#i love english language coursework :p | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

larryfanfiction · 4 years

Photo

Disney AU

🌹 Elysian by wonderlou (81k) Beauty and the Beast AU

“What could be it, Niall?” Harry asks gently with a sigh. He slouches down further into his chair, crossing his arms lazily across his chest. He is bored. He has been bored for five years straight, but even more so now that his one interest has shut himself out entirely. Harry had not even heard from Louis, not since last night, not since he had gotten on his nerves so much that he was torn between knocking him out and smiling in surrender to the slight awe he felt. Louis is opinionated like no one he’s ever seen, but his voice is honeyed; high-pitched and indignant. Harry is nothing short of entranced.

Or, Harry is running out of time to fall in love, but with Louis, it seems as if there’s all the time in the world.

🧜🏻‍♂️ The Importance of Body Language by zimriya (11k) The Little Mermaid AU

Harry really has no idea how he’s going to get out of this one. After the little incident with the fishing wire, he’d been told that under no circumstances was he to visit the surface of the water, as he is the heir to the throne and his safety is essential to the continued existence of their underwater society. Or something. Harry loves his mum, but there’s really only so much talk of royal duty a prince can take before he does something drastic. Like purposefully disobey her strict instructions to stay under the sea for the rest of his natural life, and instead swim too close to a human ship and get himself spotted by none other than the unfairly attractive Prince Louis Tomlinson, for example.

Needless to say, Harry is fucked.

🧜🏻‍♂️ Hey baby won't you look my way by larrysbitchx (10k) The Little Mermaid AU

Louis want’s a prince charming. Harry might just be him. But what happens when a human and a merman fall in love?

🐶🐱 We Could Live This Life Forever by dearmrsawyer (31k) Lady and the Tramp AU

When Harry’s adoptive parents bring home a brand new baby of their own, he fears they won’t want him anymore.

A Lady and the Tramp AU where everyone’s human

⚓️ Drowning In Your Eyes by smittenwithlouis (45k) Pirates of the Caribbean AU

“Capt’n Styles, are you certain of this? They be attracted to man-made light.” “What is? Sharks?” The young blonde asks in terror. “Worse than sharks, lad. There’ll be flesh eating mermaids upon us in minutes, mark my words!” Paul huffs as he continues to wave the bright lantern in front of him, “And Captain Styles here, has us bait!” Or: The Pirates of the Caribbean inspired au where Harry is a fierce pirate who holds the heart of a beautiful merman.

👑 Because You Saw Me When I Was Invisible by supernope (32k) Princess Diaries AU

A (not so) loosely-based Princess Diaries AU, in which Harry finds out he’s the heir to the throne of a country he’s never even heard of.

🏹 Not in Nottingham by UserFromPluto (11k) Robin Hood AU

“Love him?” The prince repeated, “and does this prisoner return your love?” Harry did not answer but stood looking at Louis, trembling and heaving breaths. Louis met his gaze, hair falling over his eyes, arms gripped roughly by two guards. “Harry,” he said simply, “I love you more than life itself.”

(Robin Hood au in which Harry and Niall steal the show, Liam’s big heart gets him in trouble, and Zayn and Louis really should stop being arrow magnets)

👠 a dream is a wish your heart makes by theneverending (22k) Cinderella AU

Fairytale retelling of Cinderella, where Harry is a servant boy who’s too kind, Louis is a prince in an arranged marriage, Liam is Harry’s step brother, and Niall is Louis’ dutiful grand duke.

👠 your rainbow will come smiling through by hazkaban (17k) Cinderella Story AU

when harry isn’t working at his stepfather’s cafe, he’s trying to make swim captain and trying to finish all his coursework on time. when he’s not doing any of those things, he’s talking to the boy he met on the oxford hopefuls subreddit. when they decide to meet, he’s elated. he finally gets the chance to meet the boy he’s been crushing on! when the day comes to meet his prince, he learns that his online crush is none other than louis tomlinson, captain of the football team and friend of his terrible stepbrothers. now harry has to decide whether telling louis the truth is the right choice or if it’s better to just let sleeping dogs lie.

🦎 long hair don't care by ballsdeepinjesus (20k) Tangled AU

He catches his breath and stands, brushing dirt off of his breeches when he hears a scared peep behind him. Louis spins around, startled, and is greeted by the sight of an extremely pale boy with extremely luscious dark brown curls. His hand starts to reach out involuntarily to try and pet his hair, but he stops it quickly and tries to smooth it into a bow. He glances up, fluttering his lashes, and levels the trembling boy with a charming smile.

“Hi,” he drawls. He doesn’t see the frying pan until it’s too late. Everything goes black.

[harry is sheltered and louis is a thief. or, a tangled au.]

🦎 You Were My New Dream by larryshares (48k) Tangled AU

Prince Harry has spent the majority of his life trapped within the castle walls, forced to hide from the kingdom he never asked to be born into. He doesn’t want to be the next King of Eroda, because according to his father, kings don’t wear dresses, paint their nails, or braid flowers into their magical hair. And Harry happens to love those things about himself, almost as much as he thinks he could love the new combat instructor his father has summoned to mold him into a more acceptable man, just in time for his impending coronation.

