The Language and Literacy in Education Network (LLEN) is an alliance of educators and researchers committed to strengthening teachers’ and students’ understanding of how language works to improve literacy and learning outcomes. Read about our latest experts who have joined:

Just a few days left to sign up for our 3rd Disciplinary Literacy symposium on 17th and 18th June at the University of Bath! Tickets start from £25 online to £80 in person for both days. Expect lots of fascinating discussion of all aspects of disciplinary literacy for school-age students:

Our associates at Kingswood School in Bath are holding an education conference on 22nd June. The #UniOfBath 's Prof. Gail Forey and Dr Rachel Wilder will be presenting on the themes of disciplinary literacy and child-on-child harm. Sign up below for an evening of engaging talks and networking:

Kingswood School Education Conference

Join us in person at Kingswood School Education Conference for fun, learning, and exciting school insights!

eventbrite.com

Our May BAWESS blog continues with the theme of the Teaching and Learning Cycle. This month, Helen Handford looks at teaching students how to comprehend and compose disciplinary genres. Read on to find out how the TLC can help to improve student outcomes. #UniOfBath #BAWESS #disciplinaryliteracy

The BAWESS blog feed

May 2026: Teaching students to comprehend and compose disciplinary genres  The Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC), discussed in last month’s blog, is specifically designed to enable students to deve…

disciplinaryliteracy.com

To understand the intricacies of student writing, it's best to ask an expert. That's why we've invited Prof. Hilary Nesi, co-creator of the BAWE corpus, to speak at our Disciplinary Literacy Symposium on 17th & 18th June at the #UniOfBath. Sign up at the link below to join us in person or online:

Professor Phil Durrant, one of the leading authorities on student corpora, will be sharing insights into task-type variation in school and university-level writing in our disciplinary literacy symposium on 17th and 18th of June. Follow the link below to sign up either in person or online from £25.

Our April blog ‘I do, we do, you do’ and the Teaching and Learning Cycle' has been contributed by Helen Handford. Helen is a disciplinary literacy and EAL specialist and will be one of our many experts contributing to our Disciplinary Literacy Symposium in June. #BAWESS #UniofBath

The BAWESS blog feed

April 2026: ‘I do, we do, you do’ and the Teaching and Learning Cycle  The phrase ‘I do, we do, you do’ has become commonplace in educational discourse.  In the UK it is often used in school meetin…

disciplinaryliteracy.com

We will be welcoming Prof. Meg Gebhard in June, who will lead a symposium workshop on 'Disciplinary Discourses'. Meg has had a long and impressive career in second language literacy development, teachers’ professional development and the discourses of educational reform. Sign up below to attend:

There is still time to sign up for our next free online CPD session. Dr Reka Jablonkai (rekarj.bsky.social) will be leading a workshop on 'Unpacking Command Words in Exams'. Scan the QR code below for more details about how to join us on the 27th April at 4-5pm (BST). #BAWESS #disciplinaryliteracy

Teachers! Our 3rd Disciplinary Literacy Symposium at the beautiful University of Bath campus this summer is shaping up to be next level. With some of the top names in the field giving presentations and workshops, you really shouldn't miss it. Tickets for this hybrid event start from £25. #UniofBath

Our March blog is now out, and it addresses the topic of Data-Driven Learning (DDL) as an approach to optimising student writing. A DDL approach gives students the opportunity to learn about the unique ways in which different academic disciplines use language to create knowledge. #UniofBath

The BAWESS blog feed

March 2026: Exploring the power of Data-Driven Learning in disciplinary literacy What is Data-Driven Learning (DDL)?  Data-Driven Learning (DDL) has increasingly become a valuable approac…

disciplinaryliteracy.com

💡 When pupils struggle with writing, it’s often because they don’t know how to think about the task first. This blog from Shotton Hall Research School highlights practical ways to build metacognition in lessons. 👉 tinyurl.com/4p9us4a4 How do you support pupils to think before they write?

Helping Pupils Think Before They Write: Metacognition in KS3 French

Helping KS3 pupils write in French by using simple metacognitive questions that build independence and confidence.

tinyurl.com

Considering to complete a PhD project on a topic related to English language education? Join our webinar this Friday, 20 March, to find out more about our professional doctorate "PhD TESOL Research" and get answers to any questions you might have www.bigmarker.com/student-supp... #ELT #langsky

PhD TESOL Research Webinar at the University of Stirling

Congratulations on receiving your offer to study with us in September. Join our International Recruitment Team to learn more about the University of Stirling, and find out what the next steps are now ...

bigmarker.com

Our next free CPD workshop for teachers looks at how different command words such as 'evaluate', 'discuss' and 'analyse' in assessments place different cognitive demands on students, and how subject variations affect interpretation. Scan the QR code for more details. #UniofBath #disciplinaryliteracy

