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The problem with dead white men - a reply to Mary Bousted

Jun 09, 2018 | Category: Featured

Apparently, Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union has announced that England is “hurtling forward to a rosy past” with its emphasis on knowledge.She is reported as having sai...

#English literature #Shakespeare #broad and balanced curriculum #powerful knowledge #Christopher Hitchens #Mary Bousted

Why I don't think emojis should be studied in school

Jul 20, 2017 | Category: curriculum

I have nothing against emojis, just as I have nothing against kittens, turpentine or billiards. I'm more than happy for anyone who's minded to stroke kittens, drink turps and swan around with a billia...

#English literature #opportunity cost #gimmicks #emoji

Essay writing: style and substance

Nov 17, 2015 | Category: English

You have such strong words at command, that they make the smallest argument seem formidable.George Eliot As with most subjects, the step up from GCSE to A level English literature is tough. You can...

#English literature #nominalisation #Stephen Pinker

Who's to blame for the new English literature GCSEs?

May 30, 2014 | Category: English

The sound and fury surrounding text choices for GCSE English literature just won’t go away. The exam boards got their digs in first with Paul Dodd of OCR claiming Gove wanted to ban US authors because...

#GCSE #English literature #AQA #Michael Gove #Jonathan Bate #OCR

Whose English literature is it anyway?

May 27, 2014 | Category: English

Have you heard? Education Secretary, Michael Gove has personally intervened to ban the only books worth teaching in the entire canon of English literature. Twentieth century American classics like To...

#Of Mice and Men #English literature #Michael Gove

Is there a way to avoid teaching rubbish in English?

Feb 03, 2014 | Category: English

I’ve had an idea!For a while now I’ve been increasingly disgusted at the way English language has been dumbed down as a GCSE subject. Really, what is the point of asking pupils to analyse leaflets for...

#GCSE #English language #English literature #Bethan Marshall

Controlled assessment and why I hate it

Oct 28, 2011 | Category: assessment

Yesterday I took a break from ploughing through my Year 10 controlled assessments to exhort myself to "bloody well get on with it" and stop moaning about my work load. Marking is virtuous. You know it...

#GCSE #Gove #controlled assessment #English language #English literature #iGCSE