A reflection on a sequence of lessons, from the teacher’s and from the learner’s perspectives. By James Durran and Joe Minden. From September 2021, Joe will be teaching English at Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Brighton. This blog is built around a piece of writing which he wrote in 2003, when he was a pupil... Continue Reading →
Thoughts on ‘closed book’ and 'open book' exams Parliament has debated whether students should continue to be allowed only ‘closed book’ exams in GCSE English and English Literature. (Really, of course, they are ‘absent book’ exams. Closed books would just be cruel.) The arguments for ‘closed book’ exams – now dominant at GCSE, AS and... Continue Reading →
Thoughts on how students are taught to write critically about texts in exams This post was originally an article for NATE‘s Teaching English (Issue 12, Autumn 2016) Preparing for the new English GCSEs has compelled English departments to put their Key Stage 4 curriculum through yet another revision. For many, this has been taken as an opportunity […]
James Durran 