Hello, my name is Miss Grant.

I'm so glad you decided to learn with me today.

We're in our modern text unit, and our modern text is "Leave Taking." We're in the first deep dive.

We're looking at the power of education.

Today we're gonna look at the differences between Viv and Del.

What are their experiences of the formal education system? What are their experiences of education outside an institutional setting? And we're gonna understand the resolution to their character arcs and what Pinnock might be suggesting about their futures.

I cannot wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas about these two characters.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through this lesson together.

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to compare Viv and Del's experiences with education in "Leave Taking." Now, this is gonna be a really rich, interesting discussion because we're gonna look at two characters, but we're also going to look at the idea of their experiences with their formal education and their experiences with their informal education.

So all of your ideas are going to deepen, enrich, become more complex as we look at these two characters and achieve our objective today.

Now, there are some key words which are gonna help unlock our learning, and they are formal education, informal education, formative, dyslexia, and identity.

So formal education is teaching and learning that happens in institutions and follows a particular curriculum, so in a school, in a college, in a university.

Informal education, this is the learning that occurs outside formal settings.

It's a lifelong education in which you learn about yourself and the world.

So you might think, "I learned so much over the summer holidays." Even though you weren't inside a formal education setting, you will have learned a lot about yourself and about the world.

Formative, an experience that has a profound, which means deep, and lasting influence on a person.

And today we're going to look at the experiences that are really formative for Del and Viv inside formal education and outside in their informal education.

Dyslexia.

This is a condition that affects the skills used to read fluently and accurately.

And identity.

Who you are, the qualities that make you.

Understanding, finding, and accepting your identity can be a life's work.

And one of the reasons I love "Leave Taking" so much is because it helps to understand what it means to find your identity and explores that in an incredibly rich and exciting way.

Now, our lesson outline for today.

We're going to first of all start looking at the character of Del, and then we're going to look at the character of Viv.

And in this way, we're going to be able to compare these two characters' experiences with education, which is of course our objective for today.

Let's start off with the character of Del.

So Pinnock presents Del's experiences of and feelings towards both informal and formal education.

So her informal education.

She's initially reluctant to learn anything about her cultural identity in scene one.

So when she goes to visit Mai, this is an example of her informal education.

She could learn about what obeah is, but she doesn't seem very interested.

She gradually though, or gradually Mai teaches her about obeah, and this is scene one onwards.

So we do see this kind of increase in interest and curiosity in her informal education.

At the end of the play, she passes Mai's exams and becomes an obeah woman, so we can see her informal education.

Incredibly important to the resolution of her character arc.

And she learns about Enid's experiences of domestic abuse in scene seven.

Now, it might seem a bit strange to connect this idea to education, but she is learning something about her mother, she's learning something about her past, and in this way she understands who she is and her place in the world.

She also begins to understand something of her mother, Enid, and this kind of creates a resolution for these two characters who've had a lot of conflict throughout the play as well.

So this is her informal education.

Things outside a formal setting.

Let's have a look at her formal education.

So Del was labelled slow at school because she had trouble reading, and Pinnock suggests in scene five that she has dyslexia.

Mai says, "I can tell that you really liked books, but that the words ran across the page like black ants." And this is a suggestion maybe that Del has dyslexia, and because of this rather being offered the support that she needed, she was simply labelled slow and this had turned her off her formal education.

Unlike Viv, Del is not going to university, and this clearly really worries Enid, and Del is angry when Viv skips an exam.

"Are you trying to F your life up?" she says in scene five.

So this is not a direct experience with formal education because it is about Viv's formal education, but still Del has a very strong reaction to it.

So we can see here the balance between the informal education experiences that Del has and the formal education experiences that Del has.

Now, Alex says, he looks at all of these ideas, and he says, "Well, Pinnock presents Del as a character who doesn't value her formal education at all." That's his summary of her experiences with formal education, but Andeep and Sam disagree, and I'd like you to discuss what ideas might they have used to correct Alex.

