Benjamin Franklin thought there were two certainties in this world: death and taxes. GCSE English language resit teachers can add a third. In every class, we know we will have at least one student who will beg not to have to do poetry.
All of our learners in these classes have achieved a grade 3 or lower in GCSE English, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that the idea of studying literature again is a challenge to them. This is especially true if they have a learning difference like dyslexia.
But in my experience, poetry is one of the keys that can not only unlock a greater appreciation of English and language arts, but also help students become more effective communicators. In turn, this leads to greater academic success far beyond the English syllabus.
Sadly, having worked in FE for four years, I see very little promotion of English and language arts. Courses are generally vocational and the GCSE English language course has to be covered in under a year, instead of twice that when studied at secondary school.
For all that, some of my students tell me they are writing – poetry, short stories, song lyrics, and even comic strips. Some do it for personal pleasure, and many do it because it gives a voice to the anxieties which so many of us, students and staff, find hard to express in other ways.
Yet their talents and explorations in language are going unnoticed because they are not being expressed within the context of a more creative English class. Furthermore, opportunities for public expression and celebration are few and far between.
I left school with a distinct dislike of formal education. It was poetry and the performing arts that led me back to college and eventually even to becoming a teacher.
So this year at Reading College, I am determined that we are going to increase awareness of English as a language art. For the first time, we are going to enter the national Poetry by Heart competition, where participants choose and learn a poem by heart and perform it out loud.
Those who have been put off poetry will see it in a new way
Participation is free and the Poetry By Heart website is also a superb resource for teaching poetry. It features hundreds of poems, grouped by theme and interest level, including all the poems studied for GCSE. In addition, there’s lots of support and guidance for teachers to help students memorise their poems.
And it’s fun. They encourage you to run internal competitions to celebrate the best performances, and there’s even a staff category.
I got involved last year and was invited to perform a favourite Shakespeare sonnet at the launch event, live on stage at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe. The experience was unforgettable and I will certainly be encouraging my colleagues to give it a go.
Taking part in the competition is additionally exciting for us as the college has students from many cultures with their own poetic traditions. The competition will enable them to share these and means we can open them up for all our students to experience.
I’m pleased too that there is also the opportunity for students to perform their own poetry within a special ‘freestyle’ category that values creativity, diversity and inclusivity.
The most important thing is, however, that poetry will be learned, read and above all celebrated and respected. Those who have been put off poetry will see and hear it in a way they haven’t before, and others will have the opportunity to find their voices, taking their ability to express themselves to a new level.
When our learners see English again as a language art – not just an exam skill – I’m betting they will fall in love with the subject again, just like I did!
Going back to Benjamin Franklin, he implored us all to “write something worth reading, or do something worth writing”. Here’s to our learners doing both!
To find out more about free participation in Poetry by Heart, click here
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