“If you look at the comments on a Facebook page or Twitter, you can see there has never been a greater need to help students, and adults, communicate articulately with the world and think about the message they are presenting to others.”
Recent figures show that nine million adults in the UK are functionally illiterate, and one in four British five-year-olds struggles with basic vocabulary. According to the Department for Education, one in five children left primary school in 2018 unable to read or write properly. So, why is writing so difficult for so many?
I had a chance to interview him to learn more.
Why did you write this book?
Chris further develops these ideas, and provides educators with a sophisticated yet simple framework upon which to hook their lessons, in his new book How to Teach: English.
I am a pretty practical person and I felt, for me, there wasn't much in the way of practical explorations into the things that English teachers regularly do. I remember being an NQT and being hungry for something to help or guide me with my teaching. Being a teacher can be a pretty isolating experience and a lot of the time you are on your own. I used to spend time thinking about how to do something in a lesson and constantly hit a brick wall in terms of inspiration. All too often I couldn't think of something. That's where a book like this would have helped me. Something to dip into.
The book was written with the busy teacher in mind. They don't have endless time to listen to the nostalgic thoughts and mystical philosophies of an English teacher. I've just cut out the waffle and focused on practical approaches and methods to use in the classroom. It is simply the book I wished my NQT self had all those years ago.
How can teachers make sure kids understand the need for learning about grammar and sentence structure?
I think when grammar and sentence structure is embedded in the daily life in the classroom, then students will understand the need for it. They are constantly using grammar all the time and we need to make that explicit in the classroom. The problem is that we have allowed grammar to be hidden and pushed to the sides. Look at the way a new language is taught to novices and you'll see how we are missing out so much when we hide grammar or avoid discussing it. I am currently learning German and a lot of the lessons focus on the grammar. Yes, there's a lot of words to learn, but those words are relatively useless unless I put them in the right order and I use the corresponding suffix. The knowledge of German grammar is crucial for my understanding.
As I am progressing through the language, I am learning different sentences structures too. Students might be sophisticated speakers, but they still need to learn different sentence structures as their writing doesn't match the sophistication of their speech. The complexity of language use is not evident in the vocabulary alone, but the structures used and that's why sentence structures need explicit teaching in secondary schools.
Grammar is also the tangible element of English. Some students find English as a subject difficult because it deals with meanings, interpretations and abstract concepts. Grammar is the concrete element that can be clearly taught and understood by all. Grammar is the mathematics of English. It is about rules, processes and patterns. And, some students like that. We do students a disservice, if we make English a subject that is nothing but imagination and creativity.
How can teachers encourage kids to learn from mistakes in the English classroom?
I tend to think the message the teacher gives about mistakes is so important. The teacher should be the walking and talking advertisement for learning from mistakes. That's why I think it is vital teachers model writing in the classroom. Students should see what writing and work looks like - warts and all. They should see when a sentence doesn't sound right and how the teacher can fix it. They should see that teachers forget apostrophes occasionally. They should see that the finished article takes time and crafting. Not five minutes of intensive writing. Our fast paced world means they think that a book can be written in days. Writing is seen by them as instantaneous and that needs to be highlighted to them again and again. We need to signal to them how writing is slow, very slow. In fact, it is even slower than that.
We also need to challenge the blasé attitude that develops in students. An attitude that they don't need to check or proofread their work. It is easy to blame technology as the dominant method of writing is online and that does a lot of error checking for them. It is interesting that they can easily spot errors in other's work, but not their own work. This is largely because they are too close to it. That's why I think we need students to revisit old work and get them to spot the errors. And, I think they should write down their errors or common mistakes. Unless something is changed or learnt then the student is likely to make the same mistake again. When a student has a list of their common error, they have a starting point and an understanding of their weaknesses. They are not starting afresh each time.
What skills should English teachers focus on the most to prepare their students for the future?
The future is a brave new world and a world we don't know much about. However, I'd say that we need to focus on getting students to explain and articulate ideas better. What ever the future holds, students will need to work with others and the ability to communicate their thoughts, feelings, ideas and empathise with others is central to this.
Chris further develops these ideas, and provides educators with a sophisticated yet simple framework upon which to hook their lessons, in his new book How to Teach: English.
Chris Curtis is an English teacher and head of department with over a decade’s experience in education. Chris is forever reflecting on which aspects of his teaching work best for his students and, as an avid reader and blogger, is a big believer in sharing practical ways to tackle difficult problems in
the classroom.
the classroom.
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