Teaching English with Novels by @primarypercival

Name: Andrew Percival
Twitter name: @primarypercival
Sector: Primary
Subject taught (if applicable):
Position: Deputy Head
What is your advice about? Teaching English with Novels

1: Read the book all the way through at least once and give it your full attention. Do this well before you start thinking about planning any lessons.

2: Annotate your teacher copy with as many notes as you can. Underline key words and write insightful questions.

3: Buy the ebook version for use on your whiteboard in class. Handy for shared reading, whole class annotation and quick look up of dictionary definitions.

4: Read the opening chapter to your class and let them enjoy it. You can talk about the book but don’t do any work on it yet.

5: Never ask children to write book reviews.

Essential Books for English Teachers by @JamesTheo

Name: James Theobald
Twitter name: @JamesTheo
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): English
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? Essential books for English teachers

1: ‘The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase’ by Mark Forsyth.

2: ‘Gwynne’s Grammar’ by N.M. Gwynne.

3: ‘Shakespeare’s Restless World: An Unexpected History in Twenty Objects’ by Neil MacGregor.

4: ‘You Talkin’ To Me? Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama’ by Sam Leith.

5: ‘A Little History of Literature’ by John Sutherland.

Teaching Secondary English by @C_Hendrick

Name: Carl Hendrick
Twitter name: @C_Hendrick
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): English
Position: Head of Research/Head of English
What is your advice about? Teaching Secondary English

1: If you’re spending more time cutting up things and putting them in envelopes than knowing your subject inside out, then you’re doing it wrong.

2: Kids will not die if they don’t talk in class for half an hour, in fact they might even enjoy the silence.

3: If you don’t give kids an awareness of the rich tradition of literature then their understanding of the present will be impoverished.

4: Literature is an exploration of what it means to live, to die, to love, to lose everything. Always remember that when dealing with kids who struggle with these things.

5: People who read a lot sound like they read a lot.
People who don’t read a lot sound like they don’t read a lot.

Teaching English by @teacherwithbike

Name: Cycling Teacher
Twitter name: @teacherwithbike
Sector: Secondary
Subject taught (if applicable): English
Position: Teacher
What is your advice about? Teaching English

1: Develop a good understanding of and interest in grammar. Enjoying the subject, and working out how to teach it well, is (perhaps surprisingly) fun.

2: Read. There is no real excuse for being an English teacher who doesn’t read widely and often. (Ditto writing, in any form).

3: Do much of what you ask the students to do: timed essays and ‘creative’ writing especially – & share your work with them. Don’t expect them to do something you can’t/won’t.

4: Prepare age-appropriate answers to the question(s), “Why do we have to study [x]?” Shakespeare, grammar, exam-jumping hoops, etc. Students will ask.

5: You’ll have more marking than many other teachers, so work out efficient, effective and sanity-saving strategies. Good, well-planned lessons + healthy teacher = priority.

Teaching English by @pickleholic

Name: Tracey
Twitter name: @pickleholic
Sector: Primary
Subject taught (if applicable): English
Position: Headteacher
What is your advice about? Teaching English

1: Set clear behaviour management boundaries which allow you then to take risks in the classroom & embark upon adventurous approaches.

2: Take risks & plan exciting activities that might not go to plan because they might just work! Employ adventurous approaches that are fun; for your pupils & for you!

3: Cultivate your own ideas. Follow the seed of an idea and let your imagination do the rest. Have a crazy idea then plan how you can use it in the classroom.

4: Love the children you teach, especially the ones who are hard to love. Show them you like them & praise them frequently & genuinely.

5: Read the books your children read, read about your craft, read the TES, blogs on Twitter and the newspaper. Make time to read & read silently with your class sometimes too.