WebQuest
Charles Dickens on School Education
Process
First, find out about schools in the Victorian era.
Don't forget to take notes for your task!
Don't forget to take notes for your task!
- You can start by watching this video and exploring this page for very quick facts.
- Then learn more about Victorian schools on this website.
STEP 2: Gathering information
GROUP ONE: the journalists
You are journalists living in Victorian London and your newspaper has aked you to investigate on the education of young children from different social classes.
Your goal is to write an article to arouse the readers' awareness of the inequalities the children face.
To do so you'll need to:
- learn about the different types of schools and education in 19th century England
- know more about the life of poor children.
Useful websites:
- Schools in Victorian Britain on the British Library website
- Poor children were sent to work so there was no time for school. Read more on this BBC website.
- Read about the long process towards democracy.
GROUP TWO: interviewer and expert
You are a TV presenter on a History Channel. Your next guest is an expert on School Education in England.
Prepare his/her interview in which you'll want to know how the education system has evolved in England.
Prepare his/her interview in which you'll want to know how the education system has evolved in England.
To do so you'll need to:
- learn about the diffrent laws which have been passed in favour of education for all children
- compare the teaching methods in the Victorian time and today
Useful sites:
- A very brief summary of the evolution at the end of the 19th century
- A short video to make you feel what it was like to go to a Victorian school
- The first chapter of Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times starts with the school teacher's assertion of what he considers to be "the one thing needful" in education. What is it?!... (of course, don't take it for granted: Dickens portrayed a caricature of school teachers here!). Is this still the goal of today's education?
- All you need to know on schools in Great Britain is here, on the Woodlands Junior School website, which is written by pupils with the help of their teacher.
GROUP THREE: Literary critics
You are famous literary critics and Charles Dickens' experts!
You are going to give a lecture on his works to show how he dealt with the issue of School Education.
You are going to give a lecture on his works to show how he dealt with the issue of School Education.
Charles Dickens denounced the school system of his times: give a particular attention to the setting, the vocabulary he uses, the symbols, the style, the tone.
For example...
- He made a speech, at the London Tavern, in 1857, to express his thoughts on the school system of his time, and to make some suggestions on how to improve it. Read the speech.
- The first chapter of Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times starts with the school teacher's assertion one
- f what he considers to be "the one thing needful" in education. What is it?!... (of course, don't take it for granted: Dickens portrayed a caricature of school teachers here!). Read the extract (attached file below) and analyse the means used by Dickens to caricature the school system of his times. You may find help on the Sparknotes site and on the Gradesaver one.
- And, of course, there's David Copperfield, who is sent to school after having bitten his cruel step-father, and who will meet there even crueler people.
Read the summary and analysis of the novel on Sparknotes.
You'll find an extract from chapter 7 as an attached file below
STEP 3: Preparing your task
GROUP ONE: the journalists
You are now ready to write your article.
Think about a catchy headline.
Don't forget to add photos and captions.
Think about a catchy headline.
Don't forget to add photos and captions.
GROUP TWO: the interviewer and the expert
You are now ready to prepare your 10mn interview.
To make it more lively, why not illustrate it with a slide show?
GROUP THREE: the literary critics
You are now ready to present to the class Charles Dickens' views on the necessary reform of education and the means he used to arouse his readers' awareness on the problem.
Attachments
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