A brief description on how an A level in English literature can aid you.

English as a whole is a versatile and flexible subject, in regards to what an A level within English literature can offer you the prospect and potential are within the masses. Preliminary, an A level in English literature can be applied within all job roles, so if full time work  will be the chosen path English will certainly aid with gaining a superb job role. As this displays to the potential employer that you have gained the skills and attributes that are applicable within any work place; such as, the ability to read and interpret given text.

In addition to this, an A level can lead you into the university path; this can be for either an English degree or any other chosen vocation. Universities are favourable of individuals who have an English literature A level, as they are accustomed to writing essay, so this will fare well with preparing the individual for university life of writing essays. A degree within the field of English can lead to many paths as with the same as an A level it is versatile and employers look favourably upon this. This will provide skills on the CV, such as: independent working; time management and organisation; planning and researching written work; coherent knowledge and understanding of texts, leading and participating in discussions; team working to present ideas and information; effectively conveying arguments and opinions and thinking creatively; using judgement to weigh up alternative ideas and using IT. This has only covered a few of the things that an A level in English literature can offer you, but there is many more. As stated previously, it is a very versatile subject that will be a valuable asset, whether it be for employment or further education.

A brief discussion of an admirable poet and my personal connection with the poem

This blog is much more personal than the preceding ones, so I am going to make to give it more of a personal tone.  When asked what is your ‘light bulb’ moment for poetry I cannot place it specifically as poetry has always been a great love of mine. Referring back to my time at school this was always the lesson that i very much looked forward to, and most recently poetry is the lessons I have most enjoyed teaching. So to pin point the moment would be a real challenge, so instead I am going to offer an insight into my own personal connection with a poem with what has become one of my favourite poems.

Poems carry many connotations dependent upon the person and the content. My personal connective moment with a poem did not occur until my second year in university studying Romantic poetry. I found Romantic poetry fascinating, the idea of the connection with the ‘sublime’ through the aid of drug abuse, more specifically opium, quenched my thirst for unique and distinctive poetry. Samuel Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” was created proceeding an opium induced sleep, he awoke and wrote it down. In particular, the mystical element of the poem attracted to me to it the most. The idea of merging dreams and real life is reoccurring theme throughout the poem. The fact it was written after a drug induced dream reveals how Coleridge stretches the walls of the imagination and reality by creating landscapes that are seen within reality. The speaker within the poem shows a great admiration for nature. Yet what is striking and somewhat different about the portrayal of nature in this particular poem is the depiction of the dangerous and threatening aspects of nature. 

The personal connection to this poem actually is due to a song, as on hearing the song “Xanadu” many times prior to reading this poem, I did not have a true understanding of it. Although, on the first read of “Kuble Khan”, the realisation of that the song was based around “Kubla Khan”, gave me a true understanding of the song, and listen to and understand from a whole new perspective. Over two hundred years later and his work is still very influential, and definitely an admirable poet within my own perspective.  

A brief description of two differentiated English lessons

Differentiation is a component which is a vital part of effective teaching. The ethos of the inclusion of every child within the classroom is something which has been constantly assessed and altered within the preceding years. However, how a teacher applies this differentiation within their classroom is personal to them, as they have an outstanding understanding of their students, so they are sensitive to individual’s needs and requirements.

Over the past week observations occurred over three sessions and all presented differentiation within the classroom; however, they all targeted their students utilising different methods and techniques. Although, the commonality of the differentiation within every class was the differentiated outcomes, as all the teachers utilised the ‘SMART’ approach to achieve this. This differentiation is both a premeditated element as it is incorporated into the lesson plan, and expectations shared with the students, so they have a target to work towards.

The first observation differentiated through the use of numbers, as the teacher expressed with the students how many new persuasive techniques they should know by the end of the lesson. By utilising numbers it made it specific and measureable. This was achieved through the aid of check lists, as the students started by ticking off what they already knew, so this gave the teacher an indication of the pupil’s prior knowledge, thus so they can build upon it. Following this, the students would tick off at the end of the lesson what new persuasive techniques they had understood and utilised. This was based on evidence from their own work, so the assessment for learning was successful as all students exited the classroom having acquired new knowledge. Although, the differentiation was evident through the number of new persuasive techniques they had acquired and employed throughout the course of the lesson.

The second observation employed differentiation differently, as rather than a specific number being utilised, the students were grouped on tables. The tables were differentiated upon the student’s weak points; for example, a table may have punctuation as an area they needed to focus on, so a prompt sheet was provided and the students would utilise it to aid them throughout the lesson. This technique is particularly effective, as students do not respond well to a physical differentiation, such as a different work sheet. Consequently, the student is not revealing their target grade to the rest of the class and all students feel they are all working at the same level.

To conclude, differentiation is an element that is vital to the lesson and is a component which ensures all students are included in the learning process and ensure they leave the classroom with new knowledge. However, differentiation must be careful considered when planning and delivering the lesson, so that it does not make students feel excluded, as this is the opposite of the desired effect. 

An English lesson observation; predominantly concentrating on the teaching styles and how they were implemented within the lesson.