🧚🏻‍♀️ no place to call home by suspendrs (21k) Peter Pan AU

“What are you smiling about, Harrison,” the boy spits, body language suddenly getting defensive. “I’ll have you know that I’m-”

“Harry,” Harry interrupts, giggling. “My name is Harry. And if you’re not called Peter, then what are you called?”

The boy tilts his chin up slightly, surveying Harry like he’s checking if he’s worthy of knowing something as important as his name. “Well, Herschel, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Louis.”

Or, Louis isn’t Peter Pan and Harry isn’t Wendy and Neverland is nothing like Harry thought it would be, but it’s perfect anyway.

🧚🏻‍♀️ Tell Every Lost Boy (that you're my man) by LittleLostPieces (17k) Peter Pan AU

A modern-day Peter Pan AU, wherein Harry struggles with his overwhelming jealousy when Louis brings a new mate into their makeshift family.

Starring Louis as Peter Pan (obviously), Harry as Tinker Bell, the others as the Lost Boys, and Greg as Wendy

🧚🏻‍♀️ faith, trust and pixie dust (and a little bit of something else too) Peter Pan AU

“Are you seriously apologizing for taking out a bullet that was lodged in my shoulder and saving my life?” he asks slowly. “Y—yes?” the boy looks unsure of himself now.

“Marry me—”

For once, the boy isn’t the only one blushing and Louis silently curses Earthen terminology for making its way into his vocabulary.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he coughs out, “I mean thanks. That was very nice of you…?”

“Harry,” the boy fills in quietly, flashing Louis a tentative smile. Louis thinks it suits him well and he mouths the name to himself, liking the way it rolls off his tongue. He watches as Harry hesitates before asking his own question, albeit doubtfully.

“And you’re—you’re P—Peter Pan, right?”

Or, the one in which Louis is a punk Peter Pan and Harry is an insecure flower child.

❄️ The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway by timefornothing (17k) Frozen AU

“Lou! Give me my glove!” Louis held it back away from him, blue eyes glittering with desperation. “No, Zayn. Please, I can’t live like this anymore! We can’t keep the entire world shut out! I can’t live like this!” His words rung out shrilly, making the crowd go silent. Zayn stared at Louis, eyes wide with unimaginable pain. Finally, he swallowed hard, whispering quietly, “Then leave.” He took one more look at Louis before it was too much, then he turned away, stalking towards the back of the room. or the one where One Direction are the characters in Frozen. Starring Louis as Anna, Zayn as Elsa, Harry as Kristoff, Niall as Olaf, and Liam as that stone troll that always knows what to do.

♣️♟ like cabbages and kings by you_explode (60k) Alice in Wonderland AU

When Louis was a kid, he had a series of very vivid dreams about a place called Wonderland. There were rabbits wearing waistcoats and talking cats and ridiculous tea parties, and amidst all the absurdity, there was a boy. A boy with dimples, big green eyes and the sweetest soul Louis has ever known. Louis has always kept a place in his heart for that boy and for his funny dreamworld, and when he’s twenty-five and his life falls apart, it turns out Wonderland might not be so imaginary after all.

🌿 Let's Fall in Love in a Place You Want to Stay by embro (134k) Tarzan AU

A George of the Jungle / Tarzan AU where Louis is a model who meets Wild Man Harry in the Congo. He was raised by apes and barely speaks a word of English and turns Louis' life upside down.

🗡 Dirty secret by iilarryii (122k) Mulan AU

"Dad, you can't go!" Louis yells to his father as he watches him pull out his sword.

"Louis, you know that I have to. It's the pack leaders orders," Dan says calmly. "I need you to promise me that you'll take care of the family if I die."

"So what? You'll just give up?"

"Of course not. I am just willing to die for my family's safety."

"So am I."

The Zoely pack is attacked by rogue alphas and the pack leader orders all alphas over the age of eighteen to protect their pack. Dan Deakin is one of the strongest alphas in the pack, but there is one problem. He has a wife and six kids to feed and look after. Louis is the oldest child and the one who wants to protect their family.

Or a Mulan AU where Louis is an omega who takes his father's place in the war.

📕 You Bring Me Home by reminiscingintherain (22k) Saving Mr. Banks AU

"Are you willing to fly to LA to meet with Tomlinson?" "I suppose I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Harry grumped. "I'm assuming he's paying?" "Business class all the way," Liam nodded. "And he's kindly arranged for me to accompany you. So at least you're not going to be on your own." "Please do tell how that's a good thing."

Or, the one where Louis wants to turn Harry's book into a film, and Harry's very picky about what happens.

[Saving Mr Banks AU]

☂ Harry Poppins by jacaranda_bloom (32k) Mary Poppins AU

When Louis’ best friends pass away he finds himself with an instant family. Maddie and Thomas are wonderful children but take an immediate dislike to every nanny that sets foot inside their house. After nanny number six is summarily dismissed Louis is at his wit’s end, that is until an unusual man arrives on their doorstep. Harry Styles is like nothing any of them have ever encountered before, and perhaps, exactly what they’ve been looking for all along.

