Geoff Barton
Welcome to the Barton website, designed a long, long time ago by one of my former students, Tom Cahalan. It contains a mixture of resources for students and teachers, based on materials I developed in my own teaching, for conferences and presentations, and through my publishing and freelance writing.
But, be aware, this was all a long time ago.
For some years I hosted a separate Pick 'n' Mix site designed to provide links to articles that struck me as interesting. But the software that enabled me to create the site is no longer available and the blog cannot therefore be updated. So consider it preserved in the unnerving aspic of cyberspace.
So, yes, this website was developed many years ago as a straightforward resource for teachers, students and even the occasional bewildered collector of those silly six-second songs called radio jingles. Welcome to you all. You can follow me on Twitter (@RealGeoffBarton).
Here's what you'll find:
Teacher resources:
Free resources for teachers - especially English teachers and Literacy Coordinators. They are from my career as Head of English, Deputy Head and Headteacher. These are materials I developed for courses and conferences over the years. I fear some of the links or software are now dead. Sorry.
Student resources:
These are the handouts I used in my own English teaching at GCSE, in A-level English Language and Communication Studies. The aim here is to give you copies of notes and handouts, and further guidance on how to complete assignments successfully. They won't, of course, match current specifications.
Articles:
These are collected articles from various sources, including The TES, Independent and Guardian. The pages have recently been updated to include archive pieces on such diverse subjects as whole-school literacy; becoming a headteacher; Delia Smith; The career I never had (radio DJ); 'Grammar Without Shame'; and 'The 12 Things that Great English Teachers Do'. There's also a "Writing Samples" page to highlight the range of topics I have written about.
Radio:
I love radio. It was the career I once thought I might have, and I've been fortunate in being able to dabble in it as a teacher. For example, here are the reports, based on live interviews, that I recorded in Kurdistan in November 2011 for BBC Radio Suffolk. Here I'm on Radio 4's Home Truths about my interest in radio jingles. And here's the audio report for BBC Radio Suffolk when I tried to trace the roots of my mysterious predecessor, Edmund Coote - a headmaster sacked by Governors in 1597. Oh, and my long-standing (some would say bizarre) fascination with American radio jingles is exemplified here.
News:
This section highlights current projects and interests, including my most recent publications.
Nostalgia:
My real hope, in putting together this website (or, rather, asking Tom to put it together), is that I might come into contact with students I taught in Leicester, Leeds, York or Suffolk since I began my training as a teacher in Leicester all those years ago in 1984.
Thanks for your interest.