28. Donal Hale - Head of Department - York

In this episode I’m talking to Donal Hale. Donal is an English Head of Department at a secondary school in York and respected voice in English teaching on Twitter and beyond.We discuss:The best book he’s ever read, taught or learnt whilst at schoolWhere Donal and his department stand on planning the curriculum according to concepts, texts or skillsHow formative feedback, summatives and marking works in Donal’s department and if there is anything they’re looking to changeThe one area of the job he’d like to improveWhat reading and/or writing initiatives Donal has within the department to ensure that students are getting rigorous practice in these areasWhether Donal has allowed for any provision in the curriculum for teaching how to speak publiclyAnd lastly, (aside from Twitter) what’s the best resource he’s come across for English teaching that might help othersThanks again to Donal for crossing the timezone divide and offering a frank and fantastic lowdown on how he sees English instruction in its many forms. If you want to be kept up to date on when educational chat like this happens, then be sure to subscribe to the podcast and/or follow me on Twitter @chrisjordanhk Links:Donal on Twitter - @HaleDonalI Know this Much is True by Wally LambBeowulf translated by Michael MorpurgoThe Odyssey translated by Emily WilsonThe Writing RevolutionReading ReconsideredCrafting Brilliant Sentences by Lindsay SkinnerJennifer Webb booksHow to Teach English by Chris Curtis