Theatre art can be included in education in different ways and with different goals. The first two pillars of theatre pedagogy – theatre literacy and theatre creation – have as their goal familiarisation with theatre art and theatre creation. The third pillar of theatre pedagogy – learning through theatrical approaches – understands theatre (or theatre approaches, methods and techniques) not only as a goal but primarily as a means for achieving broader educational goals. Drama in education (DiE) represents such a theatrical approach, which can be applied to various subject areas. In addition to educational goals, we also achieve aesthetic goals – we learn through drama and about drama. Drama in education belongs to the so-called process forms of drama, as it does not envisage a final product, that is, a performance. It originates from an improvised symbolic play/role play, and due to educational goals, it can also be argued that it indicates a learning approach in which the teacher/theatre pedagogue uses a combination of methods and techniques of theatre pedagogy connected in a meaningful dramatic structure. In addition to creative theatre activities, drama in education devotes most of its time to the negotiation and structuring of meanings directed by the teacher/theatre pedagogue. Even if a precise definition of drama in education is not possible, its key characteristics are processability, role play, improvisation, collectivity, dialogue and a symbolic dimension. Gledališka umetnost se v vzgojo in izobraževanje lahko vključuje na različne načine in z različnimi cilji. Prva dva stebra gledališke pedagogike – gledališko opismenjevanje in gledališko ustvarjanje – imata za cilj seznanjanje z gledališko umetnostjo in ustvarjanje gledališča, medtem ko tretji steber gledališke pedagogike – učenje z gledališkimi pristopi – gledališče (oz. gledališke pristope, metode in tehnike) razume ne le kot cilj, temveč predvsem kot sredstvo za doseganje širših vzgojno-izobraževalnih ciljev. Tak gledališki pristop predstavlja drama v izobraževanju, ki jo lahko apliciramo na različna predmetna področja in pri tem poleg vzgojno-izobraževalnih dosegamo tudi estetske cilje – učimo se z dramo in o drami. Drama v izobraževanju spada med t. i. procesne oblike drame, saj ne predvideva končnega produkta (predstave). Izhaja iz improvizirane simbolne igre / igre vlog, zaradi vzgojno-izobraževalnih ciljev pa lahko trdimo tudi, da označuje učni pristop, pri katerem učitelj / gledališki pedagog uporablja kombinacije metod in tehnik gledališke pedagogike, povezanih v smiselno dramsko strukturo. Drama v izobraževanju ob ustvarjalnih gledaliških dejavnostih največ časa namenja dogovarjanju in strukturiranju pomenov, kar usmerja učitelj / gledališki pedagog. Četudi do potankosti izpeljana definicija drame v izobraževanju ni mogoča, so njene ključne značilnosti naslednje: procesnost, igra vlog, improvizacija, kolektivnost, dialog in simbolna dimenzija.