Blogger selection 2008 results

Blogger selection 2008 results Trivia: Who was the first student blogger for MIT Admissions? And who is the most senior of the current student bloggers? [answer at the end of the entry] You may recall that last month we put out a call for new bloggers. The response was overwhelming: we received 48 applications. With a 12.5% blogger admit rate, it was almost as hard to be selected as a blogger as it was to be selected for MIT this year (11.9%)! Before we reveal this years new bloggers, Id like to share with you some of the excitement and agony of the application selection process. Some of the more interesting submissions were in response to short answer question #2. Of the 48 applicants, the majority of the applicants chose Option A: In a paragraph or two, describe to us a YouTube video, and why it is the single most important piece of art ever created. Here are the videos that were submitted, in a fairly random order: Large Hadron Rap Hear My Train A Comin (Acoustic) Jimi Hendrix Alive in Joberg Rick Roll #1 Girls are like MMs Family Guy clip Crank Dat Curry Sauce Music Video The Dove Self-Esteem Fund Since I Have Run I Hate Everyone Get Set Go Self Defense Where the Hell is Matt? Pulp Fiction in Typography [warning: swear words] Rick Roll #2 Black Screen Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams Cert Wi-Fi feat. Sigma Beta Busta Chi Here It Goes Again OK Go The 5th Avocado Gnarls Barkley Whos Gonna Save My Soul? Kerri Strugs Gold Medal Vault Yo! Gabba Gabba Party In My Tummy Korean Breakdancing to a Modern Remix of Canon in D by Pachelbel Rick Roll #3 FREE HUGS in HOLLYWOOD! Paintjam Dan Dunn Test Your Awareness Snowball Our Dancing Cockatoo A History of Evil Japanese Penguin Goes Shopping Christmas Lights Crazy Indian Video Buffalaxed! Daft Hands Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger The remaining applicants chose Option B: Create and submit MIT Admissions blog-related Lolcats (or Lolbeavers, or Lolsnivelys, or). Here are the Lolcats, again in a fairly random order: Having reviewed all of the YouTube videos, Lolcats, and the more substantial parts of the application, the committee which this year consisted of myself, Laura, Lulu, Mikey 05, and Kim 86 assembled and had some very tough discussions. In many ways, it was like the MIT freshman admissions committee; probably the biggest similarity was how there were so many good candidates but so few spaces. Our discussions were certainly spirited, but in the end, we were all thrilled with the new bloggers we chose. Sadly, there were many, many awesome bloggers we werent able to hire. It was hard to let go. Thank you all for applying! Without further ado, here are the new student bloggers: Kim D. 09 Cristen C. 10 Ahmed H. 12 Chris M. 12 Shannon M. 12 Yan Z. 12 They complement the returning student bloggers: Laura N. 09 Lulu L. 09 Jess K. 10 Keri G. 10 Paul B. 11 Chris S. 11 Snively 11 Look for a future entry with a rundown of the full 2008-09 blogger roster. This is going to be an exciting year! Trivia answer: Mitra 07 was the original student blogger she and I share the same blogiversary, August 6, 2004. If you havent read any of her entries, I recommend going back and reading them! Ditto for Laura 09, the most senior of the current student bloggers. Respect the Laura!

The Financial Crisis Of The Great Depression - 1571 Words

In the words from Ben Bernanke, â€Å"September and October of 2008 was the worst financial crisis in global history, including the Great Depression† (Yahoo Finance 2014). The effects from the banking, or credit, crisis were felt worldwide. Starting back when the investment banks went public and lobbying for deregulation, resulting in risky investments with creative ways to hide these investments can be directly correlated with the causes of the crisis. The effects, consequently, are catastrophic and are still lingering on six years later. What was one of the first causes for this meltdown? Even six years after the fact, people are still unsure. I believe that it started when the investment banks went public. When a company goes†¦show more content†¦The Gram-Leech-Bliley Act allowed this merger to be legal. This act, which revoked the Glass Steagall Act, was the largest achievement for the lobbyists for Wall Street (Repealing Glass-Steagall section, para. 7). This allowed the banks to keep growing and growing so that they were becoming too big to fail. Allowing this merger made it clear to firms that with enough time and money, anything can happen. In the movie Inside Job Willem Buiter states that â€Å"why do you have big banks? Well, because banks like monopoly power; because banks like lobbying power; because, banks know that when they’re too big, they will be bailed† (2010). When a single entity has this much power, they will be riskier in their investments which leads to higher short run earnings but destroys the firm in the long run. And with that assurance of being bailed out, they will not care how risky the investments are, just as long as they get their large bonuses. Christine Lagarde brought up this point during Inside Job in saying that â€Å"the financial industry is a service industry. It should serve others before it serves itself† (2010). She is insisting that ethics should be one of the fir st things under consideration. I believe that the paying customers should always be the top priority. Firms usually want to sell their loyal customers a great product, but in this case the firms sold their customers crap investments

Noises Off a Comedic Play by Michael Frayn

Englands Daily Telegraph reviewed the  touring production of Noises Off, calling it the funniest comedy ever written. Thats a bold claim, especially since weve met people who have seen the play and were not amused. They offered such opinions as: Its too long.Too much slapstick.I thought it was vulgar. As we  spoke with these unimpressed audience members, we learned that they had never been involved in the theater. Playwright Michael Frayn created Noises Off   in the early 1980s. It is a love letter and an inside joke to those of us familiar with the thrilling and unpredictable nature of the stage. Noise Off Noises Off   is a play within a play. It is about an ambitious director and his troupe of mediocre actors. The cast and crew are putting together a silly sex comedy titled, Nothing On - a single-set farce in which lovers frolic, doors slam, clothes are tossed away, and embarrassing hi-jinks ensue. The three acts of Noises Off   expose different phases of the disastrous show, Nothing On: Act One: On stage during dress rehearsal.Act Two: Backstage during a matinee performance.Act Three: On stage during a delightfully ruined performance. Act One: the Dress Rehearsal While the impatient director, Lloyd Dallas, trudges through the opening scene of Noises On, the actors keep breaking character. Dottie keeps forgetting when to take her plate of sardines. Garry keeps challenging the stage directions in the script. Brooke is clueless about her fellow performers  and constantly loses her contact lens. Act One lampoons the common problems which typically occur during the rehearsal process: Forgetting your lines.Second guessing your director.Misplacing your props.Missing your entrances.Falling in love with fellow cast members. Yes, aside from all of the physical comedy, the conflict of Noises Off   is intensified when several of the theater romances turn sour. Because of jealousy, double-crosses, and misunderstandings, tensions mount, and the performances of Nothing On go from bad to worse to wonderfully awful. Act Two: Backstage Antics The second act of Noises Off   takes place entirely backstage. Traditionally, the entire set is rotated to reveal the behind the scenes events which unfold. It is fun to watch the same scene of Nothing On from a different perspective. For anyone who has been backstage during a show—especially when something goes wrong—Act Two is bound to conjure a flood of hilarious memories. Despite the characters backstabbing one another, they somehow manage to get through their scene. But thats not the case with the final act of the play. Act Three: When Everything Goes Wrong In Act Three of Noises Off,, the cast of Nothing On has been performing their show for nearly three months. They are seriously burnt out. When Dottie makes a few mistakes during her opening scene, she just begins to ramble, making up lines from off the top of her head. The rest of the characters then make a series of mistakes: Garry cant improvise his way out of a paper bag.Brooke doesnt pay attention to the changes that are rapidly occurring—she just keeps doing her lines, even when they arent appropriate.The veteran actor, Selsdon, cant keep away from booze. By the plays end, their show is a comical catastrophe—and the audience is rolling in the aisles, loving every moment. If you have never experienced theater as an actor or a crew member, then perhaps Noises Off   is simply an entertaining show with a lot of laughs. However, for those of us who tread the boards, Michael Frayns Noises Off   might very well be the funniest play ever written.

