Julian Girdham

Thinking, Writing, Reading, Teaching

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Emily Dickinson Face to Face

September 27, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Books, Poetry, English Teaching

Martha Dickinson Bianchi’s Emily Dickinson: Face to Face is a brilliant evocation of her aunt’s life next door in Amherst, Massachusetts.

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September 27, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Emily Dickinson
Books, Poetry, English Teaching
Comment

'The researchED Guide to Cognitive Science' edited by Kate Jones

September 25, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching, Books, Teaching

The authors in Kate Jones’s selection of essays looking at the basics of cognitive science explain key concepts in a valuably accessible way.

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September 25, 2023 /Julian Girdham
ResearchED
English Teaching, Books, Teaching
Comment

'The Art of Explanation' by Ros Atkins

September 21, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching, Books, Non-Fiction, Teaching

Ros Atkins’s The Art of Explanation: how to communicate with clarity and confidence is a fascinating fine-grained account of how he has reached the status of one of broadcasting’s most impressive ‘explainers’.

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September 21, 2023 /Julian Girdham
ResearchED
English Teaching, Books, Non-Fiction, Teaching
Comment

Ros Atkins explainer: Manchester City

September 21, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching, Teaching

Ideas for the use of a Ros Atkins ‘explainer’ in English class.

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September 21, 2023 /Julian Girdham
English Teaching, Teaching
Comment

On the role and selection of prescribed text lists

September 15, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching

Some comments on the recent NCCA ‘Report on the role of prescribed text lists in Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate English and the processes involved in text selection.’

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September 15, 2023 /Julian Girdham
English Teaching
Comment

Deborah Levy's 'August Blue'

September 10, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Books, Fiction

Deborah Levy’s new novel August Blue will give pleasure to all who enjoyed her superb three-book ‘living autobiography.’

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September 10, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Deborah Levy
Books, Fiction
Comment

Perspectives on the Teaching of English in Post-Primary Education

August 30, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching

Perspectives on the Teaching of English in Post-Primary Education, edited by Kevin Cahill and Niamh Dennehy, is a comprehensive and valuable collection of essays on the way the subject is taught and studied in Ireland.

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August 30, 2023 /Julian Girdham
English Teaching
1 Comment

Greg Ashman's 'Cognitive Load Theory'

August 30, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Teaching

Greg Ashman’s Cognitive Load Theory in the Little Guide for Teachers series is a lucid short book on this important idea.

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August 30, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Cognitive science
Teaching
2 Comments

Alice Winn's 'In Memoriam'

August 25, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Books, Fiction

Alice Winn’s début novel In Memoriam is a fast-paced revisiting of the First World War in fiction, this time concentrating on a highly-charged erotic relationship between two schoolfriends, Ellwood and Gaunt.

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August 25, 2023 /Julian Girdham
First World War, Boarding Schools
Books, Fiction
Comment

William Trevor: 'The Piano Tuner's Wives'

August 24, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Fiction

An analysis of William Trevor’s short story, ‘The Piano Tuner’s Wives’, a masterpiece of fiction.

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August 24, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Short Stories, William Trevor
Fiction
Comment

Claire Keegan's 'So Late in the Day'

August 23, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Fiction

Claire Keegan’s 2022 short story ‘So Late in the Day’ is further evidence of her excellence, and George Saunders talks about it brilliantly.

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August 23, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Claire Keegan, Short Stories
Fiction
Comment

Beaver Island, Michigan

August 02, 2023 by Julian Girdham

An article on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.

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August 02, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Beaver Island
Comment

Review round-up, June 2023

June 28, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Books, Fiction, Non-Fiction

A round-up of short reviews from the Fortnightly newsletter, from January to June 2023.

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June 28, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Books, Fiction, Non-Fiction
Comment

'Youth' by Kevin Curran

June 23, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Books, Fiction

Kevin Curran’s new novel Youth captures four teenagers in contemporary Balbriggan, on the cusp of adulthood.

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June 23, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Books, Fiction
Comment

'The Great White Bard' by Farah Karim-Cooper

June 21, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Books, English Teaching, Shakespeare

Professor Karim-Cooper’s The Great White Bard: Shakespeare, race and the future is a rich and provocative look at the plays with a fresh eye.

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June 21, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Books, English Teaching, Shakespeare
Comment

An English Lawn, July 1871

June 20, 2023 by Julian Girdham in Poetry

A poem based on the opening of Henry James’s masterpiece The Portrait of a Lady.

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June 20, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Henry James
Poetry
Comment

Ten Points on Leaving Certificate English

June 15, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching

Some thoughts on where we are with Leaving Certificate English, as Senior Cycle Reform gets closer, and as the AI revolution gathers pace.

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June 15, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Leaving Certificate, Paper 1
English Teaching
Comment

On the English Leaving Certificate fuss of 2009

June 11, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching

A post published originally in June 2009, following the incident when Paper 2 Leaving Certificate English had to be rescheduled, and there was a media firestorm.

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June 11, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Leaving Certificate, Featured
English Teaching
Comment

Leaving Certificate English 2023: Paper 2

June 08, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching

An analysis of the literature paper at Higher Level in the 2023 Leaving Certificate.

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June 08, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Leaving Certificate
English Teaching
Comment

Leaving Certificate English 2023: Paper 1

June 07, 2023 by Julian Girdham in English Teaching

A response to Paper 1 (English Language), Higher Level, in the 2023 Leaving Certificate.

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June 07, 2023 /Julian Girdham
Leaving Certificate, Paper 1
English Teaching
Comment
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