EL5030 - Bad Education

You will learn through one three-hour workshop every week that includes some lecture content, some group discussion and some teaching practice. Students will be expected to have read the set-text and will be assigned various tasks in preparation for each workshop. In this way, each student will contribute to the development of high-quality resources that support an understanding of the text and help deliver the Assessment Objectives identified by the exam boards. Formative assessment will ensure that students have plenty of opportunities to practice and reflect on their teaching and the resources they have developed to support student learning. The summative assessments are designed to test students’ ability to interpret and understand Assessment Objectives while delivering engaging, stimulating and thoughtful lessons.

Formative Assessment One: Understanding Assessment Objectives: Each student will identify and explain one AO (GCSE or A level). The explanation should provide examples to demonstrate that AO in an exam essay.
Formative Assessment Two: Delivery of a 10-minute lecture that provides historical context for the set text.
Formative Assessment Three: Delivery of a 20-minute lesson on one of the set texts. This should be as engaging and fun as possible. Use gimmicks, gags, interactive activities etc.

Summative Assignment One: A ‘scheme of work’ ie lesson plan designed to deliver a specific Assessment Objective on one of the texts studied in this module.
Summative Assignment Two : Delivery of a 20-minute lesson based on this scheme of work on one of the texts studied in the module. An accompanying 1,000 word critical reflection will identify the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson in terms of content and delivery.

The approach taken in this module encourages students to engage critically with their own teaching practice but also to think carefully about the experience of being taught. Peer and tutor feedback in workshops will provide weekly academic guidance and formative assignments will prepare students for summative work. One-to-one tutorials will be available to students offering specific advice regarding work in progress.

The module handbook provides details of seminars, reading lists and assessment criteria; lecture PowerPoint slides are made available on the e-learning platform, together with links to relevant skills materials in the library.
The module tutor is available in workshops, as well as during office hours, to discuss any queries or concerns you have.
You are advised to see your Guidance Tutor at least twice each semester to review your academic progress. The Guidance Booklet, which you receive at the start of your first year, includes structured materials designed to help you develop your self-reflection skills. These materials underpin the academic side of the regular Guidance meetings, helping you to learn how to best use the feedback you receive on your assignments, how to build on your strengths, and improve in the areas where you could perform better.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1 Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary women’s writing in the UK, Canada and the US across a range of genres.
2 Develop an historical awareness of key issues and debates from the 1980s to the present.


Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3 Be familiar with Assessment Objectives for English Literature at GCSE and A level.
4 Understand the key debates around diversifying the curriculum in English Literature.


Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5 Reflect on the barriers to diversity in the classroom.

Formative Assessment One: Understanding Assessment Objectives: Each student will identify and explain one AO (GCSE or A level). The explanation should provide examples to demonstrate that AO in an exam essay. 1,2,3, 4, 5

Formative Assessment Two: Delivery of a 10-minute lecture that provides historical context for the set text. 1,2,3

Formative Assessment Three: Delivery of a 20-minute lesson on one of the set texts. This should be as engaging and fun as possible. Use gimmicks, gags, interactive activities etc. 1,2,3

A ‘scheme of work’ ie a lesson plan designed to deliver a specific Assessment objective on one of the texts studied in this module. 4,5
Delivery of a 20-minute lesson based on this scheme of work on one of the texts studied in the module. An accompanying 1,000-word critical reflection that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson in terms of content and delivery. 1,2,3,4, 5,

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What is a good education? What is its function? Is it about employability, having a good job and a financially secure life? Is education a form of social engineering designed to reinforce the interests of those with power or is education a way of removing the barriers to social equality? And who decides what we are taught? Should every student be taught the same curriculum (such as the National Curriculum in England) or should schools be allowed to make their own decisions on what to teach (as in Scotland)? And perhaps more importantly, what is the role of the teacher in delivering a good education? What pedagogic skills are required to help students learn? What is required to ensure that students meet the assessment criteria and how can teachers generate the enthusiasm, interest and curiosity that makes learning fun?

This module addresses these questions in relation to the teaching of English Literature in the classroom. It is designed to give you the opportunity to study and teach a range of texts that are currently on the English Literature GCSE and A level curricula. It introduces you to debates within the discipline about diversity within the curriculum and examines how literature is taught and assessed in schools.