Decriminalization of Marijuana Free Essays

Darnell Taylor M. Channing English 1B March 5, 2013 Decriminalization of Marijuana As I researched the internet for information about the decriminalization of marijuana, I found so much information concerning this project that it was hard putting together some thoughts. Through my research of the different topics I came to the conclusion that the ones I am writing about seem to be the most important concerning the decriminalization of marijuana. We will write a custom essay sample on Decriminalization of Marijuana or any similar topic only for you Order Now Should a person go to jail for smoking marijuana? A lot of people would say no, a person should not go to jail for smoking it. Marijuana is not a narcotic, such as heroin, or a stimulant like caffeine or tobacco, or a depressant, like alcohol. It would be easy to say marijuana is less of a threat to a person’s health than alcohol or tobacco. Marijuana became illegal on August 2, 1937 with the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act. Discrimination and racism played a big part in this because it was said that Blacks and other minorities were the majority of marijuana users. Politicians and lack of understanding of the drug is why marijuana is still illegal today. The scientific name for marijuana is cannabis. There are two main strains of marijuana and they are called Indica and Sativa. Cannabis is known in the streets, by many other names such as dank, bud, buddha, maryjane, weed, or reefer, and has been used medically since the beginning of civilization. The oldest known evidence of cannabis use comes from a tomb in the African country of Egypt, where cannabis was found in big bundles beside the tomb. In Canada, a high-level public official said the current marijuana prohibition was not working for the benefit of that country . The number of known marijuana users has grown from 55,000 to 350 million, a fact showing that prohibition of marijuana is not working. The big push for the United States to decriminalize marijuana started in the 1970’s, when almost half the states either approved it for medical use, decriminalized it, or completely legalized it. The people for decriminalization argue that legalizing cannabis would free up billions of dollars that we now use to prosecute users, pay for a large portion of law enforcement resources, and pay for large amounts of prison resources. It would reduce the income of street gangs and organized crime that grow, import, process, and sell illegal marijuana. With decriminalization and regulation it would provide large amounts of tax revenue and reduce enforcement costs, with little or no effect on how much is used. Decriminalization would lower the number of non-violent offenders in the prisons. The number of marijuana possession cases would also decline allowing less pressure on the Criminal Justice system. Decriminalization and legalization of marijuana are favored just because it is believed that a person’s rights should be respected. How a person lives his life, as long as he’s not hurting others, should be allowed. Users wouldn’t have to be scared of getting caught’ a person’s life would not be ruined for having a small amount of marijuana. A person wouldn’t lose his job because he had a little marijuana. College careers wouldn’t be ruined because of marijuana possession. The opposition also argues that cannabis on the streets today has a higher percentage of THC (the primary intoxicant), than in cannabis of an earlier time and that decriminalization will lead to more usage, more crime, and more abuse of dangerous illicit drugs. The Legal History of Marijuana in the United States: Decriminalization (1970-2000s) Check all the places that have decriminalized non-medical marijuana in the United States. Most of the states are in favor of decriminalization. They have started programs such as Drug Education or Drug Treatment in place of jail time or criminal charges for possession of small amounts of marijuana. This offense is now the lowest priority for law enforcement. In 1972, President Richard Nixon set up a committee to study marijuana use. The Commission found out that the fairness of cannabis prohibition was unclear, and that the Executive and Legislative branches had a responsibility to obey the Constitution. Even in the absence of a court ruling to do so, they did not put the study’s recommendations in action. In 1973, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize marijuana. In 1974, a Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, chaired by Senator James O. Eastland on the Marijuana-Hashish Epidemic and its impact on United States security said that evidence collected on marijuana had turned against this drug. By 1978 Alaska, California, Colorado, Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio had some form of marijuana decriminalization. Certain cities and countries, especially in California, had adopted laws to further push decriminalized cannabis. When speaking against decriminalization, a 1974 study by the United States government and endorsed by then-President Ronald Reagan is being used. The results claim that in a test using monkeys, loss of brain cells was discovered. Unknown to the public was that this story was totally unfair. The monkeys were made to wear gas masks and marijuana was then pumped into their lungs non-stop for 5 minutes at a time with no fresh oxygen. It was a miracle the monkeys didn’t die and suffered only brain damage in this act of animal cruelty. Another study published in ‘The Journal of Clinical Investigation† shows that cannabis use actually stimulates cell development. It is not possible to overdose on marijuana, unlike most prescription and illegal drugs. Marijuana has yet to be proven addictive or deadly. No deaths have been linked to marijuana use. It has no known lethal dose. Health issues and family responsibilities, not legal issues, are reasons given for stopping or never starting the use of marijuana. Even the thought of it being a â€Å"gateway† drug is controversial. Research shows the real â€Å"gateway† is the illegal drug market. The â€Å"gateway† effect for marijuana could be because exposure to other illegal drugs when buying marijuana â€Å"on the streets† increases the opportunity to use other illegal drugs. Several states have taken steps about the marijuana issue by decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of the drug, reducing sanctions for amounts suitable for personal use. For marijuana that means one ounce or less. In recent history, there have been a lot of unsuccessful attempts to decriminalize cannabis. In 1974, Dr. Robert DuPont, the White House Drug Czar, began to publicly support the decriminalization of marijuana. When DuPont left government he changed his mind, seeing marijuana as a health problem and declaring â€Å"decriminalization is a bad idea†. Robert DuPont is still an active opponent of the decriminalization of marijuana. A law to legalize marijuana state-wide was put on the California Ballot in 1972. Proposition 19 was rejected by 66 percent of the votes. The Initiative reads as follows: 1. No person in the State of California, 18 years or older shall be punished, or be denied any right or privilege, by reason of such person’s planting, cultivating, harvesting, drying, processing, otherwise transporting, or possessing marijuana. 