Reprint from NJ 1: 1. Editorial and Insert – The Terrigal Conference

Abstract

The following material comprises the original editorial from the very first NADIE Journal plus an insert from in the centre pages. It has been re-typed for inclusion in this edition but the original spelling and style has not been modified or edited. This reprint is an important record (literally) of the discussions that took place during the first drama education conference held in Australia, at Terrigal, NSW, in December, 1975. It seems entirely appropriate that we partner these discussions with the key issues talked about by each of our State and Territory presidents in 2016, more than 40 years later. Some of the issues raised in discussion in 1975, seem irrelevant today with drama now so solidly established as part of the curriculum landscape in Australia. It is worth considering how much has changed (including the use of ‘kids’ to indicate children or students – something we would not get away with in a publication today) but there is a good deal of material here, which warrants deep and ongoing reflection. One of the things that struck me was how important it was for our earlier drama educators to grapple with the nature of drama in an educational context, what might constitute a drama curriculum, what pedagogies are effective, how we assess and report so that the learning in drama is identifiable. In contrast, our current issues seem to be largely those of infrastructure and, to a degree, advocacy. I leave these pages wondering how much better we can become at being certain we understand what learning in drama is and can be, and how much better we can become at communicating that to non-drama educators and community members.