" Oh this learning, what a thing it is"- The Taming of the Shrew, Act 1 Scene 2
"Done right, a talk is more powerful than anything in written form. Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audience's world view. When we peer into a speaker's eyes; listen to the tone of her voice; sense her vulnerability, her intelligence, her passions, we are tapping into unconscious skills that have … Continue reading Give them Gumption! 5 Top Tips for Starting a School Debate Society
For the last week or so, I’ve been looking at honing students’ ability to have their own personal and critical stance on the themes in Macbeth. I’m fortunate enough to work in a school where students actively seek out revision guides and additional materials which support them in improving their knowledge of the text, but … Continue reading Teacher, Try Me No.6: Teaching the Concept of Masculinity in Macbeth to the More Able
I know it has been a while since the last update, but work has been progressing well with the garden office. I had to wait a little longer to build enough cash to be able to afford the external cladding- I had sampled a few (western red cedar and thermowood) and decided to go with … Continue reading Project 2019: Home Office Build Part 3
As a department, we teach the GCSE Modern Text in this final term. I have taught Animal Farm for some years now but have, at times, found it a challenge to teach students how to be more critical and conceptualised in their responses. With so many excellent revision resources out there, students often prioritise the … Continue reading How do I get them to be ‘critical’ and ‘conceptualised’? A few ways to get students thinking about the GCSE Modern Text
Having taken a hiatus from updating the blog (mainly due to being shed-busy), I decided a new page would be useful, especially for those people looking to add some of the interior detail to their own buildings. I'm pleased to say I'm currently writing this blog post IN the shed (now it has wi-fi and … Continue reading Project 2019: Home Office build Part 2
Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com I've noticed quite a few nervous tweets in the last few weeks regarding teaching interviews and I thought it would be worth lending a hand. During this half term, we are usually in the midst of the main teacher transfer window and it's good to feel prepared for the … Continue reading Teaching interview heebie jeebies? 5 tips to help you prepare for a teaching interview
Save time, produce high quality feedback and the students love it! In the week that the Schools Minister, Nick Gibb called for a ban on mobile phones in schools (not really wishing to open that can of worms, but the full debate is here!) , I discovered a brilliant website that helps teachers to give … Continue reading Teacher ‘Try Me’ No. 3: Qwiqr QR Feedback
As a centre, we try really hard to get students used to being able to research effectively and to be discerning when looking at critical views. For our AQA A Level English Literature Non Exam Assessment, we teach all critical viewpoints in the critical anthology (Marxism, Feminism, Post Colonialism etc) and let them loose in … Continue reading A Level English Teacher, ‘Try Me’ No.2: Introducing research skills for AQA Lit NEA
This is a little like how I imagine the finished building to look (white windows and doors and up/down lights), but a similar finish. 22nd January 2019: A few months ago, I had an idea- wouldn't it be brilliant to have an office in the garden? Insulated with electric, wifi, all the mod cons? A … Continue reading Project 2019: Home Office Build
Getting students to understand texts as a construct can be difficult, it's a common trope for students to 'get lost' in the characters or language of a text without considering some of the wider concepts covered. They may know particular moments or scenes well, but won't always consider the wider context of these moments or … Continue reading English Teacher, ‘Try Me’ No.1- Conceptualised responses for GCSE and A level/ challenge activity
