Free Teacher Workshop: Engaging Students in C19th Prose
On Friday 12th April, a team of researchers will present a free workshop designed to help teachers of GCSE English Language engage their students in nineteenth-century prose. AQA, the most popular exam board, now have unseen nineteenth-century literary non-fiction as part of Paper 2 of GCSE English Language, so getting today's 15-16-year-olds on board with nineteenth-century non-fiction has never been more important!
The workshop will take place at Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum in Central Dorchester, and the full programme can be seen below. We have invited all teachers local to the area, but if you happen to be able to come along then please email catherine.charlwood@ell.ox.ac.uk to book a free place - we'd be delighted to welcome you.
This workshop - and its upcoming partner event, a workshop for GCSE students themselves on Tuesday 7th May - is the result of a collaboration between Diseases of Modern Life and the Thomas Hardy Society, specifically Dr Karin Koehler of Bangor University, and Andrew Hewitt, who is undertaking a PhD on Thomas Hardy at the University of Hull. For the teacher workshop we are delighted to be working also with a team of three researchers from the University of Exeter, headed by Prof Angelique Richardson.
ENGAGING STUDENTS IN 19TH-CENTURY PROSE: RESEARCH-BASED RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
12th April 2019
Free English GCSE Teaching Workshop for Teachers at Shire Hall, Central Dorchester
| 11.00-11.30 |
Arrival and registration Tea and coffee will be provided. |
| 11.30-11.35 | Welcome and Overview of the Day |
| 11.35-12.20 |
Fiction and Non-Fiction: Reading Nineteenth-Century Prose with Thomas Hardy Based on the example of Thomas Hardy, who used non-fiction sources as an inspiration for his novels and stories, this initial session will show that fiction and non-fiction were less separate in nineteenth-century culture than now. It will suggest that by acknowledging the close relationship between fiction and non-fiction, we can make the analysis of nineteenth-century prose less intimidating and more engaging for pupils. |
| 12.20-1.15 | Free lunch |
| 1.15-2.15 |
Hardy and Heritage Project – Resources for Schools Professor Angelique Richardson, Stephanie Meek, and John Blackmore will introduce educational resources developed at Exeter University, related to the teaching of nineteenth- and twentieth-century non-fiction. Short presentations will be followed by the opportunity for conversation and Q&A. |
| 2.15-2.45 |
Diseases of Modern Life Project – Educational Resources Dr Catherine Charlwood (St Anne’s, Oxford) will introduce resources for teachers and students developed as part of the European Research Council funded ‘Diseases of Modern Life’ project. |
| 2.45-3.00 |
Afternoon break Tea and coffee will be provided. |
| 3.00-4.00 |
Thomas Hardy and Diseases of Modern Life Dr Catherine Charlwood, Andrew Hewitt, and Dr Karin Koehler will lead a workshop that explores how teachers might draw on the important local heritage of Hardy’s writing to teach nineteenth-century non-fiction. This session will also look ahead to a follow-up event planned for students on 7 May. |
| 4.00-4.30 |
Feedback and Ways Forward The day will end with a session in which we discuss what sort of resources and input teachers would like from universities and cultural organisations such as the Thomas Hardy Society and the Hardy Country Consortium. |
Teachers and students of English Literature at GCSE, IB or A Level might also be interested in the Thomas Hardy Society Essay Competition, which has a deadline of 30th April. As well as a £50 Amazon voucher, you could end up being published in a Thomas Hardy Society journal!
