26TRA886 - Teaching the Poetry of John Donne at Senior Cycle

 

 

 

 

 

DATE : Monday, 16th November 2026
TIME : 7.00pm - 8.00pm
VENUE : Online via Zoom

Target Audience : Post-Primary Senior Cycle English Teachers

Teaching the poetry of John Donne at Senior Cycle presents both exciting opportunities and unique challenges. Donne's poetry is renowned for its intellectual depth, complex imagery, powerful emotions and exploration of universal themes such as love, religion, faith, mortality and human relationships.

This practical and engaging webinar, presented by Claire Cotter, will explore effective strategies for teaching Donne's poetry in a way that makes his work accessible, meaningful and engaging for Leaving Certificate students.

The session will focus on developing students' understanding and appreciation of Donne's distinctive poetic style, while also equipping teachers with practical approaches to support examination preparation and success.

Key Areas Covered :
1. Effective Strategies for Teaching John Donne

2. Understanding and Analysing Poetry

3. Retention and Effective Use of Quotations

4. Structuring Strong Examination Responses

What Will Participants Gain?

By the end of this webinar, teachers will have gained practical ideas and strategies to:

• Make the poetry of John Donne more accessible and engaging for students.
• Build students' confidence in interpreting and discussing complex poetry.
• Support effective quotation retention and recall.
• Develop students' analytical and essay-writing skills.
• Prepare students to approach Leaving Certificate poetry questions with greater confidence.

Resources Provided :
A comprehensive set of notes will be provided to all participants, offering a valuable resource to support classroom teaching, student revision and examination preparation.

This webinar will be particularly beneficial for Senior Cycle English teachers seeking fresh approaches to teaching John Donne and practical strategies to help students develop confident, informed and well-supported responses to his poetry.

Bio of Presenter :

Claire Cotter is an English and history teacher in Christian Brothers College, Cork where she also works as the school’s AEN Coordinator. She runs the website mscottersclass.com where she shares notes for English and history teachers.