Students retaking their GCSE English qualification at Huddersfield New College have been enjoying a unique learning experience using Lego.
Huddersfield New College ensures that students who need to retake their vital GCSE English and Maths qualifications can do so, and HNC is almost 20% above the national average for students who achieve their English at a high-grade rate at post-16 (grades 4-9).
In response to student feedback, the department has come up with an incredibly unique way to help students take a fresh look at the question of ‘how has the writer used structure to interest you as a reader?’ using a toy loved by children and adults alike – Lego.
The bricks allow students to re-create the key moments of a story’s structure, practically. Each class has been recreating a short story, Lullaby by Elizabeth Berridge, using Lego. Following this they have been writing a script including structural terminology to accompany their creations and will use these to discuss the effects of structure.
Jan Kikezos, Course Leader for GCSE English says: “Our students were consistently sharing that this particular question was the one they were least confident with. We are absolutely determined that our young people will achieve this vital passport qualification and as part of this we use ideas and techniques that give them a fresh perspective and experience of GCSE English. Using the Lego does exactly this, giving our students a practical way to explore structure and see how different structural elements work together to deliver a writer’s objective. The lesson was very well received, and is a great example of how we work to help our young people revitalise their enjoyment of their English studies.”
