Focus group research carried on decolonising English Literature A-Level studies in the UK

Focus group research carried on decolonising English Literature A-Level studies in the UK
Meetings organised and led by Jade Munslow Ong, Simon Stanton-Sharma, Hannah Helm, Keren Poliah

Aim of 1st meeting: explain what work South African Modernism project team members are doing this year and work with exam boards (AQA and Eduqas) to co-create a strategy for beginning to respond to challenges.

Aims of 2nd meeting: explain what work South African Modernism project team members are doing this year and work with college teachers to co-create a strategy for beginning to respond to challenges. Seek advice from teachers to produce resources that would be useful.

Aims of 3rd meeting: discuss with exam boards/teachers potential new governmental changes and the effects of these; show exam boards/teachers what work we have done since Focus Group 2 (video essay, lecture, teacher podcast, reading list); ask teachers if there have been any links between our sessions/students’ feelings/performance in relation to exams/other assessments; and generate feedback/advice in preparation for the next academic year.

Aims of 4th meeting: show exam boards/teachers what work we have done since Focus Group 3 (video essays, teacher podcasts, recorded lectures, reading list, website, animation); generate feedback for the website; generate feedback to prepare case studies in policy brief; discuss pushing for policy changes.

Aims of 5th meeting: updates about the website; discussion about producing a policy brief, decolonising the curriculum and teaching approaches; discuss the benefit of such changes to teaching, learning, and everyone involved, including students.