PGCE English

Subject knowledge pre-course audit

 

All students who have accepted an offer on the University of Leicester PGCE English course have been sent this audit. Please read it through carefully before completing any of the sections.

You will remember that, at your interview, you were asked questions about your subject knowledge including specific areas of expertise and potential ‘gaps’ and we offered advice on this in your Preliminary Individual Action Plan (PIAP). We now want you to identify priority areas so you can develop your subject knowledge further. This audit focuses on some core aspects of the secondary English curriculum rather than providing a comprehensive overview. It features a range of manageable ideas for further development. This audit process will continue throughout the course, enabling you to address your learning in a structured way.

How to complete your audit:

  • For each item in the first column, circle the number (1 = Unfamiliar > 4 = Confident knowledge) you think best matches your current level of expertise.
  • b. Now highlight your weakest areas as priorities for development.
  • Do some work – reading or other activities – to improve your knowledge in these priority areas before the course begins.We have offered some ideas to help you get started.
  • In the final column, state clearly what you did, when you did it, and where any notes etc. are stored.
  • You must complete this audit and the PIAP by the beginning of the course. Both documents will be required for your first tutorial.
Circle current level of expertise for each item
4. Confident knowledge
3. Fair working knowledge
2. Some knowledge 1. Unfamiliar 		  Ideas for further developmentRecord of further development   Dates when you completed specific tasks & brief details of where any notes are kept, etc.
 Language structures & grammar  
– Word classes & their functions  1   2   3   4 
– Grammatical terminology      1   2   3   4    
– Sentence grammar (clause & phrase structures) 1   2   3   4 
– Punctuation   1   2   3   4    
– Paragraphing   1   2   3   4    
– Textual structures  1   2   3   4        		Read The Pocket Guide to English Language by John O’Connor or Making Sense of Grammar by David Crystal or English Language Knowledge for Secondary Teachers by Alison Ross   Consult/try out activities at http://www.cybergrammar.co.uk   Identify grammatical features in your writing   Refer to Part 4 sections on writing in Wyse et al. (2013) (see your reading list)   Refer to the National Curriculum : English Appendix 2: Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation and the Glossary for Sept 16 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-framework-for-key-stages-1-to-4   
  Knowledge about texts & different critical approaches
– Popular children’s/ teenage literature   
   1   2   3   4  

– Poetry, prose fiction, drama from English literary heritage. Key non-fiction and non-literary texts
1   2   3   4    
– Texts from cultures & traditions beyond Europe and the USA
1   2   3   4 

–  Approaches to reading and deconstructing literary texts
   1   2   3   4         		Reflect on your childhood reading & read A Child that Books Built by F. Spufford (Faber & Faber) required for taught session in Sept   Talk to a bookseller or a librarian about children’s reading preferences.   Browse and contribute to http://www.goodreads.com/ Browse http://booksforkeeps.co.uk   Read fiction titles on your reading list   Refer to the 2014  English National  Curriculum https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum Read poetry anthologies & single author collections for children & adults. Listen to CD/ Youtube recordings of poetry readings. Investigate the http://poetrystation.org.uk and http://www.poetryarchive.orgwebsites.   Visit theatre/watch film versions of key texts by Shakespeare & other dramatists. Collect reviews & programmes     Dip into a good multicultural poetry anthology -see recommendations on your reading list. Explore the shortlist from the Man Booker International prize. Read Chinua Achebe’s short novel Things Fall Apart   Read Literary Theory The Basics (H. Bertens) and/or How to Read Literature by Terry Eagleton   Sign up to the National Association for the Teaching of English for access to some great resources and research Trainee Teacher Membership – NATE You might need to email them as low-cost membership access for 23/24 student teachers may not yet be available.