In more news, the BAWESS team will be in Malta on 1st-3rd July, presenting at the IVACS conference on the theme of "Improving student outcomes in disciplinary literacy through corpus-based pedagogy". We hope to see you there! #UniOfBath #thebawessproject #disciplinaryliteracy

Call for papers - L-Università ta' Malta

Call for papers

um.edu.mt

Registration for the University of Bath's 3rd Disciplinary Literacy Symposium is now open! This hybrid event on 17th & 18th June will bring together teachers, linguists and other educational experts for two days of presentations and hands-on workshops. Registration starts from £25. #UniofBath

The move from paper-based to computer-based assessment has long been anticipated. Here, the Education Endowment Foundation respond to the current Ofqual consultation on the issue, noting the existing gaps in evidence and concerns about equality:

Our response to Ofqual’s consultation on regulating on-screen exams…

Public consultation seeks views of wider sector.

educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

We are delighted to announce that the BAWESS team will be presenting on the topic of "Mapping the Transition from Disciplinary Literacy to Academic Literacy: Verbs in Assessment" at QMUL's Academic and Professional Communication Conference 2026 on 9th March. Read more at the padlet link below:

Conference Programme

This document contains a full schedule for all sessions

padlet.com

Teachers and educational professionals! There is still time to sign up for our free online CPD session which focuses on the students' transition from spoken English to technical, written English. Follow the QR code below for more details: #UniofBath #thebawessproject #disciplinaryliteracy

The BAWESS project February blog is now out. Follow the link to find out more about how different methodological approaches can be applied to the analysis of secondary school texts and our upcoming symposium. Particularly relevant for teachers interested in their students' writing! #BAWESS

The BAWESS blog feed

February 2026: Methodological approaches to analysing student writing  The aims of the BAWESS project are nothing if not ambitious.  With the help of our many fantastic par…

disciplinaryliteracy.com

I'm excited to speak about analyzing learner language using corpora at CALICOffee on Feb 20 at 1pm EST. Grad students interested in SLA and/or corpora are very welcome to attend this virtual talk 🤓 (link in the attached flyer; abstract in the comments)

Exciting news! The BAWESS team will be presenting on the subjects of "Ethical, methodological and technological issues in corpus design" and "Advancing disciplinary language learning in secondary schools" at the CASLL conference on 14th & 15th May in sunny Valencia! We hope to see you there!

An interesting event for those of us who love grammar! #disciplinaryliteracy #thebawessproject #linguistics

Bas Aarts@englishgrammar.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Save the date of the English Grammar Day 2026 on 29 June at the British Library in London. Bookings will open in due course. #grammar #EnglishGrammar #EnglishGrammarDay

We’ve had some great proposals for this so far. If you think yours might be better than those, get an abstract to us in the next few hours: deadline today!

The #UniOfBath is running free CPD workshops for teachers who would like to develop their working knowledge of disciplinary literacy. Follow the QR code to join us on 10th March to learn about teaching students to progress from spoken to written technical language. #disciplinaryliteracy

Perhaps one of the most important uses of our BAWESS corpus will be its role in providing solid evidence of what 'real' student writing looks like as schools grapple with the challenges of AI use in schools. Find out more. #AIinEducation #UniOfBath #thebawessproject #corpuslinguistics

Winchester school leaders debate the use of AI in education

Pilgrim's School in Winchester brought together five leaders of education to discuss the use of AI on children’s education.

hampshirechronicle.co.uk

🚨 NEW POST 🚨 ‘Learning by hand’ “If exams go fully digital, handwriting instruction could quickly be marginalised, and note-taking by hand be swapped out for a digital device with AI aids by pragmatic teachers and tech-loving students.” alexquigley.co.uk/learning-by-...

Learning by hand

What if the brave new world of AI and assistive technology means that we stop learning by hand? Would we lose any learning it the translating from handwriting screen tapping, or from note-taking by ha...

alexquigley.co.uk

🏠 Our Reading House has been refreshed — with a stronger emphasis on practice. With classroom insights, videos and practical tools to support effective reading instruction. #NationalStorytellingWeek reminds of the role of language and comprehension in reading. Read more: tinyurl.com/nhh8wbbm

The latest BAWESS project blog discusses the national curriculum, mock exam season, and how schools can get involved in the project to promote disciplinary literacy for students of all backgrounds #NationalCurriculum #DisciplinaryLiteracy #UniOfBath #BAWESS

The BAWESS blog feed

January 2026: Disciplinary Literacy and the National Curriculum  Every year, mock exams arrive like a tidal wave. Papers pile up, marking takes over your evenings, and the coffee machine becomes yo…

disciplinaryliteracy.com

The #UniOfBath is running free CPD workshops for teachers who would like to develop their working knowledge of disciplinary literacy. Follow the QR code to join us on 10th March to learn about teaching students to progress from spoken to written technical language. #disciplinaryliteracy