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ENGL 376: Schools Volunteering Module

Course Convenor: Dr Hilary Hinds

Course Aims and Objectives:
This module will be run as a partnership between the Department of English and Creative Writing and LUSU Involve, the volunteering unit. It will help to enhance students’ employability and will be based on LUSU Involve’s Schools Partnership Scheme, which supports Lancaster students on 10-week placements in local schools. The module will involve classroom observation and assistance, teacher assistance, and possibly the opportunity to teach the class as a whole. It will give students first-hand experiences of young people’s responses to literary texts, thus adding a dimension to students’ understanding of such texts. It will allow students to develop academic skills around a special project carried out in the school related to literary texts. It will enable students to develop confidence in communicating their subject, as well as an increased awareness of the roles of schools and universities in educational processes and structures. As well as providing students with practical and communication experience, this module is likely to help with career progression, in particular (though not exclusively) for those interested in pursuing a career in teaching. At the same time, the module will provide teachers with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic assistant who can support and motivate pupils. Opportunities will be available in both the primary and secondary school sector.

Assessment:
Log book of learning progress and development in the classroom environment: 1,500-2,000 words (required but unassessed).
End of module project: 4,000 words on an aspect of literary/filmic texts in a school environment.

Submission deadline:
By 12 noon on Monday Week 1/Term 3.

Contact and Syllabus:
The student will be required to spend half a day a week in the school every week for the duration of Term 2. It is intended that this will be, in the first instance, a practical and experiential module: there will be no formal lectures associated with the unit, and wherever possible or appropriate students’ own ideas and learning will feed back into the content of their activity as they become more experienced. The teachers will act as the main source of guidance but, in addition, students will have meetings to discuss their progress with the Module Convenor. During the placement, the student will pursue a special project that focuses on one aspect of the teaching of English Literature in schools.

Learning Outcomes:
It is expected that by the end of the module students will have gained substantial experience of working flexibly and proactively in the challenging and unpredictable environment of a school. Furthermore, they will have gained a basic knowledge of many of the key aspects of teaching in schools. On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
•       Show an understanding of teaching methods, classroom management and lesson preparation for English Literature teaching in schools
•       Demonstrate awareness of the different needs of individuals in a learning situation
•       Demonstrate an ability to communicate relevant aspects of their subject
•       Develop and present literary learning materials suitable for the school in which they are placed and for the age group which they are teaching
•       Write a reflective and evaluative report about their classroom experiences.

For additional information about this course, please see the Module Handbook on Moodle.

Back to: ENGL 373

Forward to: ENGL 378

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