So think about all of Del's experiences with formal education, and think, "Well, what might Andeep and Sam have said to correct Alex?" He says that Del doesn't seem to value formal education at all.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some really lovely discussions there looking at Del's experiences with formal education and saying it's not as simple.

Just because she doesn't engage with formal education and her character arc ends with this engagement, this real engagement, with her informal education, it doesn't mean she doesn't value it.

So Andeep said, "We know Del liked books, but wasn't given the support she needed to access them." So it's not that she doesn't value formal education, she just wasn't given the support that she needed in the formal education setting.

And Sam says, "Del is angry with Viv for not valuing her A-level exam.

She knows this could affect the rest of her life." So Del does not celebrate the fact that Viv skipped one of her exams. She says, "You haven't valued this incredibly important exam, you must go back.

It's going to affect the rest of your life." So she clearly does value formal education, and she sees its value to Viv.

Now I'd like you to discuss looking at all of these ideas about Del's formal education.

And looking at the idea that Andeep and Sam had about the fact that, well, Del really does value her formal education, I'd like you to discuss how might Pinnock want us to feel about Del's experiences with formal education.

So we're starting to think about Pinnock's intentions with this character and with this presentation of formal education.

So I'd like you to pause the video and discuss the question how might Pinnock want us to feel about Del's experiences with formal education? Pause a video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back.

Some really lovely discussions there relying on references to the text and some really core evaluative skills.

So some people are suggesting that Pinnock might want us to feel quite angry about Del's experiences with formal education.

She does suggest, Pinnock does suggest, that Del has dyslexia, and because of this, because she wasn't offered the support she needed she turns away from school and will affect the rest of her life.

She doesn't have those formal qualifications to rely on, and she knows how important those qualifications are because she's so angry with Viv for skipping her exams. And this led to some people saying, "Well, maybe Pinnock wants us to feel a little bit sad about Del's experiences with formal education because when she says to Viv, 'I'm not impressed by the fact that you skipped that exam.

Do you want to F up the rest of your life?' it maybe is a bit of a reflection of the fact that Del feels like her life has been a bit messed up because she does not have these formal qualifications." So kind of mixture of maybe anger and sadness there, and that sadness may be increased.

Some people said, "Well, we know that Enid is very proud of Viv for pushing that education, for moving into higher education.

And maybe Del will feel a little bit left out.

Feel like her mother isn't proud of her." And actually we see that at various points where Del says, "Enid hates me," and asks her in scene eight, "Why don't you like me?" And perhaps Del feels this is connected to the fact that she did not succeed in a formal education system despite the fact that there are reasons for this lack of success.

Pinnock suggests these reasons.

So a really nice exploratory discussion about what Pinnock might actually want us to feel what she's expressing through this particular character, through Del, and her experiences with formal education.

So Del's formal education has a big impact on her, but so too does her informal education.

So we've just discussed how her formal education has quite a big negative impact on her.

Now let's have a look at her informal education.

So here are her informal education experiences.

We looked at these earlier in the learning cycle.

That Mai teachers Del about obeah, scene one onwards, that Del passes Mai's exams and becomes an obeah woman, and Del learns about her mother's past experience of domestic abuse.

Now I'd like you to consider all of these aspects of Del's informal education and discuss its impact on her.

So pause the video, and looking at these experiences with informal education, discuss the question.

Discuss the question, pausing the video now.

Some beautiful discussions there.

So really enriching our understanding of Del's experiences with education, and we've divided that into the formal that we've just looked at, and now we're looking at the informal.

Here are some ideas you might have had about Del's informal impact, the impact that it had on her.

So Mai teaches Del about obeah, scene one onwards.

This begins her understanding of aspects of her cultural identity.

When she passes Mai's exams, she feels increasingly confident about her abilities and place in the world, and we know this is really important because it contrasts to her formal education where she did not feel successful, she did not feel confident.

And finally, when she learns about her mother's past experience of domestic abuse, she understands her mother and can therefore have a more positive relationship with her.

So she's really understanding herself, her place in the world, and the world itself.