🐎 It's the Climb by lululawrence (25k) Hannah Montana AU

Louis stretched out his back and turned around, startled to see the most beautiful man he’d ever encountered in his life riding towards him on a horse.

He had to still be asleep. This was one of those super weird dreams people had where the knight in shining armor (or in this case, red sleeveless flannel) literally rode up to them calling their name. - The Hannah Montana AU where Louis is a world famous punk rock singer with a stage name of William and Jay drags him back to Tennessee for the summer. In her attempt for Louis to get back to his roots, he just so happens to reconnect with Harry, and things never go quite as Louis expects them to.

🎬 Supposed to Be by kikikryslee (26k) Geek Charming AU

“I’m making a movie for a film competition, and I want you to be in it,” Harry told Louis. “I think you would be a great leading actor in it.” “Why?” “Because it’s you. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know all about the amazing Louis Tomlinson? It would be a great movie.” “You don’t have some weird crush or, like, secret obsession with me, do you?” Louis asked. Harry bit his tongue so he didn’t say “Ew, I have standards.” He didn’t think that would go over well. Of course, that was assuming Louis understood what that meant. — Or, the Geek Charming AU where Harry’s a film geek, Louis’ a popular jock, and they both need each other to get what they want.

🐮 Love and Other Antidotes by haztobegood (16k) Emperor's New Groove AU

Arrogant pop star Harry Styles is transformed into a cow by his bandmate Amy Z after a heated argument. Left in the back of a truck, Harry finds himself at a rural farm hours away from his band. Harry has three days to make it back to London and turn back into a human before his next show. His only chance to reclaim his glamorous life rests with a kind farmer named Louis. They must work together to find the antidote before Amy Z finishes him off and takes over the band.

⚽️ The Game Plan by Justalittlelouislove (5k) Game Plan AU

Louis's life is exactly how he likes it: all about him. When it suddenly gets turned on its head and one little lady makes a huge impact, will he learn to handle it or run for the hills?

🎈 Up by Thingssicant (26k) Up! AU

Louis Tomlinson thought he had everything he wanted. He had a wife and daughter, a good job, a house with a white picket fence, and even a few pets along the way

It’s only when he turned 71 that a load of balloons and poorly timed knock on the door changed his life forever

🏰 Teacups by sincehewaseighteen (25k) Disneyland AU

"Looks like your attraction is not any body’s cup of tea today,” he puns cheekily. Harry rolls his eyes and lifts the box onto the counter easily, dusting his hands off without a blink of an eye to Louis. “I think it might be your costume.”

“Alright, babe, you listen here.” Harry comes forward and makes sure he’s close to Louis’ ear. Louis swallows carefully when Harry speaks. “Cut this shit out, you’re no Peter Pan in my eyes. You’re a fucking twit. I know what you’re like, and that’s all you need to worry about.”

or the au where louis works as peter pan at paris’ eurodisney while harry’s the mad-hatter who works at the teacup ride, and just so happens to be the annoyingly gorgeous man louis is in love with.

🏰 Unbelievable sights, indescribable feelings by serenityandtea (8k) Disneyland AU

Louis and Harry spend a pre-Christmas weekend at Disneyland Paris with their three kids. Lots of fluff, rides and a meeting with Santa.

Everyone says that Disneyland is utter magic.

Louis definitely thinks so when he catches the look on his husband’s face; Harry looks completely ecstatic. Never mind their three children; Louis would go through all this hassle again just to have his husband beam at everything around him once more.

🏰 Acorns and Thimbles by izetta (12k) Disneyland AU

There is a startling amount of Disney films where the couple falls in love after just one day. Louis isn't entirely too convinced of how realistic that is, but he thinks he is starting to understand how they all felt.

Or an AU where Louis is Peter Pan at Disney World and Harry is a park guest.

🏰 Magic by dolce_piccante (3k) Disneyland AU

AU. Girl!Direction. Harry and Louis go to Disney for a wonderful holiday filled with familiar characters, fireworks, and some Magic Kingdom magic.

🏰 Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust by kotabear24 (10k) Disneyland AU

Harry Styles and his son, Lucas, are spending four days at Disneyland for Lucas' sixth birthday. Louis Tomlinson is Peter Pan there, and takes a shine to both the boys. He gives them tickets to a Peter Pan show that night, and spends the evening with the two before spending the night with Harry. Lucas and Harry both find themselves getting attachd to Louis, and Louis finds the same himself.

🏰 Once Upon a Dream by objectlesson (26k) Disneyland AU

“M’not gonna half-ass our fake relationship,” Louis almost snaps, voice sharp with a defensive edge, like Harry wandered too close to a bruise with needy fingers. “Now kiss me again. We’re gonna make every shitty tourist here wish they had stayed in the Midwest. We’re gonna burn Disneyland down with our gay. ”

Harry shuts his eyes and opens his mouth, because he can’t fucking say noto Louis.

Or, a fake dating AU where everyone is lying and they happen to be at the Happiest Place on Earth.

🏰 The Way You Make Me Feel by MiniMangaFan (6k) Disneyland AU

“You couldn’t last a damn day without trying to sleep with me.”

“I can last a whole fucking week,” Harry says, rising to Louis’ challenge.

“Wanna make a bet on that, Styles?”

