Task 5C: Professional Ethics

Reader 5 on Professional Ethics, for me was a very interesting and thought-provoking read. The reader provided me with a lot of information and there is a lot to take into consideration in this area. It broke down how ethics work in society from a personal level to professional and organisational and how they "all contribute to the promotion of social good in the larger society" (Middlesex University, Reader 5, 2017). This might also have a domino effect as your personal morals will have an effect on how you behave in a professional situation which will then have a knock-on effect on an organisation level. Before studying Reader 5, I had never thought about breaking down ethics into the three main different contexts but I found this helped me to understand the subject of ethics and morals better.

The history of ethics can be traced back to Greeks such as Plato and Aristotle and following on from this, philosophers such as Hobbes, Kant and Mill all have differing views on ethics. I found Hobbes' views most intriguing. Hobbes (1651) viewed ethics as "a practical solution to social harmony and good through the vehicle of a social contract" (Middlesex University, Reader 5, 2017).  This is about the awareness you have of others and I think as a performer this idea is very important both on and off stage.  Ethics are essential and you must consider the various views and approaches.

In the industry, ethics are also essential as you must be professional and treat others with respect but also have respect for yourself. As an actor, I always take ethics into consideration and will always treat others how I would want to be treated myself. At the end of the day, it doesn't cost anything to be nice! At college, I remember the Principal saying at the start of the year that the room held actors, directors, producers and writers and that we must all be professional towards one another. I carry this with me always because you never know who you might meet on your journey to the top.

My personal ethics and morals that I have today, both as an actor and a teacher, came primarily from what my parents taught me from a young age. As you go through life you learn that it is so important to treat others as you would want to be treated yourself and in this industry I believe that creating a mutual respect is so important.

Reader 5 has increased my knowledge and taught me that ethics is actually a lot more complex that I initially thought! In turn, I am now able to take the large subject of professional ethics and apply it to my inquiry.

Task 5B: Codes of Practise

In the previous task, I started to think about ethics within the workplace for myself as both a teacher and a performer.

Firstly, as a teacher of drama at a Saturday school, our company has a code of conduct and a set of guidelines that all teachers must follow and respect. When you read these rules and guidelines they seem like common sense to me and very straightforward to understand and adhere to, however other teachers or schools may have different rules so it is good to know that all of the teachers at our school are thinking and working along the same lines. This ensures that the children know how to behave in every lesson and know what to expect from us as teaching staff.

Secondly, as a performer there are rules that I must follow with my agent and also when working in a theatre/performance area. When working with my agent, these rules ensure that we are both in agreement and open with each other about auditions and work etc. When working in a theatre I must followed the rules outlined by the theatre and backstage staff in order to ensure that everyone in the cast is adhering to health and safety regulations.

Finally, I also have some personal ethical considerations for myself on a personal level. These include representing myself whether that be as a teacher or as a performer in a what that I want people to view myself as. I will always try my best in any situation and be enthusiastic and positive.

In my opinion, it is very important to respect and adhere to the rules, regulations and codes of practice in your professional environment, whether that be on a personal or working level. I believe that by following the rules is the best way to ensure success in your job.

Task 5A: Ethics Within The Workplace

Within my practise both as a teacher and a performer, there have always been ethics.

As a teacher I have to take into consideration the following:

• School policies and code of conduct
• Safeguarding
• Full DBS Check
• Appropriate behaviour towards the children
• Data Protection Act
• Equality and treating every child as an individual
• Health and Safety/Risk Assessment
• Being a role model to the children

As a performer I have to take into consideration the following:

• Communication with agent regarding auditions, castings and holidays etc
• Being prepared for auditions/jobs
• Respect for other performers at auditions
• Respect for creative team
• Social media - how do others view me?
• You are your product!

Reader 5 has really forced me to think more in depth about my ethical consideration and about just how important these are to me as both a performer and a teacher. It just shows that in both aspects there is a lot more than meets the eye and that teaching and performing are three dimensional jobs with a lot to consider! To improve my ethical consideration as a performer I will consult Equity's rules and to improve as a teacher I will re-consider the guidelines and codes of conduct of the company I teach for. 

Task 4D: Literature

Over the past few weeks, I have researched and read literature related to teaching with performing as that is what I am most interested in for my line of inquiry. This will help me to develop my research in order to find the most appropriate title for my inquiry at the end of the Module.

I have used Summon, Middlesex University Library and Google which allowed me to read articles written on newspapers such as The Guardian, as well as articles written by industry professionals.

The resources I have found so far which have interested me and which will hopefully help me with my inquiry are below.:

Brown, M; The Guardian Arts Correspondent; (2015); Arts and Culture being 'systematically removed from UK education system'; available: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/17/arts-and-culture-systematically-removed-from-uk-education-system

Jenny; Degree Match; (2014); 10 Coolest Celebrities Turned College Professors; available: http://www.degreematch.org/10-coolest-celebrities-turned-college-professors/

Independent School Parent; The Independent School Parent; (2017); The Importance of Drama and Performing Arts; available: http://www.independentschoolparent.com/school/the-importance-of-drama-and-performing-arts/

Joseph, AnnRene; Johns Hopkins School of Education; (2002); The Value of the Arts to the Community and Education; available: http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Arts%20in%20Education/joseph.htm

Sanders, Brian; Is Theatre Important In Our Society?; (2012); Importance of Theatre In A Modern World; available: http://briansanderstheatre.blogspot.co.uk/

Brown, Kevin; TCG Circle; (2010); The Top Ten Reasons Why Theatre is Still Important in the Twenty-First Century; available: http://www.tcgcircle.org/2014/06/the-top-ten-reasons-why-theatre-is-still-important-in-the-twenty-first-century/

Schwartz, Katrina; KQED News; (2013); Why Teachers Should Be Trained Like Actors; available: https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/07/01/teaching-as-acting-a-performance-profession/

Heath, Jason; Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog; (2007); You can't teach professionally and perform professionally - misperceptions on both sides of the divide; available: http://doublebassblog.org/2007/09/you-can-teach-professionally-and.html

Acting Coach Scotland; (2017); Why Most Actors Make Lousy Acting Teachers; available: http://actingcoachscotland.co.uk/blog/why-most-actors-make-lousy-acting-teachers/

Acting in London; (2017); Can You Become An Actor Without A Degree?; available: https://actinginlondon.co.uk/can-you-become-an-actor-without-a-degree/

Performing Arts High Schools; (2017); Pros And Cons Of Performing Arts High Schools; available: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/cm278i6hcu/Performing-Arts-High-Schools-Pros-Cons-Performing-Arts-High-Schools.html

BBC Active; (2010); A University Degree VS Vocational Training: Which one to choose?; available: http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/AUniversityDegreevsVocationalTraining.aspx


I need to look more into book resources now as the majority I have found so far are from the internet so I think I would like to take a visit to the Middlesex University Library soon to find some more resources but I think the above resources are a good start.

  

Task 4C: Developing My Questions

After a Skype call with Paula last week, I figured that I really needed to narrow down my choices for my line of inquiry as my initial interests were way too broad-based. I put my questions to contacts within my own professional community and have narrowed down my question choices to the following:

• Do you feel that drama and arts subjects are undervalued in education?
• Does having practical experience in performing help to make you a better teacher and give you a better understanding?
• Why is theatre important in our society and is it important for children to study arts subjects at school?
• What are the pros and cons of vocational training?

I have tried hard to combine teaching with performing as that is what I am most interested in and is most relevant to me in my professional practise at the moment. I researched and read various articles to help me narrow own my options and I will blog these separately.

I would love to hear if you have any thoughts on any of the above!