So her informal education has a huge impact on the character of Del, and much more positive in many ways than her formal education.

Now I'd like to do a check for understanding so that we really get an understanding of this character of Del and her experiences with the formal and informal education system.

So Del's informal education is the only one she values.

Is this true or false? Pause the video and select a response now.

Well done if you selected false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it a, Del values exams, but she has never valued any other aspect of formal education, or b, Del values both, but her experiences with formal education were mainly negative? Pause the video and select your justification now.

Well done if you selected b.

She values both her formal and informal education, but her experiences with formal education were mainly negative.

We can see with a, it's not just that Del values exams because Mai gives an insight into her schooling.

She also really liked books, so she liked learning.

So she did value that aspect of her formal education along with the idea that she knows exams, formal qualifications, can be incredibly helpful in life.

Now, pupils were asked which aspect of Del's education is the most formative.

So this is one of our key words.

So which is the most formative? Which has the lasting impact on her, a profound impact on her, a deep impact on her? So which aspect of Del's education is the most formative? Now, Andeep argues, "I think the most formative experience for Del is not going to university, whilst her sister, Viv, does.

Del already believes that her mother hates her, and that Viv is her mother's favourite.

Del knows her mother is really proud of Viv, so her getting into university might further reinforce the idea that Del is a failure compared to her sister.

Pinnock shows that this profound feeling really shapes Del's sense of self, and her relationship with her mother." So that is Andeep's argument.

He selected one aspect of Del's experiences with education.

It's not the right answer.

It's just what Andeep thinks.

It's his argument, and he's really developed that argument.

Let's have a look at why it's really powerful.

Well first of all, he uses a clear argument in his first sentence, and he uses a key word.

"I think the most formative experience for Del is," and then he puts forward what he thinks is the most formative experience.

Then in the middle of the paragraph, he justifies his argument with reference to the text, so he grounds his idea in the text.

And then in his final sentence, he uses Pinnock's name and develops an understanding of the key words.

So this word formative, we know it means a profound or deep experience, a lasting experience.

So Andeep's argument, as I say, there's no right argument, there's no right idea and answer to this question, but he's formed a really powerful answer because he has that clear topic sentence, reference to the text, and then sums it all up by using Pinnock's name and showing a deep understanding of the word formative.

So first of all, I would like you just to discuss in your opinion which is Del's most formative experience with education.

You've got the examples on the board, the informal education and formal education, and of course all of the discussion that we've had during this learning cycle.

So in your opinion, which is Del's most formative experience with education? Pause the video and discuss your ideas now.

Welcome back.

It was lovely to hear such an engaged and argumentative discussion with people selecting a range of ideas from those on the board.

It was also really nice to see people holding their text and referring to particular moments in the text.

So I can see that your paragraphs are already going to have those really strong references to the text in order to justify your particular idea.

So now you have your chosen idea, what you think is the most formative, the deepest, the most profound experience that Del has with education, I'd like you to write a response using Andeep's model to guide you.

So starting with a clear argument, using the key word, then justifying your argument with reference to the text, and then finishing off your paragraph by using Pinnock's name and developing an understanding of the key word.

So get your pen and paper, your laptop, whatever it is that you are writing on, and write a response using Andeep's model to guide you.

Write your response, pausing the video now.

Welcome back.

It was so lovely after that really, really engaged discussion during the whole of this learning cycle looking at all of Del's experiences with formal and informal education to see all of those ideas down on a paper.

Now, before we celebrate your work, I'd like you to reread your response and check you have a clear argument using the key word, so just like Andeep did.

"I think the most formative experience for Del is," and then putting in whatever you think is your particular idea, whatever you put forward as your particular argument.

Have you justified your argument with reference to the text? Again using Andeep's model to guide you, he's got some references there.

He does have a quotation, but he also just notes some moments in the text.

So you don't necessarily need a quotation as long as you are citing a particular moment in the text.

And then finally, have you used Pinnock's name in your final sentence and shown an understanding of the word formative? So I'd like you to read through your response now.

