Module overview
Are you interested in helping young people study English? This module will introduce you to teaching creative writing in secondary schools by providing training in effective classroom management and guidance on designing lesson plans for studying fiction and poetry. With a fellow student on the course, you will go on a placement in a secondary school in Southampton where you will help pupils develop their creativity and their knowledge of literary culture. Throughout the module, you will be encouraged to reflect on the critical and practical problems you encounter teaching, and to consider how the National Curriculum supports creativity in the classroom.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the conceptualisation and implementation of lesson plans
- the importance and value of student-centred learning
- schoolchildren’s comprehension of literary texts and creative writing classroom management
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- develop a critical position on your own practice as a teaching assistant
- question the ways in which English is taught in the national curriculum, and consider how the delivery of a particular aspect of the English curriculum might be improved
- reflect on the challenges of teaching and effectively communicating knowledge specific to the discipline of English to secondary school children via a self-reflective teaching log
- contribute to the development and implementation of a lesson plan
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- conduct independent research into the teaching of English in secondary schools using research tools and resources available via the library and the internet
- work practically with schoolchildren and classroom teachers in a group to explore appropriate ways of reading and writing in the classroom
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- discuss complex issues in a clear way that is appropriate to the needs of school pupils
- research a problem, both as an individual and as part of a group, synthesize different types of information, and discuss it in depth
- write with sensitivity about learning and teaching experiences
- communicate with schoolchildren in a concise and clear manner
Syllabus
This module gives you the opportunity to teach creative writing to secondary school children in Southampton and the surrounding area. You will design and develop a series of lesson plans and teaching strategies in seminars and study a variety of fiction and poetry from a variety of different cultures. You will have up to five weekly placements in a local school, normally with a fellow student on the course, developing the children’s knowledge of international writing and culture through a series of creative writing tasks and projects. The module promotes wider access to higher education at Southampton in schools by actively involving local schoolchildren at Southampton in reading and writing fiction and poetry in different cultural contexts. The module will involve guest talks from local teachers and writers who have worked in education.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
This module will make use of pre-placement training on effective classroom management, regular on-module feedback, and up to five weekly placements with pupils in local secondary schools. Learning activities include preparing and delivering lessons, leading small-group discussions, and individual library research. Innovative features of this module include visits and talks by writers and teachers, and group presentations during the seminar sessions.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Placement | 10 |
| Seminar | 24 |
| Independent Study | 116 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
OFSTED Poetry in Schools, 2007.
OSTED Learning: Creative Approaches that Raise Standards, 2010.
Journal Articles
Cremin, Teresa (2001). 'Taking Poetry off its Pedestal: The Place of Poetry Writing in an Assessment-Driven Curriculum. English in Education, 35(3), pp. 32-41.
Grainger, T. (2005). 'Teachers as writers: learning together. English in Education, 39(1), pp. 75-87.
Cremin, Teresa (2006). Creativity, uncertainty and discomfort: teachers as writers. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(3), pp. 415– 433.
Textbooks
ed. Eleanor Kutz, Suzy Q. Groden and Vivan Zamel (1993). Discovery of Competence: Teaching and Learning with Diverse Student Writers. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
ed. Moira Monteith and Robert Miles (1992). Teaching Creative Writing: Theory and Practice. Buckingham: Open University.
ed. Graeme Harper (2006). Teaching Creative Writing. London: Continuum.
Vermam, G.K., and Pumfrey, P.D. eds (1993). Cross-curricular contexts, themes and dimensions in secondary schools. London: Falmer.
Stephen Tunnicliffe (1984). Poetry Experience: Teaching and Writing Poetry in Secondary Schools. London: Methuen.
ed. James Lynch, Celia Modgil and Sohan Modgil (1992). Cultural Diversity and the Schools. London: Falmer.
eds. Carol Severino, Juan C. Guerra, and Johnella E. Butler (1997). Writing in Multicultural Settings. New York: MLA.
James Carter (2002). Creative Writers: A Creative Writing Manual for Schools. London: Routledge.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Presentation
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback: Students will receive feedback on drafts throughout the module and in one-to-one tutorials, and group feedback on the presentations and self-reflective reviews
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Review
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback: Students will receive feedback on drafts throughout the module and in one-to-one tutorials, and group feedback on the presentations and self-reflective reviews
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Portfolio | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Portfolio | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Portfolio | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External