“You’re on,” Harry grins.

Or, Disney AU where Louis and Harry try not to fuck in public places.

_____________________

Deleted fics we have a copy of (just send us an ask):

⚪️ Bittersweet and Strange by Keep_Calm_And_Read_Fic Beauty and the Beast AU

He agreed to stay so his sister could go free, but he never signed up for this. Beauty and the Beast AU in which Harry is taken prisoner in King Louis 'The Beast' Tomlinson's castle, Master Liam Payne may or may not be a torture specialist, Master Zayn Malik may or may not be the Master of War, and no one will tell him what the hell Niall does around here. Basically, Harry hates his enemy with a passion. Then he kind of has a passion for hisenemy. Then he wonders if he and Louis are enemies at all.

⚪️ The Dreams That You Wish by Keep_Calm_And_Read_Fic Cinderella AU

Cinderella/Ever After AU in which Louis is the world’s sassiest servant, Harry is a closeted prince with a deadline, Zayn is Harry’s chaperone, Liam is given the unenviable task of trying to distract Zayn long enough that his sister, Druscilla, can seduce Prince Harry (hint: doomed to failure) and Niall is the worlds most inappropriate fairy godfather. Destiny, romance, mistaken identity, sexcapades and oblivious!everybody abound in this gross bastardization of one of my all time favourite fairy tales.

More Masterposts

#disneyau #ma #disneyauma #masterpost

302 notes · View notes

fiddlemegmac · 7 years

Text

A piece of coursework -- poverty and education.

I have decided to publish this piece of my PGDE research on my blog. These are simply a collection of my thoughts as a beginning practitioner on the issue of poverty in schools -- something which affects all who work there. I do not claim this to be the best thing ever written on the subject -- I know it isn’t -- but it is a collection of key sources and some contemporary issues and practices, simply explained with my reflections. 4. How can teachers and the education system play a role in challenging discrimination and promoting respect for diversity?

Describe the difficulties faced by one particular group of learners who face disadvantage and discrimination in our schools. Analyse and reflect critically on the ways in which the school system and individual teachers can address the marginalisation and exclusion of these children and young people.

Throughout the British Isles, markers of working-class identity continue to be disparaged and those in poverty increasingly marginalised, both socially and economically. For Owen Jones, hatred of working-class people has become ‘socially acceptable’, embedded in society at every level to the extent that ‘it seems as though working-class people are the one group in society that you can say practically anything about’ (Jones 2011, p.2). In Scotland, markers of working-class identity overlap considerably with markers of national identity. For Ronald Macaulay, working-class accents in Scotland are particularly loaded markers of identity, characterised by a ‘double function’ which signifies membership of – and loyalty to – a working-class background, as well as affirming a sense of Scottish identity and separateness (Macaulay, 2005, p.21). Despite the potential for this double function to nationalise and naturalize working class identity within Scotland, Scottish working-class children continue to be subject to deeply-entrenched class prejudices within Britain. This is internalized by children through their familiarity with disparaging terms for working-class people. The Scottish author James Kelman brought the entrenched elitism he believed to have been perpetuated in schools to wider attention in his Booker prize speech, where he claimed that his working-class identity resulted in his children being subject to ‘various intellectual humiliations’ and ‘psychological abuse’ throughout their schooling (Kelman, 1994). However, Kelman’s work, and work by other writers from similar working-class backgrounds, has played a considerable role in educational establishments’ challenging of classist elitism in recent years. In my discipline of English, increasing prestige and emphasis is given to Scottish texts which portray and celebrate working-class culture through the SQA’s compulsory Scottish literature exam paper (SQA, 2013). Teaching working-class Scottish language and culture in a literary context enables learning experiences which challenge prejudice and which recognise working-class lifestyles in positive contexts, including loving families and a sense of community.

However, research shows that curricular innovation has a limited role in raising attainment amongst socio-economically disadvantaged students, particularly when compared to more effective innovations in teaching and classroom practice (Sharples, Slavin, Chambers and Sharp, 2011). Although Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence highlights the need to reduce poverty and enable all learners to reach the highest possible level of achievement (Scottish Executive, 2004, p.10), a 2007 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that Scotland’s education system continues to be marked by a wide achievement gap, demonstrating that ‘children from poorer communities and low socio-economic status homes are more likely than others to under-achieve’, resulting in the conclusion that ‘Who you are in Scotland is far more important than what school you attend’ (OECD, 2007, p.15).