2. This provision shall in no way be construed to repeal existing legislation, or limit the enactment of future legislation, prohibiting persons under the influence of marijuana from engaging in conduct that endangers others. In Gonzales vs. Raich the courts ruled in a 6-3 decision that the Commerce Clause and the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution allowed the Federal government to ban the use of cannabis (including medical use) because Federal law is â€Å"supreme† and overrules State law. Further legalization of cannabis came in 2012 as two of three things to vote on were put on the general ballot of November 6th and were successful by wide margins. Washington’s Initiative 502 (2011) and Colorado’s Amendment 64 (2012) passed in the general election, as Oregon’s Ballot Measure 80 (2012) failed. Both of the successful measures restricted cannabis possession to adults aged 21 or over, restricted the total amount allowed and included a â€Å"DUID† (Driving under the Influence of Drugs) provision against driving under the influence of marijuana. Both specifically regulated cannabis much like hard liquor has been since the end of prohibition in the United States and avoided any changes to medical marijuana law. Initiative 502 defined marijuana based on its THC content and controlled all growth; processing and sales of marijuana based on its THC content and controlled all growth, processing and sale of marijuana under the Washington State Liquor Control Board, with restrictions against public consumption. The Colorado Measure allowed â€Å"private grows† in addition to commercial regulation. The failed Oregon law established a new State agency to regulate and tax cannabis but was less specific and allowed possession for all adults, aged 18 or older. Illegal marijuana cost taxpayers $7. 5 billion a year (enforcement, prosecution, incarceration and monitoring). It also makes growing hemp, which can be used to make cloth, paper and rope, against the law. When imported from places like Canada, Russia, and China hemp products are legal. In 1645 hemp was a cash crop in America and Europeans were growing it before that. Almost one million people a year are in trouble with the law, about marijuana. 15 billion a year goes to the â€Å"War on Marijuana†, which doesn’t look too successful. Decriminalization will reduce these numbers. There is little proof that decriminalization of marijuana use leads to an increase in marijuana use. Almost one million people a year are in trouble with the law, about marijuana. $15 billion a year goes to the â€Å"War on Marijuanaâ₠¬ , which doesn’t look too successful. Decriminalization would reduce these numbers. In January, 2011, first year Arizona Republican Legislator John Fillmore introduced House Bill 2228. This bill would decriminalize marijuana possession of 2 ounces or less to a petty offense with a penalty no more than a $100 fine, similar to the laws in Colorado and California. On January 1, 1975, Senate Bill 95 made possession of under one ounce of marijuana for non-medical use punishable by a $100 fine; tougher punishments exists for amounts of more than an ounce, possession on school grounds, or violation of marijuana laws for sales or cultivation. If the offender is under the age of 21, his or her Driver’s License may be suspended for up to one year. In Mendocino County, voters in 2000 approved Measure G, which called for the decriminalization of marijuana when used, or cultivated for personal use. Measure G passed with a 58 percent majority vote, making it the first county in the United States to declare prosecution of small-scale cannabis offenses The â€Å"lowest priority† for law enforcement. Measure G does not protect individuals who cultivate, transport, or possess marijuana for sale. Measure G was passed at the local government level making it law only in Mendocino County and does not affect existing state or federal laws. On September 30, 2010 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law, S. B. 1449. A bill that decriminalizes the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. The bill reduces simple possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction. This would eliminate the need to appear in court and would treat possession of less than 28. 5 grams like a traffic ticket, punishable by a $100 fine. Also in 2010, Proposition 19, titled the â€Å"Regulate, Control, and Tax Act 2010†, qualified for the November California Ballot. It was rejected by 54 percent of the voters. The Initiative would have legalized the recreational use of marijuana and its activities in the state of California. It would have let local governments to regulate and tax the cannabis market. In Colorado marijuana has helped the state economically with millions of dollars in revenue generated with the legalization of marijuana for adult use, regulating and taxing it the same way alcohol is regulated. Before November 6, 2012 the cities of Breckenridge and Denver, Colorado had passed Measures to make possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal, even though possession was still a crime under tate and federal laws. Amendment 64 to the Colorado Constitution, which passed November 6, 2012, legalized recreational marijuana use under State law. In 2006 Amendment 44 was rejected by 59 percent of the voting population. Amendment 44 would have legalized possession of 28. 45 grams (approximately one ounce) or less by adults 21 or older. California is estimated to have saved a billion doll ars in a twelve year period between 1976 and1988 as a result of decriminalizing marijuana. In 2003 the United States spent $12. billion on law enforcement and court costs; and $16. 9 billion in penitentiary costs, with Alaska spending as much as $25 to $30million per year enforcing marijuana prohibition laws. There is little proof that decriminalization of marijuana use leads to an increase in marijuana use. The cost of arresting and prosecuting marijuana offenders were lower instates where possession of marijuana in small amounts had been decriminalized. In places where marijuana possession is still a criminal offense and not decriminalized, there has been an increase in marijuana use. In countries where marijuana has been decriminalized there are lower rates of drug use when compared to countries where marijuana possession in small amounts is still a criminal offense punished by jail time. In 2006, marijuana was the top cash crop in 12 states, one of the top 3 cash crops in 30 states and one of the top 5 cash crops in 39 states. United States marijuana production is estimated at $35 billion annually. Some Health Benefits of Marijuana Use Should marijuana still be illegal in the United States based on its health effects, medicinal value and costs to the country? Some people suffering from afflictions have to break the law to relieve chronic pain. 1. For asthma and the common cough – Marijuana is one of the best dilators of the bronchioles (The first passageways by which the air passes through the nose to the air sacs of the lungs). 