This post is written by Lexi Earl, on her trip to King Ethelbert School in Kent. During my time at King Ethelbert School, near Margate in Kent, I got to observe a Year 7 English class. The class were studying Julius Caesar. The English Department had chosen Julius Caesar as the Year 7 Shakespeare text … Continue reading beware the ides of March!
School visit
seeing, observing, connecting
This post is written by Lexi Earl, on her trip to Royal Grammar School in Newcastle. During my visit to Royal Grammar School in Newcastle, Christine Egan-Fowler (one of the art teachers) invited me to participate in a life drawing class. This is a class she puts on for any interested student, whether or not … Continue reading seeing, observing, connecting
inspiring future arts careers
This post is written by Lexi Earl on her visit to St Ambrose Barlow RC High School in Salford. In my conversation with Bernie Furey, the Assistant Head Teacher (Creativity and Research) at St Ambrose Barlow RC High School in Salford, she talked about the focus on giving students functional and useful art skills. This … Continue reading inspiring future arts careers
displaying and sharing art
This post is written by Lexi Earl, on her time at Welling School in Kent. When I arrived at Welling School in Kent, I was immediately fascinated by the ‘mini gallery’ space in reception – a tall glass cube, filled with objects. It displayed work by Year 8 students, responding to work by American artist Judith … Continue reading displaying and sharing art
empathising and understanding the character
This post is written by Lexi Earl on her experiences at Minsthorpe Community College. On my visit to Minsthorpe Community College in west Yorkshire, I was able to observe a Year Seven English lesson on Much Ado about Nothing. The lesson made use of the rehearsal room approaches encouraged by the RSC. The lesson took place in … Continue reading empathising and understanding the character
close encounters
Earlier in the year I was in Halewood School, visiting Art, Photography and Graphics staff and students. I was lucky enough to visit on a day when some of the students had returned from a trip to Barcelona. It was clear that the art, the galleries, the architecture and the food had all made an … Continue reading close encounters
cashing in the learning
My research visit to St Albans school in Highgate, Birmingham concluded with an observation of a poetry lesson. A year nine class were undertaking a scaffolded approach to writing their critical responses to Shelley's poem ‘Ozymandias'. The aim of the lesson was to enable the students to transform their verbal responses to the poem into written … Continue reading cashing in the learning
an emphasis on performance
Chris Hall reports on her visit to Launceston College in Cornwall. Bryan Maywood, the head at Launceston College, keeps his old year 10 English folder in his desk drawer. The folder reminds him about his own learning in English, a subject he’s passionately interested in now. He remembers the support and advice he got from … Continue reading an emphasis on performance
where’s that going to get you?
In many of the schools we have visited, students complain about the ‘where’s that going to get you?’ question. This question refers to their choice of art, drama, music, dance or photography as a GCSE subject. If we follow the question's rather literal logic we might expect all students who have taken History to become Historians. Putting our collective understanding … Continue reading where’s that going to get you?
redeeming Shylock
During my visit to King Ethelbert School in Kent The headteacher, Kate Greig, attended the annual Dimbleby Lecture, this year presented by Gregory Doran, Artistic Director at the RSC. I felt at first hand Kate’s delight at the school being mentioned during this speech because of their commitment to teaching Shakespeare actively. Kate believes the … Continue reading redeeming Shylock
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