This essay discusses children in poverty and children from working-class homes together. This is appropriate and necessary because 57 percent of Scotland’s children living in poverty are living in households where at least one adult works (Sime, 2013, p.861). The Scottish Government defines poverty in Scotland as relative poverty: ‘Those with incomes below 60% of the UK median are considered to be poor as their incomes are so far from the norm that they face problems participating effectively in society’ (The Scottish Government, 2008, p.5). Although the post-industrial era is characterized by the fragmentation of class, and class structures are intersected by race and gender, a review of the available research has found that ‘Classroom strategies effective for one ethnic or socio-economic group also tend to be effective for others’ (Sharples et al., 2011, p.2). Among the strategies common in classroom practice and found to be most effective in improving the attainment of disadvantaged pupils are: feedback in the context of Assessment for Learning – that is, feedback which provides specific guidance on how to improve, encouraging meta-cognitive reflection on learning and progress, peer tutoring in pairs and small groups, clearly focused homework, and whole-class use of technologies to support learning (Higgins et al., 2012). Although these techniques can be used to improve attainment in all learners, Sosu and Ellis (2014) stress the need for more targeted interventions if teachers are to close the attainment gap. However, implementing targeted interventions can be problematic, as teachers do not have detailed information on pupils’ family backgrounds and have to rely on information volunteered by parents (Sime, 2013, p.868). Researchers identify students who qualify for free school meals as particularly vulnerable to under-achievement (Cooper and Stewart, 2013, 35), and information detailing which students are entitled to free school meals could also be used by teachers to identify students most likely to benefit from targeted interventions. In my placement school in West Lothian, teachers used data in the form of student CAT (Cognitive Ability Testing) scores in order to help identify students who were not achieving their potential, in order to determine when and how to implement suitable interventions. Since disadvantaged children are less likely than their wealthier counterparts to achieve at their full potential, this use of the data that schools do hold about pupils enables targeted interventions which have the potential to benefit disadvantaged children in particular.

Working-class and impoverished young people are more likely to be socially and economically excluded after leaving school than their more economically advantaged peers. Poverty is a factor increasing the likelihood that young people will become NEET – not in education, employment or training – after leaving school (Ainscow et al., 2010, p.11). This exclusion from education and employment in adult life is directly correlated to educational inequalities within schools, where ‘children with low attainment tend to come from poorer families’ (Ibid., p.12). There is recognition throughout policy and research that schools must consciously adopt effective strategies in order to combat the ‘attainment gap’ between learners in poverty and their wealthier peers (Sosu and Ellis, 2014). Such strategies aim to raise attainment among disadvantaged learners, without negatively impacting advantaged learners, in order to mitigate social and economic marginalisation of disadvantaged young people – both in school, and in their adult lives. In Scotland, policy, funding and strategies which target socio-economically disadvantaged learners should be an urgent priority, since the attainment gap is particularly pronounced in Scottish schools relative to countries with similar levels of socio-economic inequality. The effects of poverty on learning are particularly pronounced in literacy, producing a ‘reading gap’ of three years between Scotland’s most able disadvantaged children and their most socio-economically advantaged counterparts (Jerrim, 2013). Where Jerrim recommends interventions for the most able children in poverty (Ibid.), these interventions are even more crucial for deprived children who repeatedly under-achieve, because low educational attainment is linked to exclusion from the labour market in adult life (The Scottish Government, 2008, p.10). In Scotland, the policy Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is an approach which underlines the obligation of teachers and schools to maximise the potential for children to attain, enabling co-operation between schools and other government services in order to provide timely interventions to address needs (The Scottish Government, 2016). This policy is particularly relevant to children in poverty, since the attainment gap begins before schooling and is affected by factors external to school. Therefore a cross-services approach to interventions is required. These interventions, in national contexts, aim to raise the attainment of disadvantaged young people in order to enable them to transition in to positive destinations – Higher/Further Education, training or employment – after leaving school (McKinney, 2014, p.204).

However, efforts to develop strategies to close the attainment gap are frustrated by a lack of data and research pertaining to which strategies are affective in closing the attainment gap (Sosu and Ellis, 2014). It is imperative that school staff and other stakeholders engage with the research that is available, and that they inform their own practice by continually monitoring the progress of disadvantaged learners in order to discern the impact of their own interventions (Sharples et al., 2011). This mitigates a tendency among school staff to resort to impressionistic beliefs about ‘what works’, replacing these with a strategy informed by robust data and research.

It is important to note that the role of schools in closing the gap is limited. Ianelli and Paterson found that education does not play a significant role in equalising life chances: ‘Education cannot be used, on its own, to eradicate social inequalities, and is relatively powerless to counter the middle-class strengths of effective networks, self-confident aspirations and sheer wealth’ (Ianelli and Paterson, 2007, p.231). For Alan Dyson, the education system has privileged ‘values, behaviours and skills that were much more characteristic of middle-class children […] whilst those of working-class children were likely to be devalued as “deficit”, “deprivation” and “need”’ (Dyson, 1997, p.152). For Dyson (1997), the narrative of special needs in education which emerged in the late twentieth century, predicated on models of disability, masked the relationship between social class and educational under-achievement. However, more recent conceptualisations of ‘additional support needs’ formulate a more inclusive scope which accounts for a broad range of factors giving rise to additional support needs, including family circumstances and a home life that is ‘disrupted by poverty’, acknowledging a narrative connecting social deprivation and educational underachievement which dates back to the Victorian era (Moscardini, 2013, p.800). Diane Reay attributes this connection in the twenty-first century to increasing pressures on learners, brought about by changing economic conditions and increased competition in an education system where ‘one child’s educational success too often means another child’s sense of failure’ (Reay, 2010, p.400). Emphasis on competition and its relationship with social class is embodied at national level through use of league tables, which are frequently topped by schools with predominantly middle-class students, while under-resourced schools with mainly working-class intakes place at the bottom (Ibid., p.397). However, an awareness among educators of the prevalence of the connection between low attainment and socio-economic status enables teachers to identify children in poverty as requiring additional support, thus enabling interventions to be made in support of vulnerable children in non-normative categories – i.e. those without any diagnosed disabilities who might have been misrepresented under the outdated ‘special educational needs’ model (Moscardini, 2013, p.808).