Make any changes that you need to, making sure that you are meeting the checklist that is on the board.

So pause the video and complete your self-assessment now.

Well done for completing that self-assessment with such energy and drive.

Such an important part of the writing process.

So our discussion is really important, the putting down of ideas on paper is really important, and then the editing, the self-assessment, is really important.

These are all aspects of writing that you should complete each and every time you are approaching a written task.

Okay, we're now going to look at the character of Viv.

So we've looked at Del in our first learning cycle.

We know that today we need to compare the experiences of Del and Viv, so now we're going to look at Viv and start to think about that comparison.

So Pinnock also presents Viv's experiences of and feelings towards both formal and informal education.

So her formal education.

Viv is academic, but resents that she has to "Spend my life bent over books that have nothing to do with me." She says that in scene four.

She says of her A-levels, "No matter how hard I search for myself in them books, I'm never there." And then at the end of the play, we learn that Viv decides to pursue Black studies at university.

Her informal education.

Well, Viv is interested in her cultural heritage and identity, which her mother doesn't encourage.

Viv wants to take a gap year, which her mother is against.

And Viv wants to know about her mother's past so she can understand her present.

She learns a little bit in scene four.

So just like we did for Del in learning cycle one, we are now looking at Viv's experiences with formal and informal education.

Now I'd like you to discuss, we know at the end of the play that Viv decides to pursue Black studies at university, and I'd like you to discuss why might Viv's University course prove a fulfilling and formative experience? Why might it be deep, influential, profound? So pause the video and discuss the question now.

A really lovely discussion there having a look at both Viv's experiences with formal and informal education to inform your ideas.

Well, lots of people said, "Well, Viv does not see herself reflected in her formal education.

She says that the books have nothing to do with her.

She doesn't see her identity, her cultural heritage, reflected in any way." And perhaps Pinnock is suggesting, "Okay, her pursuing Black studies at university, she's a Black British citizen, maybe she's going to see herself reflected more in this formal environment." So even though she rejects the formal education system in scene five by skipping one of her A-level exams, actually at the end of the play we see this resolution.

And Pinnock suggests it's quite a hopeful resolution that now Viv, who is after all incredibly academic, will see herself reflected in her studies.

Now I'd like you to discuss.

We now know the ending for both of these characters.

We know that Viv decides to pursue Black studies at university, and Del passes Mai's exams and becomes an obeah woman.

Both of these happen in scene eight, the final scene of the play.

I'd like you to discuss in what ways is Viv's ending similar and/or different to Del's? So pause the video, really think about what are the similarities here, what are the differences for these two sisters? Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Welcome back after that really thoughtful discussion.

So some similarities here in that both Del and Viv, it seems quite a positive resolution to the play, and both of these positive experiences are grounded in some form of education, but for Viv it's in a formal education setting, and for Del it's in an informal education setting.

Both of them have passed a set of exams. A set of exams that initially they weren't sure about.

So Viv was not sure about taking her A-levels.

She wanted to reject the formal education system of points in the play, and Del was not very interested in obeah at the beginning, but they now have got over those feelings or reconciled those feelings and they have both passed those exams with extreme success.

So I really like the ending of this play for both sisters because it's not that one one gets something and the other doesn't.

They do both get a positive resolution in many ways, though they are very different.

And it's through exploring that difference that we can understand some of Pinnock's messages about education in general.

So I'd like to do a check for understanding before we move on and really think about the comparison between Viv and Del, which is our objective today.

So true or false? Like Del, Viv enters the play relying on informal educational experiences to help her understand aspects of her cultural identity.

Is this true or false? Pause the video and select your response now.

Well done if you selected false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it a, Viv takes her longed-for gap year in the West Indies so she can know who she is and understand her cultural identity, or b, Viv pursues Black studies in a formal university setting? Pause the video and select your justification now.

Well done if you selected b, Viv pursues Black studies in a formal university setting.

She does not take a gap year.

