Teaching English in Secondary Schools
- John Gordon - University of East Anglia, UK
This book is an indispensable guide for anyone training to become a secondary English teacher. It provides an overview of the main topics taught in schools, informed by good teaching practice drawn from the classroom and supported by research and theory, and engages with the requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum for England.
Each chapter is based around a ‘lesson feedback’ case study informed by real classroom observations combined with research findings to explore and analyse what underpins high quality English teaching.
Coverage includes:
· Encouraging a love of reading in your classroom
· How to teach effective writing for pleasure and for information
· Developing students’ grammar, vocabulary and spoken English
· Inspiring teaching using drama, poetry and Shakespeare
· Intelligent use of media and new literacies in teaching
This is essential reading on all secondary English initial teacher education courses, including school-based (SCITT, School Direct, Teach First), university-based (PGCE) and employment-based routes into teaching.
This inventive and engaging book explores different facets of English teaching by focusing each chapter around a particular lesson and how it was taught. Crucially, this makes the links between theory and practice transparent, showing clearly how the debates, principles and values that underpin teaching can be manifested in the classroom. Teachers will find it particularly valuable for helping them to understand, reflect on and critically evaluate their teaching – central components of teacher education and development.
Drawing on lesson plans to prompt discussions is a great starting point, supporting readers in considerations of different teaching and learning strategies. The text is rooted in actual classroom practice, and this opens up wider debates about approaches to English education.
This thought-provoking and pertinent new book takes a deep and critical look at classroom experiences and the teaching of specific lessons. This is an extremely useful approach that will support English teachers to reflect critically upon their own practice and engage with the complexities of teaching their subject.
Great to prep students who aim to teach English in secondary or college based education.
This book is invaluable for student teachers or newly qualified teachers of secondary English. It looks at the different skills English teachers are asked to tackle with learners, offering anecdotes, ideas and points for reflection throughout. It also looks at vexed questions such as the teaching of Shakespeare. A very useful resource for those starting out in English teaching.
An excellent book. The focus on individual lessons enables student teachers to see themselves in the lessons that are discussed and so explore different perspectives - it's a simple but very effective premise. I will definitely be referring to it during the year in my whole-cohort sessions and recommending it to individuals where appropriate.
This was an interesting and enjoyable read.
The book I have inspected is truly very contributive as the book fills the vacancy in the area. When I inspected closely I have seen that the book is divided into carefully organized chapters giving the lesson design, including reading and writing activities. Speaking and grammar are given tandem in the book. Also the use of authentic material is supported with media and Multiliteracies in English and Teaching Shakespeare and using drama. Authenticity also includes poetry teaching and writing activities. Although there are some certain principles that teachers have to follow, they should depend on their own experiences and skills. My personal view is that this book more focuses on literary texts which cannot stand alone for an efficient teaching in the classroom. Especially foreign language learners may find it difficult to learn through literary texts. So all in all Teaching English in Secondary Schools could be a good course book in ESL environments while it can be a supplementary book for EFL settings.