Despite the detrimental impacts on educational outcomes of factors outside education, such as home environment, unemployment, housing and parents’ level of education (Ainscow et al., 2010, p.12), teachers’ and schools do have an important role in closing the attainment gap. One research review identified pedagogy as a key factor in changing learning outcomes and raising attainment (Sharples et al., 2011). However, pedagogical interventions must start early if they are to be effective, and encompass both school and home environments in order to maximize their chance of success. Daniela Sime (2013) argues that the quality of the home learning environment is a bigger factor than socio-economic status in learner attainment. Where working-class parents are less likely to have high aspirations for their children’s education than middle-class parents, one study found that 74% of working-class parents have aspirations for their children to achieve degrees (Sosu, 2014). However, there is a gap between aspiration and actual participation, demonstrating an ‘inability of parents to translate aspirations into reality’ (Ibid., p.76). Lack of social, economic and cultural capital creates barriers for parents’ engagements with their children’s education (Sime and Sheridan, 2014). Despite this, the majority of working-class parents value education as a route to social mobility and are willing to seize opportunities provided by schools – such as ‘curriculum days’, which introduce parents to learning activities and goals – to engage with children’s learning in order to support it in the home (Ibid.). A constructive approach to parental involvement in education, which values parent support and does not view working-class parenting as having ‘deficit’ in relation to middle-class values, is recommended to raise the attainment of disadvantaged learners (Ibid.). Research has shown that programmes which support parents to support their children’s learning at home to be effective in closing the attainment gap (Higgins, Kokotsaki and Coe, 2012). However, deprivation has been shown to affect children educational outcomes even before they start formal education. For this reason, the cross-services approach of GIRFEC is particularly apposite, enabling a range of services to support parents as well as identifying children who will particularly benefit from high-quality early-years education. Research evidence shows that high quality preschool provision from an early age has a substantial impact on closing the attainment gap, by raising attainment in numeracy and literacy in disadvantaged learners and equipping them to start school (Sosu and Ellis, 2014).

Interventions are most successful if sustained throughout schooling. Effective classroom pedagogies which research evidence shows have a role in closing the attainment gap include co-operative learning and structured groupwork, if this approach is sustained throughout the school, if mixed ability groups are used, and if lower-achieving students are encouraged to talk in order to develop thinking skills (Sosu and Ellis, 2014). There is substantial evidence showing that the continued use of ability level grouping is detrimental to students from disadvantaged backgrounds (Ibid.), so this should be avoided. Formative assessment is also most effective at raising the attainment of disadvantaged students when its practice is informed by research. Sosu and Ellis’s overview of relevant research suggests that particular benefits for assessment for learning when used to set learner targets and provide detailed guidance towards improving student work. One-to-one tutoring, by a teaching assistant, teacher or volunteer has also proven an effective intervention if the whole-class strategies do not work (Ibid.). Interventions aimed specifically to improve literacy include phonetic reading programmes and opportunities for increased engagement with reading and the formulation of reader identity through text choice (Ibid.). For this reason many schools in Scotland provide designated ‘personal reading’ time at the start of lessons. My placement school was committed to bringing students in the Broad General Education phase to the library regularly in order to choose and exchange books. The facilitation of a specialist librarian, whose knowledge of young adult literature aided the children to choose enjoyable texts, was helpful in enabling children’s ownership over reading.

However, a lack of engagement and enjoyment among working-class and disadvantaged children has been associated with higher levels of truancy and school-refusal among low-attaining students (Head, 2013). For Paul Willis, in his seminal study Learning to Labour (1977), the counter-school culture that working-class students create – characterised by oppositional attitudes and disaffection with education – enables young men to better transition into industrial labour jobs. Willis’s analysis of student talk ascertains a belief amongst working-class male students that school has little to do with the world of employment or the social worlds of the home, the shop-floor or the pub. This active disengagement from, and devaluing of, learning is facilitated by cultural conflict between school and working-class homes. Experimental schools like the controversial Michaela Community School in Wembley use these cultural differences as part of their pedagogy, with the aim of increasing the social mobility of their students through high attainment and the implementation of bourgeois social norms. Notoriously strict policies such as silent corridors, traditional teaching styles which require the students to sit and listen or face detention, and students reciting poetry learned by rote in unison are combined with practices designed to instill students with a sense of an idealised, bourgeois family environment. The school is proud of its daily, ritualistic practise of ‘family lunch’, in which students serve food to teachers, teachers eat with the students and discuss the prescribed topic-of-the-day (Adams, 2016). This strict regime of rules and replication of bourgeois domesticity stands in stark contrast to the relatively rule-free working-class households investigated by anthropologist Gillian Evans (2006). Her study is neatly summarised in The Spirit Level as showing that ‘the kinds of activities expected of children in schools fit with the way middle class parents expect their children to play and interact at home, but clash with the way in which working-class families care for, and interact with, their children’ (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009, p.115). Michaela school seems an extreme example of this, aiming to adapt (and arguably, indoctrinate) children into domestic bourgeois norms through the school environment. Where an oppositional counter-school culture was previously seen as conducive to the shop-floor working environment of the 1970s, Michaela attempts to create a rigorously disciplined and high-attaining school culture aiming to naturalise a transition between school and middle-class jobs. The efficacy of this radical strategy is questionable. How will Michaela’s students fare once these rigorous levels of discipline and the frequent use of ‘force’ – to use the headteacher’s word (Adams, 2016) – have been removed? It is unclear what strategies Michaela use in order to ensure that pupil’s agency, resilience and self-motivation are developed, as these tend to be un-explored in media accounts of silent corridors, highly disciplined classrooms and high expectations. There are also ethical implications in creating a school environment which immerses the students in bourgeois ‘family’ social norms, with the implied rejection and supplanting of the social norms of their own homes and their ‘real’ families. The available research has shown that educational environments which focus on, rather than conflict with, learners’ values are more effective in developing resilience and autonomy (McKinney, 2014, p.211).