2. For AIDS Wasting Syndrome and Eating Disorders – Where â€Å"munchies† from smoking marijuana increases the user’s appetite. 3. For Crohn’s Disease, Cancer, and Migraines – Marijuana’s pain relieving qualities help. 4. For ADD and ADHD – Besides being an alternative to Ritalin, marijuana helps without any of the Ritalin side effects. . Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) – Reduces pain in severe cases of PMS. 6. Tourette’s and OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) – Marijuana slows down the tics in people that have Tourette’s and the symptoms of the people with OCD. 7. For Anxiety-Marijuana calms 8. Hepatitis C-Marijuana helps improve dr ug therapy treatment 9. Marijuana also helps with Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, Depression, and Multiple Sclerosis. I tried to give as much information as I could to let you know what’s going on. I hope I did that. Works Cited â€Å"Decriminalization of Marijuana†, Lawrence, B. K. Studymode. com, 6 May 2005, http://www. Studymode. com/Essays/Decriminalization-marijuana-56452. html â€Å"Decriminalization of Marijuana†, 123HelpMe. com, 10 Mar 2013 â€Å"Decriminalization of Marijuana†, Termpaper. com, 12 Apr 2012 http://Termpaper. com/Essay-on/Decriminalization-Of-Marijuana/79942 â€Å"Decriminalization vs. Prohibition†, 123HelpMe. com, 10 Mar 2013 http://www. 123HelpMe. com/view. asp? id=61687 â€Å"Illegal Drugs: Legalization of Marijuana†, Marijuana. com, 19 Apr 2010 â€Å"Smoke In The Air†, 123HelpMe. com, 10 Mar 2013 http://www. 123HelpMe. com/view. asp? id=86223 How to cite Decriminalization of Marijuana, Essay examples

Descriptions of Several Coronations System †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Descriptions of Several Coronations System. Answer: Introduction: Survey of London is one of the most famous works published in the 16th Century that gave detailed accounts of the buildings, social conditions and customs of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It is one of the historical sources that describe the condition of London during that time, though some scholars have doubts about some of the accuracy of the information provided in the book. John Stow was the author of this book. The books second corrected version was later published and st6ill a third version was launched after the death of the author. Chronicles are written accounts based on facts and these describe, events, lifestyles and peoples stories. These are records. The Chronicles are very important sources to understand the historical value of a place and the lifestyle of the people at that particular time period. The Chronicles from very early periods are often doubted of their informative accuracy management and there are contradictions in some of them. In the work Survey of London John Stow has described in great details many of the features of the London city at that point of time. The language of the records and the spellings are often difficult as old English is used. In the chapter called the Langborne warde for example descriptions are given as follows. Langborne warde, so called of a long borne of sweete water, which of olde time breaking out into Fenchurch streete, ranne downe the same streete, and Lombard street, to the West end of S. Mary Woolnothes Church, where turning south, and breaking into smal shares, rils or streams, it left the name of Share borne lane, or South borne lane (as I haue read) because it ran south to the Riuer of Thames. Therefore there are detailed geographical details along with names of streets and many other details and the reader can make out exactly how the place appeared like. In the following lines the work goes on t6o describe lanes, churches, buildings and other places and their detailed exp lanations are given as well. The historical source of the names of the Churches are also given in the accounts, Fenne-church streete tooke that name of a Fennie or Moorish ground, so made by means of this borne which passed through it[4]. Therefore these records can be used to understand the geography of London of the time period described in the chronicle. Henry Machyn was one of the famous Chroniclers of the 16th Century London from whose accounts many interesting aspect of the city life can be understood[5]. He had recorded various important events such as changes on the throne, state visits, insurrections, executions and festivities. His diary is one of the important sources to know the contemporary life of London and various important events. Various turbulent and disturbing times were recorded by him and these can be analysed by the first-hand accounts he presented. He had maintained his diary in a systematic way and dated all the entries according to years and months which directly corroborates the dates of the important events. If the entries between the January-June period be analysed from the year 1554, several important events are dotted along with description of the lives of the people. The ij day of January the king of Spain's ambassadors landed at Tower wharf. During whose landing there was great shooting of the guns. The lord Wylliam Haward dyd saff-gard them; and so rod to-gether, and in Fanchyrche stret my lord of Devonshire and dyvers odur mett them, and rod with them unto Durram Plasse, and ther they dyd a-lyght[6]. The spellings and the language is the older form of English language. In this entry the landing and reception of Spains ambassador is described. There are descriptions of several coronations, executions and state visits throughout the accounts. Therefore everyday life of the royals and the people can be understood from this Chronicle, however because of the use of old English sometimes it becomes difficult for the layman to understand what has been stated in these texts management. The analysis of the two Chronicles, the diary of Henry Machyn and the Survey of London by John Stow can give a very clear idea about the life of the people of the contemporary times and the geographical map of the city. It is very evident that these authors have taken extensive effort in noting down what real life incidents they experienced or the geographical characteristic features they saw. However there may be certain technical mistakes that may not be true, but it will be wrong to completely dismiss the accounts as works of fiction because of the presence of some of the minor mistakes that may have been there in the accounts. Reference: Beer, B. L. (2013). John Kyngston and Fabyans Chronicle (1559).Library,14(2), 199-207. Gordon, A. (2013). Henry Machyns Book of Remembrance. InWriting Early Modern London(pp. 11-59). Palgrave Macmillan, London. Gordon, A. (2013).Writing Early Modern London: Memory, Text and Community. Springer. Kingsford, C. L. (Ed.). (2015).Chronicles of London. Cambridge University Press. Maitzen, R. A. (2013).Gender, Genre, and Victorian Historical Writing. Routledge. Stow, J. (1842).A survey of London.

