Abstract

This article reports findings from a series of learning episodes in the form of case studies from inside English teaching classrooms that use music and literary extracts to make English Language and its possible applications and interpretations alive to students. Central to this exploration is the concept of artistry, characterised here as a nuanced practice involving four interrelated elements: the possession of an idea worth expressing, the imaginative ability to conceive its expression, the technical skill to work with materials, and the sensibilities required to make delicate, evocative adjustments. For the tens of thousands of young people in the Further Adult, Vocational and Education (FAVE) sector in England retaking GCSE English every year, artistry is an often neglected but vital concept that is routinely overshadowed by more pragmatic and reductive interpretations of the English Language curriculum. Low national achievement rates for re-sitting students do little to incentivize institutions and teachers in experimenting with their curriculum. Moreover, many re-sitting students become demotivated and disengaged due to numerous previously failed attempts to achieve a pass grade. This small-scale, qualitative research study explores and proposes new possibilities regarding how the FAVE GCSE English curriculum can be realised in engaging and meaningful ways. Concepts of artistry are put to work with students in the FAVE GCSE English classroom to bring to the fore how these ideas in the GCSE English Language curriculum might be brought to life in ways which develop understanding and foster interest in the study of English Language.