You will obviously need to familiarise yourself with the different specifications both for A level and the IB and to ensure student teachers know how to find their way around the different examination board websites. In focusing on poetry at this level, I tend to look broadly at where poetry features in each specification, the style of examination questions and coursework tasks and then to concentrate on how school students could be supported to make the transition from GCSE to Post-16 study. A useful introductory activity can be to look at definitions of poetry. (For an A level version of this activity refer to Dymoke, McMehan, Royston and Smith 2008, pages 8-9.) At Post-16 level students should reflect and draw on their previous experiences of literature as they learn to articulate their critical understanding of how structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts and the impact these will have on readers (see for example Higher level objectives for the IB Language 1 and A02 for AS English Literature). In exploring issues of transition and approach to Post-16 study, you could consult the papers on English Literature Post-16 (I) by Richard Jacobs and English Literature Post-16 (II) by Simon Gibbons which are also on this website.
Some student teachers seem to have a misconception that teaching poetry at 16 plus should be very different from what has gone before. When you are focusing on the teaching poetry at Post-16, I think it is vital to model use of active and creative approaches including those which enable learners to listen to and perform as many different readings as possible. In this way you will help your student teachers to ensure that encounters with poetry are memorable and filled with opportunities to develop personal responses rather than spoon-fed answers. Many of the activities suggested in the section below are very appropriate for use at this level.
The four sections and the accompanying activities below are designed to introduce ITE student teachers to key aspects of poetry teaching and learning. Many of the activities suggested could be adapted for use with pupils in schools. For further ideas you should also consult the other web pages on teaching literature on ITE website.
