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History & The Arts
Approaching plays
Do you want to get more out of drama? This free course, Approaching plays, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary plays. You will learn about dialogue, stage directions, blank verse, dramatic structure and conventions and aspects of performance.
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level 2: intermediate icon
History & The Arts
Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations
This free course, Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations, considers some of the different ways of reading Great Expectations, based on the type of genre the book belongs to. This is one of the most familiar and fundamental ways of approaching literary texts. The novel broadens the scope of study of a realist novel, in both literary ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Languages
Language and creativity
This free course is an introduction to the relationship between language and creativity, to the roles that linguistic creativity plays in culture and society, and to the different approaches to its study.
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Education & Development
Young people making their own media
The internet and social media have brought new opportunities for young people to tell their own stories, creating and sharing their own material with the world.
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Education & Development
Teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature and other texts
In this short film researcher Professor Teresa Cremin and teacher Claire Williams explore whether an up-to-date knowledge of children's books is crucial in teaching practice.
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History & The Arts
The man behind Matilda – what Roald Dahl was really like
Roald Dahl: the incredible storyteller loved by millions or a belittling bully? Find out what his character was like in this article.
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level 3: advanced icon
Languages
Understanding language and learning
Learning is understood broadly as any kind of activity, whether in a formal or informal context, that enhances an individual’s knowledge or skills in one way or another. The relationship between language and learning is approached in three ways: learning a language, learning about language and learning through language. This free course, ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Fake news, filter bubbles and Facebook
Who's to blame for the rapid spread of fake news in social media site Facebook?
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level 3: advanced icon
Education & Development
Literacy, social justice and inclusive practice
This free course, Literacy, social justice and inclusive practice, explores some of the tensions and debates linked to the aim of achieving literacy for all, using specific examples. It focuses on current significant debates related to the teaching of the technical aspects of literacy to a ‘sufficient standard’ and debates related to becoming a ...
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History & The Arts
History of reading: An introduction to reading in the past
This free course, History of reading: An introduction to reading in the past, consists of a series of essays, drawn from material contained in the Reading Experience Database, that illustrate different aspects of reading in Britain during the period from 1450 to 1945. These essays are designed for you as the reader to dip in and dip out, ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
History & The Arts
Exploring the English language
How has the English language changed over the course of the last 500 years? What are the social and political contexts that have affected how these changes have come about? This free course, Exploring the English language, will consider the development of the English language from the 15th to the 19th century.
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level 2: intermediate icon
History & The Arts
History of reading tutorial 2: The reading and reception of literary texts – a case study of Robinson Crusoe
How have famous books been read and received by audiences in the past? This free course, History of reading tutorial 2: The reading and reception of literary texts a case study of Robinson Crusoe, is the second tutorial in a series designed to help users of the UK Reading Experience Database (UK RED) search, browse and use this resource, and ...