[English] Year 12 English exam

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

On the Victorian English Teachers mailing list, Lyle writes,

> Dear colleagues, I've just returned from six months overseas and
> would like some advice re the new year 12 English course - which
> I'll be teaching again next year. I've been told by a friend that,
> at an English conference on the part 2 text or context question on
> the exam, teachers were told two things which I find worrying.
> 
> (1) - students should be encouraged to incorporate lots of (relevant)
> material from outside the specific texts studied and would be rewarded
> for this;
> 
> My first question - do other teachers know how much of the persuasive
> and expository responses on the exam should be about the text itself?
> 2/3? 3/4? 1/3?  There is no advice in the study design about what is
> expected in the context responses. Surely exams should be set in
> conjunction with the panel which determines the study design.
>  
> (2) - teachers need not teach the Context texts as a whole and students
> do not need to read the whole texts but just focus on selected extracts
> relevant to the context; teachers provide a summary of the rest of the
> text to fill in the gaps.
>  
> My second question is - is this true? If so, I have several concerns
> about this. First it would seem to destroy the integrity of the texts.
> Secondly it suggests that the new study actually allows an 'EnglishLite'
> approach that the new 'text-heavy' study design was supposed to avoid so
> as to deflect the criticisms made in the press after the first draft was
> revealed. Thirdly I have heard that some schools are giving students
> lists of (out of context) quotations by 'important people' related to
> their context so as to allow students to 'add depth' to their context
> essays. .
> 
> My last question is - has VCAA offered any advice regarding this? My
> colleagues seem unsure of what is expected and fee! VCAA has provided
> inadequate guidance. We need, for example, a sample of the three types
> of context writing set on the exam. Has VCAA provided this? It seems we
> are sending students to the exam on a wing and a prayer.
>
> Lyle


Dear Lyle, the VCAA, and English list members,

As the VCAA supported http://www.edulists.com.au English List Moderator,
one can understand your concerns, and, am sure all the English teachers
on our Victorian English Teachers mailing list will indeed feel sympathy

One certainly hopes that English Teacher colleagues on our email list
will like to share their thoughts. Also, as this English email list is
supported by the VCAA (their web address is below), & on other Edulists
lists, the VCAA have a wonderfully proactive membership (Paula) one does
hope that the VCAA might like to professionally assist Lyle via this list?

Therefore, I am respectfully sending this email to the VCAA with a polite
request that you might like to join this list also, that you sponsor. We
would love to have an English specialist from the VCAA as a list member :)

The again :) perhaps we already have VCAA English people as list members?

If not, ask Paula how much benefit her membership of the ITApps list is?

Cheers people
Stephen Loosley
Member, Victorian
Institite of Teaching