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An essay is presented discussing Renaissance English humanistic pedagogy, pointing to the instruction of poetry as a rite of passage into adult manhood. Comments are given linking the production of literary poetic communication and the social context of English gentlemen during the 16th and 17th centuries. The specific literary tutelage of the Barons William Paget and George Berkeley by the intellectual Henry Stanford is explored as case examples of this process.

The author assesses the poem "Play of the Blyssyd Sacrament" of the East Anglian Croxton as far as its date and layout are concerned. Accordingly, the poem is characterized by the absence of the marks of ownership and scribal signatures at the end of the play. Its size, shape and position of the monogram are also attributable to printer Robert Copland, who was active between the 1514-1548 period. Its mise en page, moreover, appears to be a curious mix of manuscripts and print conventions. Because of these factors, the author concludes that the poem is similar in features common to late-medieval dramatic manuscripts.

The article focuses on the findings of the 2007 Great Britain's Office for Standards in Education (England) (OFSTED) report "Poetry in Schools: A Survey of Practice." It reflects on the report's findings that identified poetry as a continuing area of relative weakness in primary and secondary phase English pedagogy. It also mentions about the author's research concerning pupils' responses to poetry they hear.

This study aimed at evaluating how doing poetry could affect students' understanding of medical practice and at assessing the effectiveness of the evaluation method used. Qualitative research was carried out on the experiences of medical students participating in a poetry workshop, followed by some quantitative analysis. The study was conducted at Peninsula Medical School and St Ives, Cornwall, UK, with three medical students, a poet and a pathologist as participants. Data were collected by interviews, observation and web access. ‘Doing poetry’ with a professional poet was found to assist communication between doctors and patients as it enhanced skills of observation, heightened awareness of the effect of language and fostered deep reflection. Poetry was also found to offer an outlet for medics and patients. The voluntary workshop attracted three participants; however, it might have had an effect on the wider student community because the poetry website received 493 hits in four months. Qualitative methods worked well as a tool for evaluation. ‘Doing poetry for poetry's sake’ seemed to foster the development of skills related to empathy. The opportunity to do poetry should be made available to medical students as part of a wider arts and humanities programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What can listening to children's ideas about poetry teach us? This article considers ways in which exploring primary-aged students' perceptions of poetry can inform teachers' work with children. Using strategies from earlier studies in secondary schools, a small-scale project with Year 6 students revealed their complex and sometimes contradictory ideas. These ideas reflect some of the current debates around the nature of poetry and ways of teaching it. The children's ideas are analysed with critical attention paid to the impact of the view of literacy in England's National Literacy Strategy on the teaching and learning of poetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the Nottingham Trent University and the Midlands Romantic Seminar One-Day Conference held on May 3, 2008 in England is presented. Topics discussed include the literary style of George Gordon Byron, his attitude towards Catholicism, and the artificial sense and mysteries on his works as well as the Spanish version on the works of Byron. The conference featured notable artists including Malcolm Kelsall, Nikolaus Lenau, and David Herbert.

Presents the author's recollection of the use of Francis Palgrave's book `Golden Treasury' in his English classes in the 1970s. Idea that poetry was quintessentially lyric; Comparison of the book with the `Poet's Quair' anthology; Palgrave's plundering of poetic tradition; Good poems included in the anthology.

Editorial. Comments on various topics regarding the teaching of the English language in London, England. Research project on teaching English grammar to student teachers; Views on the deficiency of language experience of African Caribbean children; Styles of teaching poetry in school; Use of personal in educational research with salutatory sense.

The article presents information related to the poem "The Lady of the Lake." The theme of the poem is related to the struggle between Scottish King James V and the powerful clan Douglas. The first 12 stanzas of the poem reflects on the declaration of a knight called James Fitz-James about reasons for his quarrel with Roderick Dhu, who is an outlaw and has kept rebellion and turmoil alive. It refers to the long conflict of Scotland against the feudal overlordship of England.