Working-class learners today belong to a very different culture from that of the industrial 1970s, characterised by de-industrialisation and unemployment (Willis, 2004). Attainment at school is more imperative than ever, despite that it offers no guarantee of employment afterwards, often leaving disadvantaged students ‘trapped in schooling’ (Reay, 2010, p.398). There is a need for a versatile, ‘futureproof’ curriculum to be made available to working-class students. For many Scottish schools this takes the form of practices which support the transition of students between school and the ‘positive destinations’ of higher/further education, training, employment, or voluntary work. For one school in Glasgow, frequent educational trips to local businesses were incorporated into the school curriculum in order to make learning relevant, both to real-world contexts and to the working-class culture to which the majority of the children belonged and would retain membership to after school. These visits embody a ‘cultural responsive’ educational environment, described by Stephen McKinney as ‘based on collectivist value systems’ (McKinney, 2014, p.211). By incorporating, rather than othering, the working-class environments of the student’s lives outside school and the attendant value of labour, these visits engage learners in a manner that was not predicated on a ‘deficit’ model – as opposed to other interventions in addressing the attainment gap such as afterschool programmes and tutoring (Ibid.). Vocational curricular activities also serve to mitigate disaffection arising from working-class children viewing their learning at school as unrelated to their backgrounds and working lives (Willis, 1977).

This essay has detailed some of the pedagogies and interventions that can be used by schools, teachers and parents to engage working-class learners and close the attainment gap. These include everyday classroom practices like formative assessment, quality feedback, focused homework, metacognitive engagement and small-group collaborative learning, as well as more targeted interventions such as parental support programmes, quality preschool learning, phonetic reading activity and peer- or one-to-one tutoring. However, incorporating working-class values and norms into the curriculum, including educational trips to local businesses and the teaching of working-class literature, addresses the problem of educators viewing low attainment in working-class learners in the context of ‘deficit’, by creating more inclusive and diverse learning environments.

[Word count – 3,163]

#pgde #coursework #research

2 notes · View notes

morethan4our · 7 years

Text

Two Junior Years and Sweden

It felt odd having to do junior year two times in a row, especially in a major with a class size of 50-60. I had been accustomed to the class of 2017, as I had been in their classes ever since the beginning of my college career. By junior year, I knew a lot of the class and wasn’t afraid of saying hi or anything.

But this changed after my F.

I felt too ashamed to look the chemical engineering class of 2017 in the eye. I had failed while everyone else didn’t and they knew it. I wouldn’t be in any of their classes anymore and they would wonder what was up. I tried my best to ignore them so I wouldn’t have to deal with the feeling of failure. People that knew said they were fine with it and believed I could pick myself up. They didn’t expect this from the Asian kid wearing glasses that lived with another chemical engineering major with a 3.7 GPA. But I still felt ashamed. Some of them still greeted me in passing this past school year, but even so I thought that I was just “the guy that failed.”

Regardless of my academic performance, I scored a summer internship where I did research for the first time. Also, I met Matt M., and after continuous hookups and hangouts he officially became my boyfriend. More on this in a future post.

Remember the C- I mentioned I got my third year, first term? I retook that class the following school year. My fourth year in college and what I like to call my second junior year. This begins my attempt to fit in with the chemical engineering class of 2018. Thankfully, I had a friend that was similarly behind in her curriculum, Jessica W. Jessica W. and I sat in the back of the class I had to retake. It felt completely odd being in a room with 40 other people that already knew each other from being in the same classes in years past. I was one of the outsiders. Being with Jessica W. made it feel better, but I couldn’t help but feel odd. Junior year is when transfer students from community college start popping up in classes. Similarly to me, they most likely also felt like outsiders. New school, new people. In a convenient twist, I knew one of the chemical engineering transfers. Carolina E. talked to me before class one day, asking me if I was from Oxnard. I am. She was too. We have apparently been Facebook friends since 2009 because we went to the same middle school but never really talked much. She helped unite Jessica W. and me with two more transfers, Chase P. and Brice H. The two guys were taking a senior level class along with me because we had the prerequisites despite being juniors, which helped in terms of us all giving each other mind. Despite the few people I had become acquainted with at the beginning of my second junior year, I still felt like an outsider. It felt odd being in the one senior level engineering course because I felt judgment from my classmates despite that judgment not even existing. No one cared that I failed a class except me. People were even happy to see me in a senior level class, but I distanced myself from the actual seniors in shame. My first term in my second junior year came to a close with me raising my C- to a B.