The Impact of Ethics on Decision Making Essay Example For Students

The Impact of Ethics on Decision Making Essay Running Head: Ethical Decisions The Impact of Ethics on Decision Making Essay Sheila Reeve University of Phoenix Online The Impact of Ethics on Decision Making We will write a custom essay on The Impact of Ethics on Decision Making specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Ferrel and Gardiner (1991) say there are two criteria to ethical choices on top of being legal. The first being; One does not infringe on the basic inalienable human rights such as life, freedom of speech and privacy, due process recognized by our society (ethical formalism). Basically stating the respect of others should be considered in all decisions. The second states each person should strive towards an increase in self-esteem and mental health. Maintaining self-respect should be thought of in the decision making process. We all face decisions in every day life, some appear obvious and easy while others do not. People are always struggling with their ethics during the decision making process. There are those who do not how to decided which is ethical or not. I found an Ethics Quick Test from the Online Ethics for Engineering and Science page (2002), which provides seven things, to check in order to examine the ethical implications toward a person decisions: 1)Is the action legal? 2)Does it comply with your understanding of our values? 3)If you do it, will you feel bad? 4)How will it look in the newspaper? 5)If you know it is wrong, do not do it. 6)If you are not sure, ask. 7)Keep asking until you get an answer. Even though this information pertains to a specific topic it can also be used in everyday life. Everyone should be able to look at a choice and answer these questions without hesitation. When thinking of whether or not something is legal, one would need to look at all aspect of the word legal. Is this going to harm anyone, including ones self? There is also the issue of the decision being legal but it may not be ethical. For example: a woman who legally not responsible for a traffic accident but clearly in the cause. She stops in the road because she wants to get something out of her car into a building. Not only does she turn her car off, she turns her lights off as well with no hazard lights turned on. The road has no room from the curb to the actual road for a car to pass without going into oncoming traffic. A second driver coming down the same road, not seeing her car sitting on the side of the road runs into her car. The person in the second car receives the traffic ticket and is sued for damages done to her car. The insurance company for this person ends up paying for the damages done to the ladys car. Even though this is not ethical it was completely legal. If the woman, in the parked car, had thought about the consequences of her actions she would have realized she was in the wrong and perhaps not have sued the innocent person. Ferrel and Gardiner mention along with some decisions comes a price of short-term stress or a degree of conflict and pain. Many people battle the decision of whether their personal values outweigh what is legally right. As is most situations within the medical field. Knowing that each person has his or her own values and beliefs is one thing. Its another to accept this fact though. Within the medical field this is a conflict that arises often. By law, medical personnel must learn to put their own personal beliefs aside and abide by the wishes of the patients and families. If they dont, the risk of being sued is high. Which is ethical though? Abiding the wishes of the patient or ones own beliefs? Many battle the If I turn this machine off this person will die, it will be my fault. This is a decision one should make prior to entering the field. Perhaps the above number four, regarding the newspaper issue, may not be pertinent, but the issue raises a good point. .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 , .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .postImageUrl , .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 , .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818:hover , .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818:visited , .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818:active { border:0!important; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818:active , .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818 .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u12d9001c8e90b73750ad97b3ce36f818:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: 4th grade Living Things Unit 4, Lesson 1 A better way of looking at it might be: If looked at from the perspective of others, how will it appear? What will the public eye think about the decision made? If a Senator .

Drama in English National Curriculum The WritePass Journal

Drama in English National Curriculum Bibliography Drama in English National Curriculum 1. Drama in the National Curriculum. 1.1   Drama as part of English in the National Curriculum.1.2 How we got to where we are now.CHAPTER TWO – ARGUMENTS FOR DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECTCHAPTER THREE – ARGUMENTS AGAINST DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECTCONCLUSIONBibliographyRelated The aim of this report is to understand where Drama stands in education within England at present. It searches for its’ mention within the National Curriculum and interprets what this means for the teaching of the subject. It looks at primary and secondary schools’ current trends towards Drama as a discrete subject, and argues the benefits and disadvantages of it having its’ own subject heading within the National Curriculum. The evidence will be evaluated and a conclusion formulated. 1. Drama in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum website provides the most up to date information on how Drama is placed within the curriculum. At first glance Drama is absent but mention of it can be located, mainly within the subject of English. [See Appendix One for a description of the requirements and activities for Key Stages (KS) 1 2. (National Curriculum, 2011a)]. Whilst there are aims and objectives published for KS1 2, at KS3 4 there is mention of selected playwrights as subjects to be studied and the expectation that at least one Shakespearean play will be explored in depth at each stage (National Curriculum, 2011b c). References to the use of Drama appear under Literature [See Appendix Two] (National Curriculum, 2011d). For England the Teachernet (Teachernet, 2011), DFES Drama Objectives (DFES, 2011) and QCDA (QCDA, 2011) resources have been/are being decommissioned with edited highlights appearing in the National Archive. In fact most of the Government resources advocated by the Initial Teacher Education website for English are no more (ITE, 2011a). The Department of Education website is replacing it, but the only suitable material found for Drama is an item for the Speaking and Listening element at KS1 2 dated 2004 (Department of Education, 2011). In Ireland drama is within the ‘arts’ sector, alongside visual arts and music. The strand is â€Å"Drama to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas, leading to understanding.†   They expect that when this subject is taught correctly it can help children at a young age to understand/relate and deal with life situations that can occur (Irish Curriculum, 2011). Whilst Drama is placed firmly in Arts Education as a trio with the visual and aural mediums, there is little support to be found in their Curriculum Planner as well (NCCA, 2011). Compare this to 52 resources for Drama in the Scottish Curriculum (Scottish Curriculum Resources for Drama, 2011). In Northern Ireland Drama is mentioned in Language Literacy and has its own subject within The Arts and resources are well provided (N. Ireland Resources, 2011). At KS1 2 the statutory subjects that all pupils must study are art and design, design and technology, English, geography, history, information and communication technology (ICT), mathematics, music, physical education and science. Religious education must also be provided at KS 1 and 2 (National Curriculum, 2011e), although there is a non-statutory program of study. From the National Curriculum (2011e) for Religious Education there are the following two points: 1). Explore how religious beliefs and ideas can be expressed through the arts and communicate their responses. 