On Wednesday evening, our Year 13 Pre-U and IB English Literature students were joined by their peers from three of our partner schools: the London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham, Queen Elizabeth’s Boys and Highgate School.
The event – the first of its kind in three years due to the pandemic – was a conference focusing on the ‘unseen’ literature element of their forthcoming examinations, providing the opportunity to hone their reading skills through a range of texts from different genres and time periods. The evening provided an extra opportunity, towards the end of the course, to further deepen their passion for literature.
The evening began with three short lectures, each concentrating on one aspect of reading: Language, Form and Structure; Context in all its guises, and Critical viewpoints and Interpretation. Here, teachers not only gave advice and instruction by means of a closely studied text, but drew from their own formative experience as young, developing readers both at school and at university. After tea, the students then split into 6 groups in order to practise responding to the three areas by means of teacher-led seminars in a carousel arrangement.
It was marvellous to partake in the enthusiasm and insight demonstrated by the students throughout the evening; certainly, staff felt that the students all went away with a lively sense of purpose and excitement about their literary studies.
Dr McLoughlin, Partnerships Co-ordinator
