What Can English Teachers Do?
There’s a sense that right now the world is particularly dark. We often hear the unlovely word ‘polycrisis’. At such a time, English teaching might seem almost irrelevant and ineffectual. What can we do?
Read MoreThe Masterbuilder: William Butterfield and his times
Nicholas Olsberg’s account of the architect William Butterfield is superb.
Read More'Bjork & Bjork's Desirable Difficulties in Action' by Jade Pearce and Isaac Moore
Bjork and Bjork's Desirable Difficulties in Action by Jade Pearce and Isaac Moore is a snappy and helpful guide to a crucial idea in teaching and learning.
Read MoreThe Occasional 4
The Occasional issue 4 has 29 book recommendations from the first 100 Fortnightlies.
Read MoreSheila Heti's 'Alphabetical Diaries'
Sheila Heti's brilliant experimental book, Alphabetical Diaries, is funny and often poignant. Above all, it made me think about my own life.
Read MoreRe-reading 'Middlemarch'
Some notes from a long-delayed re-reading of George Eliot's masterpiece Middlemarch.
Read MoreJudi Dench on Shakespeare
Judi Dench's reflections on playing many roles in Shakespeare's plays over decades are essential reading, in a marvellous collection of conversations with Brendan O'Hea.
Read MoreBook Club Guide to 'Small Things Like These'
A free book club guide to Claire Keegan’s novel Small Things Like These, with teaching notes.
Read MoreReading Round-Up, January to June
A round-up of short reviews from January to June 2024.
Read MoreThe Perfect Classes
A memory of perfect classes discussing The Portrait of a Lady.
Read MoreAlex Quigley's 'Why Learning Fails'
Comments on Alex Quigley’s book Why Learning Fails (and what to do about it),
Read MoreEmily Dickinson: The Gorgeous Nothings
Emily Dickinson: The Gorgeous Nothings is both a lovely book, and a handy resource if you’re teaching the poet.
Read MoreAndrew Atherton's 'Experiencing English Literature'
Andrew Atherton’s Experiencing English Literature: shaping authentic student response in thinking and writing provides stimulating ideas for English teachers at all stages of their careers.
Read MoreTurn Every Page
Lizzie Gottlieb’s 2022 documentary Turn Every Page is pure pleasure. It traces the decades-long relationship between her father Robert, the most distinguished editor in American letters, and Robert Caro, the greatest biographer of all.
Read MoreOn Jonathan Haidt's 'The Anxious Generation'
Thoughts of a teacher on one of the books of the moment, Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.
Read MoreCarol Atherton's 'Reading Lessons'
A review of Carol Atherton’s Reading Lessons: the books we read at school, the conversations they spark and why they matter, with extended comments on English teaching.
Read More'Elizabeth Bishop' by Jonathan F.S. Post
Jonathan F.S. Post’s ‘Elizabeth Bishop’ in the OUP Very Short Introduction series is an admirable introduction to this most admirable of 20th century poets.
Read MoreGeorge Saunders & Claire Keegan
A look at Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These through the lens of George Saunders’s A Swim in the Pond in the Rain.
Read More'Small Things Like These': teaching notes 5
Teaching notes on the final section of Small Things Like These.
Read More'Small Things Like These': teaching notes 4
Teaching notes on Section 6 of Claire Keegan’s novel Small Things Like These.
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