2). Using art and design, music, dance and drama to develop their creative talents and imagination. Art and design does not mention drama until KS 2 as follows from the National Curriculum (2011f): Exploring a range of starting points for practical work [for example, themselves, their experiences, images, stories, drama, music, natural and made objects and environments] Yet making puppet theatres, and also creating atmosphere in sounds, lighting, backdrops and costumes for full size plays would make the subject more fun whilst defining a practical purpose for the work. Drama in a similar way should be a fertile ground for scenery and special effects within Design and Technology yet it is not mentioned at all (National Curriculum, 2011g 2011h). Music and Physical Education in a similar vein have a relationship to Drama through Dance but there is no credit for it. History could conceivably use period dramas to illustrate points and the appreciation of accuracy in the texts and writers’ bias would then be covered in Drama. Stenhouse (1981, p.29) is against the idea that Drama is for teaching other subjects in the curriculum and rejects the imagined realities of Drama for the authenticated realities of pure history. ICT could provide a multi-media back drop similar to that of exhibition trade stands and modern performances that use computerised effects and giant screens. When the National Curriculum was being formulated teachers were vocal in their disapproval of the many curriculum subjects being loaded into the National Curriculum, such that subjects were curtailed following Music and Art (Baldwin, 2011). As the (NCCCE, 1999, p.75) report states ‘there are more than ten subjects in the world.† It also notes that Dance is not found with sport, games and athletics after education and that Drama is not just verbal. (NACCCE, 1999, p.76) points out that of all the countries in the QCA/NFER INCA archive, England was unique in having 10 discrete subjects from KS 1-4. â€Å"When the National Curriculum was introduced, specialist drama practitioners eagerly awaited the National Curriculum for Drama. They are still waiting.†Ã‚  (Baldwin, 2011). 1.1   Drama as part of English in the National Curriculum. One of the ongoing debates about the nature of English centres around its relationship [sic] the creative arts.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Is English an Arts based, creative discipline, or a much more functional, competency led subject?†, and â€Å"Is Drama itself an Arts based discipline or a method of education, a form of learning?† (ITE, 2011b) The role of drama in the curriculum remains in practice very much in doubt. It is believed that future employers have been unhappy with general educational standards of school leavers. A contributionary factor to this low estimation (for the subject) has been the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  political shift from a liberal view (of the centrality of aesthetic and artistic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  experience in education) towards a more vocationally – orientated view in which   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the secondary curriculum is seen rather as a feeder of commercial, industrial and post-industrial requirements as they have been immerging in recent years. (Morton, 1984, p.56). The Arts Council England (2003, p.6) explains that all pupils’ minimum statutory entitlements for the study of Drama are acknowledged within the National Curriculum for English. According to Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196), â€Å"The national curriculum firmly places drama within the English domain.† Neelands (2008, p.1) refers to the National Curriculum as the English Model where, â€Å"Drama was first introduced into the secondary curriculum through the English curriculum and timetable†. He amusingly cites the fact that Shakespeare was English to explain how we arrived at this unique position, which has not been followed elsewhere in the world except maybe Wales (Welsh Curriculum KS 1 (2008) Welsh Curriculum KS 2-4 (2008) where Drama is mentioned within English and to a lesser extent Welsh. Drama as a subject in its’ own right is not present in the primary curriculum, but as a part of English or R.E, or furnishing other areas and cross curricular themes. Even though Drama is absent from the curriculum for primary schools, it is still present through the activities and lessons which are taught using drama, â€Å"many primary schools already include drama in their curriculum, without realizing that the activities the children are involved in are actually drama.† (Arts on the move, 2010). For High School teachers, it can be a problem for them to know what to expect of pupils entering KS 3, this is because of the lack of continuity in Drama across all the Primary Schools, therefore only an educated guess can be made on the pupils’ prior drama experiences. Neelands (2004, p.9) offers 6 points of common reference which can be found in Appendix Three. According to Neelands (2008, p.2) statistics show that, †¦many schools in England do offer drama as a separate timetabled subject in Key Stage 3 and this makes drama the only ‘subject’ in the English system which is ‘unregulated’ in terms of a nationally agreed curriculum beyond the references to speaking and listening in the Orders for English†. So only at KS 3 do some pupils get the opportunity to take Drama as a separate subject but it is still an unofficial one. Whilst this offers a complete freedom in how the subject is taught and presented [see Neelands (2004, p.5) for three different approaches at secondary level], it also means there is little in the way of a safety net for its practitioners that standards, assessments, guidelines and official support can provide. So it would appear that Drama has become a Cinderella subject that is busy working in the shadows whilst the Ugly Sisters of English and Religious Education take all the credit. 1.2 How we got to where we are now. â€Å"Most of what young people know of the world, they know through representations of it.† (Neelands, 2008, p.9), suggesting that schools have a moral obligation to help shape the citizenship of their stundents. â€Å"There is little time allotted in the daily routine for drama in early childhood education settings, due to the pressure that many teachers feel to cover too many materials in too little time.† (Jones and Reynolds, 1992, p.7). This suggests that head teachers and teachers are forced to focus their concentration and resources on the subjects the ‘really matter’ For example, those subjects that are recorded as National statistics, showing how many A* C students have obtained; in particular on Maths, English and Science. Drama being mentioned in the curriculum saw a mixed reaction. Some celebrated the â€Å"fact† that Drama would now have to be taught. Others were quick to point out that there was a fundamental flaw here. There were few trained Drama teachers left. The reality has been, that hardly any Drama is happening (in Primary)  despite the fact that it is deemed statutory. (Baldwin, 2011). Yet Neelands (2008, p.1) states that, â€Å"In the English education system, all students in the 5-16 age range have an entitlement to drama within the National Curriculum Orders for English.†   Baldwin (2011) the president of the International Drama/Theatre Education Association provides a background to how Drama fell from grace, how a timely reaction to the rigid curriculum being built subject by subject stopped it being included at the eleventh hour and then, as it was no longer a subject, support for it fell away. Practitioners were left high and dry, as Drama was no longer part of Ofsted unless a fee was paid to assess it, which in one case ended up being marked as a ‘Satisfactory’ P.E. lesson. Dearing tried to soften the curriculum but then came the constraints of the National Literacy Strategy which concentrated on reading and writing for the ‘Literacy Hour’ at the expense of speaking and listening. However Winston Tandy (2001, p.75-86) in their chapter entitled ‘Drama and literacy’ provide some ideas for including Drama within the hour. Then at Secondary level we find a carte blanche where anything goes with Drama either as a separate subject taught by a Drama specialist or as a continuing addition within English or as another entity, which perhaps suits the more pronounced different streams of ability. Neelands (2004, p.5-6) noticed that the various sources of national guidance for Drama, for example the specific references to Drama in the Programs of Study for English showed a general agreement for the aims and