Hello teachers! Well this is embarrassing! 2018 is already three months old and this is my first newsletter. A combination of exciting creative work and house moving has stolen my time. But here is an update on everything ARTiculate and, as usual, resources and recommendations for you to use to add a creative spark to your literacy teaching! Between the lines: a lesson in diversity from a bookshop in Cape Town This month I am in South Africa’s most beautiful city: Cape Town. There are many issues in education here in South Africa, not least the massive disparity in opportunity and funding for children in many schools. After a visit to the fantastic bookshop The Book Lounge , I have been inspired by the interesting range of children’s literature on offer; crucially, it is literature representative of the diversity in the country. A bit of a poke in the ribs for teachers like us in the UK: how much does the literature we use in our classrooms reflect the racial and ethnic dive...

I wrote the following article for publication on the TES online 'Subject Genius' blog series. The original article can be found at: www.tes.com/blog/author-way-a-shift-pedagogy-writing An author way: a shift in the pedagogy of writing A recent report by the National Literacy Trust into child attitudes towards writing indicates that the number of children who write for pleasure is on the increase. This is undoubtedly a cause for celebration for those of us who write for joy, work or for any number of assorted reasons. However, for many pupils aged 8-18 years – almost half of those surveyed in fact – writing is still an activity that fails to capture the imagination and for some remains an unenjoyable slog. I can empathise with both the joyful and the joyless. I often wonder how my former teachers who cajoled, bullied and dragged me by the pencil tip to produce writing of any quality might now feel if they knew that I enjoy writing as an adult. The laying down of words is no ...

All courses are priced at £140pp (includes lunch and resources) at a high-quality venue in north Leeds. Early Bird offer - book one of the first six places on any course for only £100!      12 January 2018 - Using quality texts in primary literacy, Leeds, full day 26 January 2018 - Using film in primary literacy, Leeds, full day   2 February 2018 - Supporting creative writers (for primary TAs) - Leeds, full day   9 February 2018 - No fear Shakespeare for primary schools, Leeds, full day  *Dates may be subject to change. To see more, see details of my training packages here or find out other ways to work with me . For booking details, please email Stefan at articulateeducation@gmail.com

Last term I worked with teachers Amy and Nicola from Leeds on a creative writing project. Designed around 'The Island' by Armin Greder, the theme of the project was immigration. If you like what you see, click here to see how your school could be involved or choose 'Work with me' from the nav bar. See what Amy and Nicola had to say about working with me! Watch the trailer for the film we made here:  

Star Wars: Return of the Shadow Saber (2017)   The Star Wars saga continues with Star Wars: The Return of the Shadow Saber produced by ARTiculate Education and Trinity Vision.  In this continuation of the sci-fi epic, the Sith, the Jedi and a group of vile bounty hunters are on a quest to reclaim the legendary Shadow Saber - a weapon of unspeakable power. Who will get their hands on it first and claim the ultimate power in the galaxy? This film was written, designed and performed by twelve children from Little London Primary School and Pudsey Lowtown Primary School, Leeds. May the force be with you!

The Island - Trailer (2017)   On the day the man arrived, the lives of the islanders were changed forever. This video was the culmination of an ARTiculate Education creative writing project with two Year 5 classes in Leeds that explored the issues of immigration, identity and belonging in modern Britain. If you would like this workshop in your school, email me at articulateeducation@gmail.com and let me know. The Island movie will wash ashore in September 2017 - enjoy the trailer!

Summer is here again and so too is the Art Exchange - a community art project run by local artists in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. I have been working at Pudsey Lowtown this year as a collaborative English consultant and art teacher and this exhibition was the perfect opportunity to display some of the fantastic art work created by children at the school. We even had three winners! A third place prize and two special commendations. Well done to those children! But prizes aside, this was the perfect way to end a year's worth of art teaching - the end of a process; and the idea of process is central to the way I have tried to teach art. In what seems a growing trend, many schools choose to showcase art by holding a Creative Week or similar - a one week art frenzy where children take daily art lessons to develop their skills. Whilst it is great to see schools celebrating art by awarding it special focus, this approach is usually borne out of the lack of time to teach art regularl...