Time for winter term of my second junior year. My redemption term where I could finally retake the course I got an F in. I made sure to take easy classes that term to let myself focus as much as I can on not failing again. Throughout this term I felt myself learning and enjoying the material in my retake class, ending the term with a rewarding B. I was finally allowed to continue my engineering coursework! Despite this, I still felt detached from the class of 2018.

I was excited for the following spring term. I was back on track to take classes and finally got that F off my GPA. I was also excited for my lab class for an interesting reason: I took it as an opportunity to meet people. Jessica W. and Carolina E. ultimately could not enroll in the lab course to space out their curriculum, and the other two transfers I met quite honestly I didn’t interact with much because I felt like they were their own thing. This meant, in a group work setting, people within the class of 2018 would be forced to interact with me. Yes, it’s sad that I was excited about this. And I still wasn’t comfortable talking to people in my new batch because of the judgment I was scared to face for being a 4th year junior. Anyway, I get paired with Shelley G. for lab. She’s super nice and we got along just fine. We put in a lot of work towards lab and were able to bond through that and the general struggle of our engineering courses. Doing work with her even caused some of her ChemE ‘18 friends to give me mind. Despite the fact that they were all international students who preferred to talk in Chinese and bar me out of conversation, it still felt nice to finally be woven into the ChemE ‘18 community somewhat. I felt no judgment from anyone when they learned I was a 4th year junior, which I met with surprise. I was still scared of initiating contact with people within ChemE ‘18 (I’ll just use this abbreviation now) due to fear of judgment, though. I just hoped people would come to me, but of course that never happens. I needed to put in the effort myself. In the meantime I gained news that I was accepted into another summer internship to do research in Sweden. I was excited to hear another student from ChemE ‘18 was going with me. “Another opportunity to weave myself into ChemE ‘18!” I thought to myself. I made sure to initiate contact with the other intern, Alec A., but via email because I was still nervous to talk to ChemE ‘18 face-to-face.

The spring term ends after long nights of studying. Immediately after I had to head to Sweden for my internship, which is where I am as I type this. I ended up earning all Bs in my major courses, which was a pleasant surprise. While waiting for my grades and making my trip from the USA to Sweden, I was wondering about so much. Will there be a bad language barrier in Sweden? Will my host family like me? How about my lab? And Alec A.? I was honestly more worried about making friends in Sweden than I was about my grades.

I arrived in Sweden a few days before Alec A. because he wanted to spend a bit of time in the US. We had talked a bit prior to the internship start date about the internship via, but nothing else really. I was picked up by my lab mentor for the summer, David K., who helped me with my luggage and with getting a Swedish SIM card. I was nervous about meeting my mentor for the first time, as I was nervous about meeting everyone else. The drive from the airport to my host family’s house was amazing. There was so much greenery and I kept saying how cool it looked. All of the road signs were in Swedish, which introduced the beginning of the language barrier I’d face. Thankfully, according to David K., everyone knows English and will adjust to not leave me out or anything. My host family gave me a warm welcome and a tour of the house I’m currently in as well as a walk to the nearby grocery store. I was happy that everything was going well and I was getting along with everyone. I thought to myself “I’ll think I’ll be fine in lab tomorrow. I’m sure David K. will help me ease into it.” But I was still very nervous about being with Alec A. for 11 weeks in the same house. What if we don’t have anything in common? Is he nice? What if I annoy him?

The following day I go into lab and meet a lot of people working within it. I had my first Swedish coffee break (fika), learn lab techniques, learn the tram system, and ruin my sleeping schedule due to the 12 AM sunsets and 4 AM sunrises. The same activities continued on into Tuesday. I came back to the house after lab that day, nervous because I knew Alec A. was set on arriving any time soon. He messages me on Facebook an hour after I arrive at the house telling me to open the front door. The host family and I see him leave a taxi with his luggage, and as he’s shown around the house all I can think is “Oh shit, am I ready for interaction?”

The past week or so, I’m surprised to say that we’ve found things in common and I at the very least consider him my Swedish traveling buddy (basically by default). I’ve had my quiet moments with everyone here, not knowing how to keep conversations going despite my efforts, but I’ve been like that with everyone in my life regardless. I’m trying my best to become better at socializing this summer and hoping to improve. I hope for many things to come out of this internship, but one is for certain: I hope that these 11 weeks allow Alec A. and I to form a connection strong enough to continue our interactions within the school year and hopefully even weave me into ChemE ‘18 even more. Of course, I’d love to gain friendship from him, from the people within my lab, my host family, and all the like, but I’m hoping this summer will give me more confidence to not be ashamed of taking five years to finish my undergraduate career.

#personal #Sweden17

0 notes