Observing a teacher who presents a ‘wow’ lesson is not an element which is out of the ordinary for themselves, as an outstanding teacher delivers a ‘wow’ lesson every lesson. The teacher I observed recently presented an ‘outstanding’ lesson, and has on every previous lesson I have observed. The reasons I state this is due to a combination of elements, main aspect being their presence within the classroom. The reasons I believe this is due to the teacher’s behavioral management was brilliant, as the disruption in the lesson was low level and students were immediately quiet when asked. It is this good classroom management which is rooted in mutual respect, being that the students respect the teacher as they show them the same.

In terms of teaching styles, the teacher accessed a multiple of techniques in order to assure that the students were being supplied with all of the teaching styles. The visual was in the form of a Powerpoint, whilst the teacher talked and explained the aspects of the lesson, and the combination of visual and auditory styles ensured the students were: learning, concentrating and understanding. Work sheets were provided to the students in order to provide them with guidance and to enable the students to have a go at the task themselves, so teacher talk is dramatically cut. The mixture of tactile and kinaesthetic teaching styles, allowed the students to be in control of their own learning and practice what they had been learning from the initial part of the lesson. Concluding the lesson the plenary entailed self assessment, as the students were provided with a check list and the students read through and marked their own work. Again, this combination of tactile and kinaesthetic teaching style facilitated the learning, so the students could self assess and learn from their own work rather than being merely told by the teacher.

The combination of all the teaching styles resulted in a successful lesson, or a ‘wow’ lesson, as the students were all engaged throughout the lesson and the disruption was low level. It is evident from not only from this lesson I observed, but from many other ones that combining all the teaching styles will engage students with the lesson resulting in learning occurring. Being aware that a student may not be only one type of learner is an important aspect to teaching, and an element that I will consider and transfer into my own teaching, as combining the teaching styles will create a good scaffold for my lesson and lesson plans to ensure all students are learning. 

Observation of a KS3 English class; monitoring the success level lesson planning and timing

Both planning and timing go hand in hand as the inclusion of good time management is a consequence of a lesson plan that is well prepared and successful. So, instead of considering each factor separately, I will acknowledge both these elements together, as a well planned lesson results in good time management and a steady flow to the lesson.
My observation was a successful venture as it demonstrated how a well planned lesson consequently has a positive effect upon the class and the timing of the lesson. All elements of the lesson linked together and sustained a steady pace. The starter implemented the grounding for the learning for the remainder of the lesson. Resulting in each element of the lesson progressively evolving the pupils knowledge.
The variety of activities within the lesson was rich, as a significant amount of the pupil's time was spent out of their seats engaging in group tasks appointed by the teacher. Although, in order for this exertion to be successful prior knowledge of the class is key, the teacher must be aware of how the class react to active activities. In order to have a successful lesson the teacher must be sensitive to the pupil's needs and understanding. The teacher must be flexible with the timing as the time they may have allocated within the planning process may not be that in reality. My observation revealed there was a high level of compucy demonstrated by the teacher in this area as all students seemed to have kept up with the pace of learning.
Moreover, in order for the timing to be effective; initially a well thought out lesson plan must be in place. Also, the teacher must be adaptable and versatile,  as not sticking to the lesson plan rigidly enables the learning to be successful. Although a lesson plan may not be a teacher's Bible, it is a scaffold for the lesson and must be in place for good timing and an effective lesson to occur.

Observation of a KS3 English class; predominantly focusing on how the criterias are met from within the Programme of Study

In order to develop and assess a class's speaking and listening skills, the obvious exercise of speaking and listening between individuals is an obvious exertion. However, the challenge as the teacher figure is how to motivate the students whilst the lesson is at the preliminary stage of the school day. As this could potentially be a challenging and problematic factor; especially with a lower level group. In order to motivate the class and to extinguish this hurdle, the teaching approach of the facilitator was applied, thus meaning the students are in control of their own learning. This is echoed within Piaget's (1952) constructivism theory; that the students are at the centre of the learning. It is this approach which assessed whether the criterias were met from the programme of study (POS), at key stages three, levels three to seven.
The concept of the students fulfilling the role of the teacher is an idea which has been used within the classroom for a significant amount of time. However, the concept proved to be a successful venture, as the students worked in pairs to perform pre-prepared speeches, or "rants", on their chosen subject. The students were provided with a breakdown of the different levels, so they could assess each other in regards to their presented speech. This would then develop into a whole group activity and entailed a full class participation, commenting on both the positives and improvements required to their speeches. Both pair and whole class feedback is crucial to the development of their speaking and listening skills at key stage three, as it is the higher level achieving students whom would provide the feedback constructively.
Also evident of the higher level achieving students was good utilisation of: eye contact, tone and emphasis, complex sentences, pitch and pace. In comparison the lower level students merely hid behind their paper with little pitch or emphasis to their voice, and sentence lengths tended to be shorter using simple or compound sentences. The majority of the pupil tend to sit within the middle levels, as they lack the vocabulary required to reach the higher levels. However, observing the class from across which encompasses students across all levels has revealed how the foundations of speech centers around a true understanding of the English language. In order for any student to progress to a higher level, the pupil must have a greater grasp upon their vocabulary, and factors which can be improved by the other elements from the POS; reading and writing. Moreover, for a pupil to be successful within one aspect of the POS, the other components must be a 'building block' to this success.