Barbara Bleiman 🎓 Education is Conversation
@BarbaraBleiman
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Education consultant, EMC; NATE Outstanding Contribution to Teaching of English (2019); 'An Inspector Called Stories' (2022); Snap! Poems for Children (2025)
London
Joined June 2011
That’s what studying English teaches you - spelling and the vital importance of proof-reading your work. Perhaps you should have done an English degree @KemiBadenoch?
The lack of attention to detail for a simple spelling is appalling but very much on-theme with Badenoch and her appalling leadership.
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Oh and by the way, having an English or Humanities degree doesn't stop you from being at the very top of the tech industry either @KemiBadenoch
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We’re building something wild. It’s mobile. It’s AI. It’s DePIN. It changes how you connect, earn, and explore the internet. Get ready CoralOS is almost here. You won’t just use it. You’ll own it.
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And how about what Lucy Prebble has done for the UK's international reputation for TV writing and drama & the massive boost her work gives to the UK creative industries?
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‘English is not just a subject – it is the foundation on which all other subjects are built’: @DrSarahMullin warns of the wider impact of withdrawing bursaries for teacher training in English https://t.co/VSUQARVW5v
tes.com
The withdrawal of teacher training bursaries for English risks undermining more than just the subject itself – and it comes at a critical time, warns Sarah Mullin
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And she might take a look at destinations on university websites e.g. Oxford, where she can see the hugely varied careers of alumni - entrepreneurs, media professionals, writers, lawyers, marketing professionals & more!
english.ox.ac.uk
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She might also like to read the British Academy report on English studies (2023): https://t.co/k8AaRe4TkB
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Tell this to the 4 English graduates we're featuring in December's emagazine, all with brilliant careers! Oh and she might want to consider the possible redundancy of tech qualifications in the AI era, by reading comment like this:
martech.org
As AI takes over routine work, the valuable marketing skills may no longer be technical. Curiosity, adaptability and leadership will be career essentials.
Badenoch: Curb students taking ‘rip-off’ degrees such as English
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🙄🇬🇧🙄🇬🇧🙄🇬🇧🙄🇬🇧🙄 Hey @Kemibadenoch Post my degree in English: Worked in a children’s library helping kids choose and love books Taught English at secondary level,inspiring GCSE/A-level students Worked with ME students Wrote over 24 novels. What have you achieved?
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Talking before writing to free cognitive space. Draw it, tell it, write it. Oral composition a potent aspect of early education still underused.
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Many of you will be familiar with EMC's publications and CPD training, but did you know that there is also a wealth of free content to be found on our website? Click below to explore our free publications, events, guides, articles and more 👇 https://t.co/NyIGtjujz0
englishandmedia.co.uk
Discover EMC free! Free downloadable resources, videos, blogs and projects. Plus information about free online and in-person courses.
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EMC Twilight: Belonging and unbelonging in children’s literature Join us for a conversation with Sita Brahmachari and Darren Chetty, who will be discussing ideas of identity, belonging and community in children's literature. Book by: 8am on 21st October https://t.co/j9SIb8O1SZ
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Great thread on new texts for GCSE and why they’re seriously worth considering for your students!
1. For AQA GCSE Lit, My Name Is Leon, Princess & The Hustler, and Leave Taking offer powerful ways to engage students while reflecting Britain’s real cultural stories. A thread about why and how 🧵
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I'm releasing a new episode of my #poetry #podcast today and I'd LOVE a couple more subscribers. The link's here: https://t.co/ybVFCRznu2 . Five poems, midweek soul food, 15 minutes. It's very lovely and fantastic, so I'm told. Brian Patten this week! And others... 🫑🦫🐦⬛☕🚂
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Just finished reading ‘Phoenix Brothers’ by Sita Brahmachari, which is a terrific novel for KS3, with ‘lifelines of hope’! @EngMediaCentre has produced some great resources to teach it!
With attacks on synagogue, mosque & hotels with asylum seekers, UK schools should give children safe spaces to explore roots of hate, plus lifelines of hope. Creative engagement with novels can open doors. 2 below but many more out there & please step up with support to teachers!
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But not for secondary English teachers. It’s a core subject - a key subject. Schools already have a shortage of subject specialist English teachers. But with no bursary at all, potentially great English teachers will be unable to train. So shortsighted!
Teachers change children’s lives every single day. Today, we're announcing new bursaries and scholarships to support talented people to become brilliant teachers. Inspiring the next generation and boosting opportunity across the country.
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I long to feel positive about this govt’s education policy & initiatives. I long for the excitement of change that has a good chance of really improving things for students, teachers, schools & communities. I’m heartbroken to see so many missed steps!
Short-sighted and highly damaging. Already there are far too many non-specialists teaching English at secondary level and this can only make things worse.
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Short-sighted and highly damaging. Already there are far too many non-specialists teaching English at secondary level and this can only make things worse.
The government has swung the axe on teacher training incentives – including cutting funding for shortage subjects such as maths and foreign languages https://t.co/Ocs7khyA7V
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This is an important survey on writing by @Literacy_Trust flagging up some things largely ignored in the new DfE Writing Framework -importance of choice & autonomy, student anxiety about 'secretarial' aspects & the importance of 'meaningful' inspiration.
literacytrust.org.uk
This report examines children and young people's perceptions of their emotional and cognitive engagement with writing in school, and their views on and engagement with writing instruction.
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I’ve been teaching English at university level for years and these nonsense stories periodically appear in the press for easy clicks. English Lit students know how to read novels. They get better at it over the course of the degree. They’re smart and committed and interested.
Apparently universities are having to teach English literature students how to concentrate for long enough to read lengthy novels. I have to ask, what makes a person who's incapable of reading long novels decide that studying literature at degree level is for them?
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I've finally spent some of my book token birthday present from my mum on 4 of the shortlisted @tseliotprize collections (I may splash out on more, but it's a start!). I'm so enjoying dipping into them. @IsabelleBaafi is new to me & wonderful. 'The way you say pen' is a stunner!
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