In September 2016, over 30 lead teachers from the RSC Lead Associate Schools and theatre practitioners from Regional Theatre Partners came to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first national CPDL event of our new Associate Schools programme. The three days were designed to: Build capacity among teachers and theatre practitioners to lead the programme in their … Continue reading the play is not always the thing
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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
being a tree
There is a myth that ‘doing drama’ regularly involves 'being a tree'. This was something the year 12 students at the Canterbury Academy were keen to highlight, having been trees in a recent ensemble production of ‘The Dream: Met by Moonlight’ at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. Although they shared this experience with a great … Continue reading being a tree
the ensemble approach
The final observation during my visit to Minsthorpe School was a rehearsal for 'Henry V' by the school Shakespeare ensemble. The students describe themselves as the 'Henry' group and are an extra-curricular group of Years 7, 8 and 11 pupils, launched by English Teacher, Sally Thompson, following her RSC Learning Performance Network (LPN)training. The scene … Continue reading the ensemble approach
research partnership
One of the purposes of the Arts Council grants is to explore what happens when arts organisations work together with researchers in higher education. In the case of TALE, we have all worked together before, but in different ways and on separate projects. We hadn't anticipated any particular problems, but we have found a couple of interesting issues already. … Continue reading research partnership
A Timely Project
I am delighted to have joined the TALE project. What most attracted me to the research was the focus on teachers' professional development. I am really looking forward to gaining a rich understanding of arts teachers' creative practices and the way these impact on their students' experiences of learning. After the impact of the EBacc … Continue reading A Timely Project
Our researcher is appointed
Dr Becky Parry has accepted our offer to join the TALE research team. She comes to us from the University of Leeds where she worked as a lecturer in Childhood Studies. Previously, she worked as a researcher on the ESRC funded 'Developing Media Literacy' project with colleagues at the Institute of Education, University of … Continue reading Our researcher is appointed
setting up the project
We are currently getting ready to launch our research project. This requires us to sort out our partnership agreements, get ethical approval and advertise and select a researcher. We have already had one meeting of what we are calling the project governance group - people from the RSC, Tate, Arts Council and The University of Nottingham. We met … Continue reading setting up the project
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