A simple classroom technique, when drafting and editing. Recently, I have been doing quite a bit of drafting and editing of creative writing with Year 5 and 6 pupils, and I have been finding this little game useful. I'm sure it's not original, and I have used it with older students since search engines became a... Continue Reading →
One of the main ways in which teachers ‘give’ feedback to pupils is through follow-up questioning. This is sometimes the case in written feedback, but is particularly the case in oral feedback, as part of dynamic classroom teaching, in which feedback is folded into learning and is indistinguishable from the discussion and exploration of ideas. It... Continue Reading →
Jim Stewart and I wrote this for the TES in 1994, after the first round of new GCSE exams in English and English Literature, replacing 100% coursework. I wouldn't agree with everything in it now, or with all of the expression, but - as comes across - we were a very angry profession at the... Continue Reading →
An account of a poetry lesson, with some thoughts on efficiency, on how we treat texts and on knowledge. When I became an Advanced Skills Teacher, in 2002, the designation was still fairly new. There was quite an intensive appointment process involving a portfolio of documentary evidence, a set of testimonials and a visit by... Continue Reading →
James Durran 