one-stop school aesthetic program that has been organically integrated with art education curriculum of some primary and secondary schools in Shanghai. The Art Tree will combine the use of visual technology, as well as the use of mobile equipment, to restore the classic drama text, using an international context to fill the gap of 'Chinese elements' in international school drama education.”

　　Mr. Hong Bin, the Director of Shanghai SZB Institute for Research of Arts & Associate Professor of the Acting Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy.

　　Nowadays, the younger generation values interactivity and experience, and the interactive experience of digital technology is more easily accepted by them. Both WISS and SZB Institute have seen the needs of the younger generation in the dissemination of school drama, leading both parties to take advantage of their respective resources and explore the form of building a drama courseware research centre, pooling their teachers to develop resources suitable for students of different ages in international schools. In this way, the improvement of drama education in international schools will be promote further.

　　This reporter noticed that the research centre has already been redecorated with digital equipment. As the first digital international school drama courseware, the base will also support "teaching plays" , using the O2O approach to restore classic drama texts and make drama education more in line with the cognitive habits of the younger generation.

　　Exploring interactive theatre teaching experiences, laying out pilot construction of aesthetic education courses for primary and secondary schools, experimenting with virtual reality teaching methods and technological innovation. When you enter the SZB Institute, you will find its innovative research and development of aesthetic education solutions is extending school drama education to "light applications". The reporter found that by sweeping the QR code, it could instantly experience a series of "teaching drama" courses on mobile phone. With a multimedia "immersion" dual-teacher and 3D effect, it highly recreated scenes from primary and secondary school textbooks such as "The Shining Red Star". Even students who are unfamiliar with the background of the story, they could able to break through the constraints of time and space by the help of professional teaching methods of top-tier art universities in China.

　　"Theatre itself has great appeal, and with digital empowerment, it will be easier to achieve a balance of aesthetic education resources in quality schools." The SZB expert told reporters, "It is hoped that 'Art Tree' will enrich the arts curriculum and formats for schools and link digital publishing, various types of schools and professional resources from universities around this IP, thus forming a high-quality, systematic supply and facilitating the achievement of a balanced resource-based aesthetic education. He also said that "Art Tree" is seeking a breakthrough in the historical opportunity of "theatre teaching practice" by collaborating with international schools in China to develop "Art Tree" in an international context.

　　The reporter learned that "digital aesthetic education" has a huge application scene. The new teaching scene can improve the efficiency of teaching and learning, significantly reduce the time and labor costs of courseware development. Therefore, there are huge opportunities for innovation. In terms of industry demand, in early September 2021, the Ministry of Education agreed to make Shanghai as a pilot zone for digital transformation in education, releasing a large number of "cloud-net-edge-end" digital technology-based teaching services and resources, especially for dance, drama (including opera, film and television, and recitation). It is a must for schools in all districts in Shanghai which rely heavily on "teaching practice".

　　There is no denying that the huge amount of investment in research and technology in this series of explorations will not pay off in a short period of time, and will encounter many digital "bottlenecks". However, as Associate Professor Hong said, only by staying true to the original heart of education can we gain the true value of nurturing our younger generation and dare to take up the responsibility given by the times, which is also the mission of this generation of education practitioners.

　　Western International School of Shanghai introduction.

　　Western International School of Shanghai (WISS) is a forward-thinking school that has been inspiring young people from all over the world since 2006. With students from over 50 countries, the school offers a truly international learning environment. It provides a balanced curriculum with a focus on academics, fine arts and sports, languages etc. The diverse teaching staffs from over 30 countries could provide academic support. The school has always prided itself on its quality.

　　Introduction to the Art Tree .

　　"Art Tree" is a school aesthetic education courseware developed by the SZB Institute，which in collaboration with more than 60 university experts in aesthetic education over a period of nearly five years. With digital theatre education as the entry point, it is dedicated to promoting the integration and innovative development of Chinese cultural heritage and modern education, creating school aesthetic education system (preschool, primary, junior high and high school versions) with standardised features , and producing supporting video courseware and teacher training systems.