objectives for Drama, such as: Drama as personal, social and moral education Drama as English Drama as a subject in its own right. As stated earlier he cites three very different secondary schools each illustrating one of these points as their individual approach to Drama. The demands of a nationally prescribed curriculum put considerable pressure on teachers to â€Å"fit everything in†; each subject has it own expectations and makes its own particular demands. Finding the time for Drama, however highly you and your class may value it in its own right, can be difficult- the more so if we are going to give the Drama time to develop, deepen the children’s involvement and understanding, and reach a satisfactory conclusion. (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.54) Ashcroft Palacio (1997, p.6) infer that longer serving teachers will find the prescribed nature of the National Curriculum and all its revisions to be a bone of contention. On the other hand The lack of core guidance for Drama, the parallel development of Drama within English with its development as a discrete Arts subject, together with the diversity of models of curriculum and assessment to be found in schools make it a particularly problematic area of English teaching for trainees. (ITE, 2011c) Especially as: School Drama Co-ordinators disappeared almost overnight, as did LEA Drama Advisers and advisory teachers.   Drama courses became few and far between, relying more and more on professional organisations, which were and are run voluntarily, by increasingly stretched full time teachers and lecturers. (Baldwin, 2011). CHAPTER TWO – ARGUMENTS FOR DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECT â€Å"As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, drama has a significant contribution to make† (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.73). â€Å"Drama, more than any other subject in the curriculum, mirrors life as it is lived and experienced† (Winston, 2004, p.18). Please see Appendix Five for some positive results Winston (2004) notes as being seen in children’s writing due to their involvement with Drama.â€Å"At least a national agreement provides some external, relatively objective and visible materials to discuss† (Neelands, 2004, p.6). However, the absence of a nationally agreed framework for Drama gives two points of concern; The individual Drama teacher has no external framework to follow, therefore the success of the Drama class is completely at the mercy of the ability or lack thereof of the teacher; How Drama is perceived at the school may well be based on the head teachers’ predilections and prejudices. To illustrate this point I found at X High School, where the author has experienced Drama via a teaching training day placement, it was noticeable that Drama is thought of as a high priority subject. This was thanks to the Head realising that in a catchment area of high poverty Drama provided interest and expression for children that found reading and writing difficult. The school used Drama also as a marketing tool to promote itself to the wider community and its governors. It held annual Drama productions, school assemblies were punctuated with Drama in the form of funny sketches or more serious pieces designed to entertain and inform, it supported fundraising activities etc. Drama here is a timetabled subject throughout all the year groups, and is offered as an A-level subject. As Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196) advocate, â€Å"Primary school pupils can develop through drama an extensive range of language uses, including the majority of those referred to in the national curriculum.† â€Å"†¦drama is a social process of making meaning†¦the framework and method of drama provides a unique context for developing a sense of identity and productiveness.† (Morton, 1984, p.37). â€Å"All Our Futures† had already clearly recognised the importance of Drama, both as a creative teaching and learning medium and as the most powerful pupil motivator:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"OFSTED data on pupil response to learning indicates drama to be at the very top in motivating learning† (NACCCE, 1999, p.77). Drama in education can help pupils learn and understand whatever is required, in ways that are emotionally, aesthetically and cognitively connected and meaningful to children who are natural dramatic players.† CHAPTER THREE – ARGUMENTS AGAINST DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECT â€Å"†¦drama is a process that cannot be divided into a series of discrete and accessible outcomes in the kind of way that curriculum theorists have managed to do with many other subjects in the curriculum† (Young, 1981, p.94). Baldwin (2011) states: Trainees are likely to encounter a diverse range of arrangements for drama within schools. In the absence of national orders and a statutory subject framework, schools are free to design their own local variations of a drama curriculum based on the specific value given to drama in a particular school. Cynics were heard to mutter, that with an assessment driven curriculum emerging, process based drama would be too problematic for SCAA (as it was then) to deal with. Assessment in Drama has always been tricky as so much goes on cognitively and emotionally during the Drama process that is not easy or even possible to assess.   It is noted that this argument appears amongst many professionals, but no suggestions as to what criteria could be used is suggested. Is this because they believe there is to be none. Baldwin, (2011) continues. â€Å"Assessment records were being revealed as lists of statements of attainment tick boxes and needed to be based on easily observable, extrinsic outcomes† suggesting that Drama specialists were not sure they wanted such a meaningful and aesthetic art form measured and graded in this way.. Neelaands appears to contradict his issues by stating The local curriculum can be based on a highly idiosyncratic and ideologically motivated selection. What is taught may be left to the whim of an individual teacher and may reflect personal prejudices and interests rather that the breadth of depth of study which is a pupil’s entitlement (Neelands, 2004, p.6). Yet according to Neelands on the Initial Teacher Education website (ITE, 2011d), The non-statutory Framework drama objectives might usefully form the basis of the programme of study for drama at KS3. However, these specific objectives are unlikely to be considered sufficient as core objectives for drama as a discrete subject because they do not cover physical, visual, design and technical aspects of drama. This suggests that although the concerns of Patrice Baldwin are relevant, the concerns of the ITE is that without a defined structure and specific objectives, the importance of Drama could be overlooked. This point of view is rejected by Way (1967, p.12) who points out, â€Å"If we make drama another subject, then we make another ‘progressive straight line’ – in fact many straight lines, one for infants, one for juniors, and so on through the different age groups.† Again, because of its ‘uniqueness’ there is a concern over how Drama can be ‘measured’ i.e. marked. Way (1967, p.3) wrote, â€Å"Education is concerned with individuals; drama is concerned within the individuality of individuals, with the uniqueness of each human essence. Indeed this is one of the reasons for its intangibility and its immeasurability.† As Drama is not in the National Curriculum as its own subject, it might be seen as unimportant. With the pressures on schools to be ranked via league tables on the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, it is perhaps not surprising that schools focus on these subjects to the detriment of all else. However, the subject still has its own written examinations and an external examiner is called in to mark performances. It is therefore unclear as to the reasons behind why the subject is deemed by some to be difficult to assess. CONCLUSION â€Å"Ultimately, drama is a valuable tool, but first the tool itself must be fashioned.† (Way, 1967, p.7). There appears to be a divide in international practice over whether Drama should be used across the curriculum or as a subject within its own right and/or as part of the arts agenda. There were those who thought that if assessment was going to be the name of the game, then drama could and should be made to fit, in order to ensure its place in the new curriculum.   