The purpose of the module is to allow students to develop their own unique approach to teaching writing based on their creative practices as a writer, to gain experience of running workshops in local schools and to develop the professional skills necessary to market themselves and work in educational and community settings.

Students will benefit from taking the course by gaining an understanding of their own approaches to writing and teaching, positioning themselves in relation to current pedagogical debates about learning and creativity, exploring the educational and community settings in which they will work, developing the necessary professional skills to design, deliver and evaluate workshops, and the experience necessary to help them to find work in the sector after graduation. The module will explore the well established and particular value that writers bring to educational settings, both in their engagement with pupils and those with QTS.

This module will offer the student an additional way of understanding and engaging with their creative processes as a writer, taking what they learn about their ways of writing and learning throughout their time with the Warwick Writing Programme and applying it in educational settings. Working in education and community settings gives opportunities for writers to expand their writing communities and for many writers is an important part of their portfolio careers.

The module will have five key parts: Parts one to four will be taught in term 2. Part five, in which students will gain experience of workshops, will take place in term three.

Part one: weeks 1-3.

The writing voice and the teaching voice.

We will explore the processes and practices which help us to be creative as writers and understand how our own ways of being creative can inform and underpin our teaching.

Part two: weeks 4-6.

Learning environments and their requirements.

We will research, examine and analyse the learning environments in which writers work, the requirements they place upon writers, and the possible expectations of commissioning partners. We will develop practical teaching skills, such as designing, planning and delivering workshops, classroom and behaviour management and evaluation, and analyse how these practical tools and skills can support writers in developing and delivering their own unique teaching practice.

Part three: weeks 7-8

Writing and the National Curriculum.

We will consider current pedagogical debates surrounding creativity and learning and how they might influence writers in developing their approach to teaching writing. We will examine the ways children are taught to write creatively in schools and assess the impact of current teaching methods upon the role of the writer in schools.

Part four: weeks 9-10.

The business of working as a writer in education.

We will explore the processes of finding work, funding streams, the current working environment, safeguarding and the role of the portfolio and internet in finding work.

Part five: to take place in term three, at a time to suit the school/s and students.

Workshops.

Students to design, deliver and evaluate their own workshop/s based on the outcomes of preceding weeks.

Primary reading list:

Cowley, Sue (2010) Getting the Buggers to Behave. London. Continuum.

Crowe, Dan (2007) How I Write: The secret lives of authors. New York. Rizzoli.

Flynn, Naomi & Stainthorp, Rhonda (2006) The Learning and Teaching of Reading and Writing. Chichester. Wiley.

Freely, Maureen (2012) In Conversation: A new approach to teaching long fiction. In Morley and Neilson (eds) The Cambridge Companion to Creative Writing. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Hyde, Lewis (2007) The Gift: How the creative spirit transforms the world. Edinburgh. Canongate.

Johnson, Paul (1991) A Book of One’s Own: Developing literacy through making books. London. Hodder & Staughton

Kennedy, A.L. (2012) Does that Make Sense? Approaches to the creative writing workshop. In Morley and Neilson. Op Cit.

Mallet, Margaret (2003) Early Years Non-Fiction: A guide to helping young researchers. London. RoutledgeFarmer

Morley, David (2007) The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Smith, Mark (2006) ‘Keeping a learning journal’, The encyclopaedia of informal education. www.infed.org/research/keeping_a_journal.htm

Starko, Alain Jordan (2010) Creativity in the Classroom: Schools of curious delight. Abingdon. Routledge.

The Guardian (20th Feb 2010) Ten rules for writing fiction (parts one and two) Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one and http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/10-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-two

Thomson, Pat & Sefton-Green, Julian (eds)(2011) Researching Creative Writing: Methods and Issues. Abingdon. Routledge.

Thorpe, Kay (2007) Essential Creativity in the Classroom: Inspiring kids. Abingdon. Routledge.

Assessment:

An essay of 3500 words, a portfolio of 1500 words (including images, planning and pitching documents, testimonials and evaluations) (25% + 25%) and an observed workshop (50%).

NB: Assessment criteria examples are given in section 19: Learning outcomes