On thematic curriculum design

NB. When I started this post, I was Acting Head of English and Assistant Principal. Finding the bones of it in my drafts, I wanted to rework it to look at the work we undertook, two years ago, to reshape and redevelop our curriculum. It is something I will always be proud of. Curriculum never …

Farber’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’: A Companion Essay & Discussion Questions

Or, ‘Ready to Teach: The Tragedy of Macbeth’ **N.B.: This post contains major spoilers for Yaël Farber’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’. ** ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ at the Almeida is the triumph of the season. There, I said it. It is dark yet darkly humorous; it is powerful; it centres Lady Macbeth in a way …

On Chronology

It didn’t take me long in my career to spot that some students struggle with understanding the chronology of English Literature. We teach the authors, we teach the contexts, but still students sometimes become confused with the actual, basic historical timeline that informs this study. I tried several things to combat this – particularly with …

The Oulipo: For When Writing Seems Scary

Anything we can do to help our students think of themselves as writers is vital to their future success not just for exams, or work, but for their own sense of wellbeing.