And there were those who breathed a sigh of relief that drama did not fit and had been left outside the new curriculum, where at least it would allow a greater freedom of practice and content, within the broader curriculum (Baldwin, 2011). Therefore, unless the individual schools value Drama, and encourage Drama teacher training, the concern is that the level of teaching Drama will not be sufficient to add any value to teaching within the school as a whole. According to Ashcroft and Palacio (1995, p.203) there are two types of Drama within the National Curriculum spectrum, one being performance based activities, such as assemblies and school plays, and the other being educational Drama, which involves children in the active creation and exploration of situations based on fact or fiction. â€Å"it is regarded by many teachers as a learning method rather than a subject area because it can be employed to deliver many aspects of the curriculum very effectively.† (Ashcroft and Palacio, 1995, p.204). Art is useful, not because it is true but because it is truly edifying. It is because drama – as – art functions in this way that a dramatic work cannot be explained, paraphrased or deconstructed into essays. Like any other art form, drama is unique and non – convertible†¦ it resists crassly utilitarian efforts to corral it into the service of geography, history or management training as much as it refuses to be the acquiescent servant of personal, social, or political education. In a secular age, the usefulness of drama lies in its ability to articulate meaning in particular direct and accessible ways so that we, in turn, can make better sense of the world in which we live. For these reasons, drama is an indispensible part of the arts curriculum.   (Hornbrook, 1991, p.40-41). Whilst we cannot expect the commitment of the National Theatre at every Primary School (Turner et al., 2004) they offer a model of best practice that can be used within the subject of Drama to really bring out the confidence and intellect of young children and this should be the ultimate goal whether Drama is housed within English or is a subject in its own right. Does this then mean that drama is yet another subject that has to be fitted into an already overcrowded curriculum? No. Drama is not another subject; theatre might be, with its ground work in history and its study of playwrights and their works but not drama. Drama is as intangible as personality itself, and is concerned with developing people. Indeed, it is as necessary to discard educational conventions as to disregard theatre conventions (Way, 1967, p.7). The arguments will rage on but only the will of the government can make a difference to the position Drama as a subject or non-subject is in. The conclusion drawn from all the evidence in this report is that Drama should be included as a subject in its own right in the National Curriculum, but not as the curriculum currently stands. There appears to be insufficient structure and no definitive way that the success of pupils taking Drama can be measured. To try and ‘fit’ it into the current curriculum could restrict its usefulness as a holistic well being tool for the personal growth of pupils. How could this be measured in academic terms? There could be pupils who come alive as actors and give wonderful performances, but cannot translate this successfully into a written piece of work. How does one measure personal growth? How can we mark a student who has grown in confidence, can express themselves better than before the introduction of the Drama lesson, and interacts wel l with other students in the class? Whereas before the use of Drama they may have been antagonistic, dealing with personal issues which had no voice except in eruptions of violent behaviour. One can set tests to measure the knowledge of the literacy greats, the search for meaning in the works of the playwrights but should this lie here or within the realms of English Literature, such that it cannot be used as a mark of success or failure for Drama students. The conclusion gathered is that this testing should be left within the English subject, thus allowing students of Drama more freedom to express themselves through this wonderful medium. It has been shown that Drama is a useful tool in the understanding of other subjects, but it should first be enjoyed and understood in its own right. The greatest problem for Drama being included in its own right in the National Curriculum appears to be the way the success of subjects are currently judged. There does not appear to be current procedures that can fairly measure the true success and positive impact Drama can have on a student’s life. For example with a Mathematics exam there is a definite right answer with marks available for showing your workings out, but what is the ‘right’ answer in Drama? The division between the teaching professionals as to the inclusion or not of Drama in the National Curriculum can be understood after researching and investigating this question. The concerns are that the importance of Drama within the schools is currently dependant on the will of the head teacher and the ability, passion and commitment of the Drama staff. Drama teachers’ experiencing schools who class Drama as a ‘fill-in’ subject and not that important will have experienced first hand the argument that Drama should be included. It could be very demoralising to the Drama teacher who feels that their work, however committed they are, maybe seen as unimportant. However those Drama teachers experiencing and enjoying a school that appreciates Drama and uses it throughout school life for example in assemblies, community gatherings and the annual school performance may enjoy the freedom of the subject not being included in the National Curriculum, as they do not feel threatened about the validity of their teaching skills. There appears to be no straightforward conclusion over Drama’s inclusion in the National Curriculum, however it must be pointed out that other parts of the British Isles make Drama a subject in its own right and provide excellent support for it. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from the way they have gone about this by an exchange of ideas on best practice. For example what criteria are they using to measure Drama’s success as a subject; are more or less students choosing Drama as a subject at Secondary level; has its status had a positive or negative effect on the teachers? Without knowing the answers to these questions and many more besides we cannot hold these countries up as shining examples. There needs to be a way of trying to take the best from the arguments for and against Drama’s inclusion in the National Curriculum. For example this research has shown that most of the Drama professionals feel that both the subject and they benefit from its inclusion to put them on a level playing field with other subjects. They believe that they may be taken more seriously and have more support from training being given. The concern of its inclusion appears to be that it could stifle the very creativity and freedom of expression some professionals believe Drama should be. They all appear to agree that Drama cannot be measured in academic terms as easily as other subjects as no ‘marks’ are awarded for students personal development. Therefore after research and investigation into this question, the final conclusion is that Drama should be included in the National Curriculum as a discrete subject but only after the creation of relevant success criteria is added. Once there is an acceptable measurement formula in place Drama would then benefit from inclusion. As it stands at present there does not appear to be sufficient steps in place to recognise Drama students’ success. Bibliography Ashcroft, K Palacio, D. (1997). Introduction to the Primary School Curriculum. in Ashcroft, K. Palacio, D. (eds.) Implementing the Primary Curriculum: A Teacher’s Guide. London: RoutledgeFalmer, pp2-17. Ashcroft, K. Palacio, D. (1995). The primary teachers guide to the new national curriculum. The Falmer Press Arts Council England, (2003). Drama in Schools. 2nd Ed. London: ACE. Arts on the move, (2010). Drama in the Primary School [online]. London: Artsonthemove. [Accessed 13 April 2011]. Available at: artsonthemove.co.uk/education/primary/primary.php. Baldwin, P. (2011). Drama-coming out of the wings? [online]. London: PatriceBaldwin. [Accessed 01 April 2011]. Available at: patricebaldwin.com/publications/articles/wings.asp. Barbour, A. (2007). Dramatic Play and Imagination. [online]. California: Aplaceofourown. [Accessed 10 April 2011]. 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