Making a class act: as seen in one Year 8 English lesson

This article reports on active teaching and learning approaches taken by one English teacher and a secondary PGCE student‐teacher to bring about changes to the work culture in a Year 8 mixed‐ability class. It is written by the PGCE tutor, student‐teacher, class teacher and external examiner, following an observation of one lesson, in a series of lessons, given by the student‐teacher. This lesson is analysed through its motivating content, approach to critical reading, inherent creativity and active approaches to learning. It indicates how a challenging class has been changed by approaches that provide alternatives to currently advocated objectives‐driven and direct instructional approaches.