So I'd like you to start off with a focus on education, discuss the differences between Viv and Del.

And just a little table on the board to remind you that you should be looking at informal educational experiences and formal educational experiences.

Pause the video and discuss the differences between Viv and Del.

Pause the video now.

Welcome back.

Thank you so much for giving the discussion there the time that it deserves 'cause it's quite a complicated question.

What I really like about Pinnock's "Leave Taking" is that she doesn't say Viv's experiences with formal education are good and Del's are bad.

She makes it much more complicated than that.

It's not just a binary opposition.

So one of those really careful ideas to unpick.

I heard lots of people exploring is that both Del and Viv find their experiences of formal education lacking in some way, but Viv manages to resolve that.

And for Del, she actually looks elsewhere and finds that resolution in informal education.

But both of them have some issues with formal education, and both of them, or Pinnock suggests that the formal education system is in some ways at fault for Del for not offering her the support that she needed, and for Viv because there's this focus on Eurocentric education that she does not see herself reflected in that system.

So some careful criticisms there, and some careful differences between the two sisters.

So after having that discussion, you will have lots and lots of really rich ideas, and like Andeep, you'll want to capture that discussion in comparative sentences.

So here are Andeep's comparative sentences.

He says, "Both Viv and Del feel a sense of dissatisfaction with the formal education system.

For Viv, this is seen through her lack of connection with its curriculum.

For Del, there are more painful feelings of shame and failure as she was not supported with her dyslexia and thus was labelled slow." So there are Andeep's comparative sentences.

Now, they're really powerful because he starts with a comparative sentence starter.

So we know that today we need to compare the educational experiences of Viv and Del, and Andeep set himself up for success there by using that word both.

Then he uses a key word.

So he looks at the idea of formal education, so making sure that his discussion is nice and precise.

He's not just saying education, but he's actually qualifying it by saying formal education.

And then his final two sentences are really focused on specific details from the play.

So it's not enough just to state his argument, he then needs to support it with details from the play, which he has done, both for the character of Viv and for the character of Del.

So I would like you to use the comparative sentence starters and Andeep's checklist.

I'd like you to compare the educational experiences of Del and Viv.

So you've got some comparative sentence starters there.

Both, neither, whilst, whereas.

And then you've got the key words and just a checklist from Andeep reminding you to use a comparative sentence starter, to use the key words which are listed in that checklist, and to use some specific details from the play.

So get your pen, paper, your laptop, whatever it is you're writing on, and using the comparative sentence starters and Andeep's checklist, I'd like you to compare the educational experiences of Del and Viv drawing together all of that really rich discussion both over learning cycle one and learning cycle two.

Pause the video and complete this task now.

Welcome back.

Thank you so much for giving such energy and drive to that writing and making sure that you capture all of those fantastic, nuanced, complex ideas that you had in your discussion down on paper.

I can see lots of people just using Andeep's checklist just to make sure that their comparative sentences were really, really strong.

Now, before we celebrate your work, I'd like you to assess your sentences identifying where you've met the checklist.

So have you got that comparative sentence starter? Andeep used both, but you might want to use a different comparative sentence starter.

Have you got a key word in there, formal education, informal education, formative, and have you looked at some specific details from the play? So pause the video, read through your comparative sentences, and check they meet the criteria.

Pause the video now.

Welcome back.

After completing that final self-assessment check, and making sure that your comparative sentences are really, really strong, and ensuring that you have met the objective that you are able to compare the educational experiences of Viv and Del.

In summary, Del's experiences with formal education were mainly negative.

Del understands the value of formal education, hence her anger at Viv for skipping one of her A-level exams. Del finds a sense of peace and fulfilment via her informal education with Mai.

Despite her academic success, Viv doesn't connect to her school curriculum.

And at the end of the play, Viv pursues Black studies at university, perhaps suggesting she will enjoy a more fulfilling education.

It has been such a pleasure to work through this lesson with you today, to see all of your fantastic writing, and to hear all of your amazing thoughts about these two characters.

I look forward to seeing you next time.