Teacher training should promote the professional competence of student teachers to plan drama education. This study focuses on how designing a drama course based on the Steps of Progress (SPM) and Arc of Drama (ADM) models can promote the adoption of drama education as described by student teachers. Research data was collected from the synthesis of student teachers (N=39) who participated in the 2019 drama education course in adult teacher education. The research method is qualitative content analysis. The research question is, how does SPM- and ADM-based drama education contribute to student teachers' understanding of drama education practices? The results suggest that drama teaching based on the SPM and ADM design principles promotes the adoption of drama teaching by student teachers and that the models also develop an understanding of drama teaching design. The results support the view that SPM and ADM work in designing drama education by enabling group bonding, cohesion, and the adoption of the drama methods themselves. Furthermore, the role of the teacher as a designer and sensitive facilitator of drama education is essential because of the importance of maintaining the power of interaction and presence.