Originally posted by Errata
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In the parallel class to A was a mixed ability class of 11 year olds.
They were from what might be called middle class white/middle class black /white working class/black working class and pupils whose parents were single parents with very low incomes from both groups.
What I did was ask them to form their own small groups and decide who they would like to write to among their pop idols .They chose across a range that included Queen who were making headlines again at the time,Arrested Development Stevie Wonder etc .
The pupils regulated each other.For example if one pupil wrote a scrappy piece the others wouldn't let her or him send it in case they let the side down.
So everything started to 'improve' rapidly---spelling,handwriting,punctuation sentence structuring.And the stars wrote back! Usually it was their signature on a letter that was typed,but always with signed photo they treasured.
The most interesting case for me was a West Indian pupil whose dad was in the nick and who had become a slight problem because he could not concentrate in class and fell behind with his literacy skills.So he and me first composed a letter.He gave me his ideas and I scribed them.Then he copied my handwriting.It worked and he was made up when he got back a letter from the star of his choice.
Its wasn't that difficult to do but soon after the National Curriculum became even more prescriptive so any initiative like that on the part of teacher and pupils was banned.What to do?
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