English and Media Centre

5. For hands-on strategies, practical low-resource solutions, and expert guidance on teaching music video production from idea to edit, join the EMC CPD Face-to-Face: Music Video Production in the Classroom course.

Book by: 8am on 10th March
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4. Maximising shots & low-budget resources

Smartphones, classroom lamps, or DIY diffusers can substitute for professional cameras and lighting. Encourage students to experiment with angles, framing, and movement — creativity often thrives under constraints.

3. Directing performance & lip-sync

Performance direction is often overlooked. Use small group rehearsals, mirror exercises, and split-screen practice to refine timing and expression. This builds confidence and helps students feel their performances are polished without expensive equipment.

2. From idea to plan

Start by helping students generate multiple ideas. Techniques like mood boards, mind maps, or quick “pitch” sessions encourage creative risk-taking. Even a smartphone can capture rough storyboards or reference shots — planning is key before filming begins.

EMC CPD Face-to-Face: Music Video Production in the Classroom A one-day course focusing on the skills needed to support students making effective music videos with limited resources

1. Teaching music video production can feel daunting with lots to juggle. But with the right strategies, even limited resources can yield impressive student projects. Some teacher-to-teacher tips: 🎬🧵
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EMC CPD Webinar: Developing Critical Readers for GCSE (Language and Literature)

"I haven't attended a webinar before and it was much more interactive than I'd imagined. James was knowledgeable and engaging."

Book by: 8am on 6th March
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EMC CPD Webinar: Media Studies NEA – The Basics

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK!

Book by: 8am on 4th March
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Looking to boost your students' understanding of fandom? Here are 5 helpful MediaMagazine articles to get you started! They're all available on the online archive, where subscribers can find hundreds of articles that have been published by MediaMag over the years. buff.ly/gA74CQz

5. For hands-on strategies, ready-to-use tasks, and guidance on nurturing critical readers across Language & Literature, join the EMC webinar: Developing Critical Readers for GCSE. LINK etc

Book by: 8am on 6th March
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4. Classroom talk supports authentic reasoning and models analytical language before students write.
• Pair-share for immediate idea testing
• Hot-seating characters to explore motives
• Socratic questioning to deepen reasoning

3. Ask questions that give students room to reason, hypothesize, and debate.
• Is Xmas Carol more ghost story or more morality tale?
• Which poem in the collection most challenges the reader’s assumptions about conflict?

2.
▷ Challenge students to compare perspectives
▷ Explore alternative narrative choices (Jekyll & Hyde – where would you start the story? Re-write the opening.)
▷ Investigate thematic patterns (Poetry anthology – sort poems into different groups and title them. Now re-group and re-title)

1. Exam demands vs. authentic engagement. Getting students to think critically about texts at GCSE can feel like a balancing act. With the right tasks, questions, and talk, you can build readers who are both exam-ready and genuinely curious. 🧵👇
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Do you teach A Level English Language? Here are 5 great emagazine articles you could use to support your students' understanding of dialects in the UK. These are available for subscribers via the online archive, where you'll find loads more useful articles just like this: buff.ly/sNTtjk9

EMC CPD Face-to-Face: Assessment – Principles & Practice

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK!

Book by: 8am on 2nd March
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5. For hands-on strategies, practical scaffolds, and guidance on inspiring students through the NEA, join the EMC webinar Media Studies NEA – The Basics — with plenty of ideas to enrich your wider Media Studies teaching.

Book by: 8am on 4th March
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4. Active teacher support

Check in regularly, ask guiding questions, model problem-solving, and prompt reflection on creative choices. The NEA becomes a dialogue, not a solo struggle, keeping students engaged and independent.

3. Choosing & approaching briefs

Discuss a range of briefs (micro-adverts, short films, podcasts, music videos):
• Purpose: who is the audience?
• Constraints: duration, format, style
• Creative angle: what’s fresh or unique?
Guiding students through these considerations builds strategic thinking.

2. Structuring the NEA component

Break the NEA into clear stages: planning, research, production, and evaluation. Scaffold each stage with deadlines and checkpoints to keep students on track without stifling creativity. Clear organisation = calmer teachers + more confident students.

1. The NEA is a challenge for teachers and students alike. Structuring it effectively, choosing the right brief, and supporting creativity are key. Here are a couple of tips to help Media teachers deliver the NEA confidently at GCSE & A Level. 🧵👇
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EMC CPD Webinar: Developing Critical Readers for GCSE (Language and Literature)

"The course was extremely useful and provided lots to think about."

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5. For more core principles, hands-on strategies, practical examples, and guidance for embedding responsive assessment across KS3 & KS4 English, join the EMC Face-to-Face: Assessment – Principles & Practice course.

Book by: 8am on 2nd March
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4. Principle 3: Address disengagement and formulaic responses

Design assessments that encourage choice, risk-taking and student voice. Prompt students to experiment with structure, language, or ideas, rather than following rigid templates. Engagement rises when assessment feels meaningful.

3. Principle 2: Embed assessment in everyday practice

Quick check-ins, targeted questioning, mini-drafts, peer reviews, and oral reflections let students see progress. Formative assessment becomes a genuine part of learning.

2. Principle 1: Focus on learning not marking rubrics

Over-reliance on prescriptive rubrics can stifle creativity and engagement. Instead, use adaptable success criteria that grow with students’ skills and highlight what’s next, not just what’s missing.

EMC CPD Face-to-Face: Assessment – Principles & Practice <p>A course drawing on EMC’s in-depth assessment project work, focusing on the specific principles and practices that underpin effective assessment for English. <em>NB: This is a repeat…

1. Assessment in English doesn’t have to feel like a box-ticking exercise. Even in constrained school systems, formative approaches can transform learning across reading, writing, and speaking & listening. Here are three key principles: 🧵👇
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Only 10% of boys aged 14-16 read daily for pleasure, National Literacy Trust finds Exclusive: Report says British teenagers’ time for books is being crowded out by schoolwork, screens and sports

I feel increasingly sorry for this generation of children. They are endlessly told what to do. These young men say they engage with sport, schoolwork and socialising with family and friends. They like reading online. All of these behaviours are extremely positive

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

These five articles are the tip of the iceberg for students looking to expand their knowledge and thinking about the Gothic using the emagazine archive

EMC CPD Webinar: Media Studies NEA – The Basics

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Book by: 8am on 4th March
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5. Active classroom strategies

• Roleplay and hot-seating to explore character motivation
• Small-group debates on responsibility and morality
• Staging exercises to test dramatic impact of key moments

These make abstract analysis concrete and build analytical language grounded in the text.