[English] VCE English/ESL

[Lyle Stebbing]

Thanks Marion and everyone else who replied to my last letter. Since returning and doing some tutoring, I’ve found out some interesting things about the way the new study design has been implemented in some schools.
(a)    Some schools had their students do an oral presentation expressing a point of view last year. That means that students can go right through year 12 without having to develop an argumentative/point of view essay. (Unless you claim that all essays develop an argument.)
(b)   Several schools have students analyse three unseen articles for Persuasion on an issue that they have never discussed or examined before – so as to mirror the exam.  This means that students no longer engage in any depth with an issue in the news;  the analysis has been transformed into a formalistic language analysis rather than being part of an exploration of current issues, social trends and the media.  Students no longer have the opportunity to debate the issue itself or to follow a socially important issue through.
(c)    In several schools, the Creating and Presenting work has been confined to one long essay on the context and text and many students are opting for the persuasive or expository option as that seems more likely to be the sensible choice on the exam. That means students can go through year 12 without doing any personal or imaginative writing.
Thus, in some schools, students can go through year 12 without writing any argumentative essay, or any personal or imaginative writing.  What seems to be disappearing here is both creative writing and the exploration of an issue -  any arguing around an issue of social significance or concern so that there is no focus on students being socially aware and concerned.  Was this intended?Lyle

--- On Mon, 14/7/08, White, Marion G <white.marion.g at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:

From: White, Marion G <white.marion.g at edumail.vic.gov.au>
Subject: [English] VCE English/ESL
To: english at edulists.com.au
Received: Monday, 14 July, 2008, 6:09 PM








Thanks Lyle, Gail, Mary, Prue for yet another stimulating discussion about the VCE English/ESL study.
Implementation supports provided by VCAA include:
·       State-wide briefings on Units 3 and 4 in February/March 2008 and (in partnership with VATE) in July 2007; over 2,000 teachers attended the briefings. Briefings on Units 1 and 2 had been conducted in 2006.
·       Support Materials for Area of Study 2 were published in both English and ESL versions.
·       English and ESL sample exams and Examination Criteria were published in April 2007 (teaching of Units 3 and 4 began in 2008).  
·       English and ESL ‘Expected qualities for the mark range’ were published in March 2008; a draft of the Section B expected qualities was available at the February Briefings and also at the VATE Englishes day in February. 
·       The VCAA will soon publish some sample pieces of writing; these were written by teachers of Unit 3 towards the end of Term 2 – they illustrate some of the many possible approaches to the writing in Area of Study 2.
·       Ongoing telephone support is available at 9651 4580.  
 
Marion G White
Curriculum Manager, English
 

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