[English] Year 12 English exam

Sun Jul 13 19:19:33 EST 2008

Lyle
I'm going to be bold enough to attach a small piece that was included in an
Idiom earlier this year, pointing out why I like the context study. Reading
it, you might see that I would share your unease at the sort of advice that
was allegedly given out at a conference (your points 1 and 2). The sort of
things Gail is doing and saying sound terrific to me, and while I too would
have liked for a brief explanation to be part of the exam task, it doesn't
phase me too much that it is not there. 
Prue

-----Original Message-----
From: english-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:english-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mary Mason
Sent: 13 July 2008 09:32
To: english at edulists.com.au
Subject: RE: [English] Year 12 English exam

I am not teaching this but I did teach Lit when we had to do creative
responses with CATs. I felt that the explanation of what the student was
trying to do was critical for this. Unless the examiners change their
viewpoint, I can see a lot of students going for pedestrian answers because
they have not been given an opportunity to explain the links they are
making.

Cheers

Mary

Mary Mason
Director of Teaching and Learning

ph: (03) 52263157
mob: 0402022012
>>> reynolds.gail.g at edumail.vic.gov.au 07/13/08 9:21 AM >>>
Lyle it is instructive to look at the VCAA site under exam criteria where it
clearly does state that the link between the students writing and the ideas
from the text are part of the criteria. I've cut and pasted the 9-10 range
for Context below

9-10 * Demonstrates an insightful grasp of the implications of the prompt,
and perceptively explores its

conceptual complexity using an appropriate strategy for dealing with it.

* Achieves an assured, cohesively structured piece of writing in an
appropriate form, successfully

integrating, in a sophisticated way, ideas suggested by the selected text/s.

* Makes fl uent and effective use of language appropriate to the purpose and
audience specifi ed in

the task.

Having said that, I know why so many of us are confused about what the task
entails. The Study Guide seems to me to be internally inconsistent, probably
a result of the rewrite after the English Lite debate. I know that the
discussions we had a a staff became heated when people were (literally) on
different pages of the Design. This hasn't been helped by the fact that the
exam criteria were not available as we began to teach this section of the
course.(says she in a highly critical tone) I for one will feel better after
the end of year exam when we should have a realistic feel for what is
expected -- but that is no help to this year's students is it?

One of the issues for me is that the exam does not allow for an Explanation
of the links the student sees between their writing and the text (I was told
that the VCAA knocked that idea on the head -- but that is only here say).
So it seems to me that the students are going to have to weave this into
their writing. I can foresee a lot of awkward phrases interfering with the
flow of the writing ("...just like John Proctor in The Crucible by Arthur
Miller...) as students struggle to make their links clear.

I have been vacillating between thinking that I do understand and worrying
that I don't. The initial implementation briefings left me more confused
than confident, but Ross Huggard's VATE Conference session was illuminating
... after which I decided that if I were wrong I would be so with confidence
because some kinds of decisions needed to be made. I also got a lot out of
the discussion group which Jo McLeay organised for Encountering Conflict and
the on line discussions which followed. (It is perhaps an indictment of the
process of implementation that these things were so vital!)

I have taught the texts as a whole but with more of an eye on the big
picture issues.  I have asked my students to respond to the ideas through
their own writing more than worrying about the nitty gritty of what happens.
I have encouraged them to explore 'how' the writer achieves meaning and
engagement for the reader and to consider how this could be helpful in their
own writing. I've also had a degree of success getting them to relate the
texts to their own lives.

My surmise for the exam is that we will primarily be looking for 'good'
writing which explores ideas and issues raised by the text/s.  There has
never been a formula for 'how much' of anything appears in the students'
exam responses and the answer is a bit like the old question "How long is a
piece of string?" which has the answer "Long enough to do the job."  Not a
very satisfying answer, but all you are likely to get!

Gail Reynolds

________________________________

From: english-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of stephen at melbpc.org.au
Sent: Sun 7/13/2008 4:49 AM
To: english at edulists.com.au; VCAA Curriculum Branch; VCAA Research Unit
Subject: Re: [English] Year 12 English exam

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
<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
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