Scotch College

English At Scotch:

A Statement about the philosophy behind English at Scotch College

Contents

Rationale
Strategies
Methodology
Time Allocation
Assessment Procedures
Evaluation
Appendices

Rationale

The teaching of English at Scotch College is designed to fulfil a series of goals, all of which culminate in one overriding objective for students: the ability to use the English language effectively and comfortably in all areas of their lives.

The goals may be stated thus:

• Competence in reading a variety of texts, including written, ,visual, film, and multi-media
• Competence in writing for a range of purposes and for a range of audiences.
• Competence in writing in a variety of text types
• Competence in speaking to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes, both formally and informally.
• Competence in listening and responding to what is heard.
• Competence in thinking in order to solve problems, overcome apparent obstacles and to develop critical discrimination.
• Awareness of the empowering function of language.
• Student awareness of his individuality and his place within the wider community.

While different emphases will be placed on these goals in different year groups, all of the above skills are covered to some degree at each level, and lead cumulatively to the development of the same skills for the satisfactory completion of the two year VCE Course. It must be remembered, however, that students do not all learn at the same rate, or have the same competence in all areas of the subject. The syllabus material at each level, therefore, is flexible enough to allow individual students to progress at their own pace rather than be kept at a single level until the whole class has reached the same point.

Two further objectives lie at the heart of English teaching at Scotch College. The first is to foster an enjoyment of language and literature in students through the choice and study of literature and other ‘text’ material at each year level. The second is to provide an awareness and appreciation of the cultural richness and heritages which combine to form our current social and cultural climate in Australia.

Strategies

While each year level is developed horizontally by a co-ordinator, there is a general developmental strategy which runs through years seven to ten. In years eleven and twelve the structure, and to a certain extent the content, of the course is set externally by VCAA, but the goals and skills required for satisfactory completion of the VCE are the end result of what has been taught in the lower year levels.

The essential strategy in the teaching of English at Scotch College is to have literature at the core of the subject. At each year level a number of texts will be read, and sometimes studied in detail. In the lower years, the emphasis will be placed more on the accomplishment of reading for enjoyment and understanding than on critical response. In years eight and nine, students begin to develop a more critical response to literature and learn skills of discrimination. At each year level, an attempt is made to include novels, plays and poetry as part of the literature core; and these written texts will be supported, where appropriate, by audio-visual material.

Literature is, of course, not a separate subject in itself, and the skills of language both stem from, and flow back into literature. Good literature does, however, provide models which students may, from time to time, copy or emulate, and from which they can see language in action. It is this active interaction between the student and ‘working language’ which forms the central focus of English teaching within the College.

Within each year level, students are encouraged to read and to discuss textual material. Discussion within a classroom is an important strategy in the development of oral skills, and self-confidence. Informal discussion within small groups is usually the starting place for more structured talk at a later stage. Emphasis is placed on all students being able and encouraged to share their ideas and responses with their class and their teacher. The informal discussion may then be developed into more formal oral work such as an organised debate, or a prepared talk to a specific group. At higher levels within the school, group presentations of topics may be encouraged to promote not only the interchange of ideas, but also the notion of co-operative learning. The promotion of talk and discussion is important in itself, but it also leads to the development of learning skills for students. In the lower years, this may be just listening and then asking simple questions; but, at higher levels, listening skills enable students to respond thoughtfully and critically and hence to instigate further debate and discussion. Role playing, which demands a high degree of interpretative and analytical skill at the higher levels, can be further aspect of oral work. Reading and talk also contribute to the development of writing skills.

In the lower years, specific goals may be set relating to the level of achievement which might be expected by the end of the year. In Year 7, for example, it is expected that all boys should be able to write simple sentences and join them together to make a simple paragraph. It is also expected that boys will continue to work on the mechanical aspects of writing so that spelling and punctuation reach an adequate level. Each subsequent year level develops this foundation work and expands the range of skills expected of the students. In each year level, the range of writing also expands, from the purely personal and imaginative, to more complex forms of argumentative and persuasive writing. An awareness of different audiences and the appropriateness of style is also taught as students progress through the school.

Thinking skills are not taught as individual units, but again evolve from the general work within the classroom. From simple comprehension-type exercises at the lower years, students gradually develop until, say in year 10, they are able to understand and to empathise with a character in order to predict how that character might react in different circumstances. Analytical skills are developed by both written and oral exercises throughout the school.

It is important to note that English at Scotch is a core subject throughout the School but has cross-curricular responsibilities particularly in Years 7 and 8. English has integrated the teams approach to generic skills in Years 7 & 8 within its curriculum according to the requirements of Scotch policy. In this sense, English is both a discrete academic subject at these levels but also a committed participant in the teams approach to curriculum.

Methodology

While it is recognised that there can be no single methodology prescribed for the teaching of English, since all teachers are individuals who bring different skills into the classroom, there are a few basic guidelines which are to be followed.

• Teachers are expected to engage students in a range of activities which will both stimulate them and develop the skills which are identified in the ‘goals’ section of this statement.
• Teachers are to encourage talk and discussion within the classroom situation rather that keep students sitting quietly at their desks.
• English core studies material is set at various levels but, beyond these, staff are expected to develop their own lessons from the literature set for any particular level, and from the perceived needs of their students.
• Teachers are expected to set homework at all year levels and follow up that it has been completed. At years seven and eight, the homework should be set on each day that the class is taught, and should be about twenty minutes’ worth. At years nine and ten homework may be set to cover several nights’ worth of work, as in an extended essay or project. At years eleven and twelve, the nature of the work is such that there will be few occasions when written work will be set for collection the next day.
• Teachers are expected to set and correct reasonably sized pieces of work on a regular basis. The marking of this work provides feedback for the individual students and their parents, and also provides diagnostic information for the teacher.
• Teachers are expected to make full use of the library facilities within the school and to give their students access to both the fiction and non-fiction sections.
• Teachers are expected to set a good role model for students in presentation of their lessons, and in the standard of their own written work – whether on a board, in essay comments or in handouts.
• Teachers are encouraged to give individual help to students as they need it. This may be both within and outside the classroom.

Time Allocation

Period allocations are set by the Principal, who is advised by the curriculum committee, and at present are as follows:

• Year 7 – 5 periods per cycle
• Year 8 – 5 periods per cycle
• Year 9 – 5 periods per cycle
• Year 10 – 5 periods per cycle
• Year 11 – 5 periods per cycle
• Year 12 - 6 periods per cycle

Within each year level, there is no specific allocation of time per ‘section’ of English since the various parts of the curriculum are integrated. It is suggested, however, that each text studied should be completed within a term and, if appropriate, in under a term. Although there are no set periods for grammar or spelling, in the lower years it may be appropriate to spend one period per two cycles on the mechanics of writing, which are then incorporated into working examples through writing exercises.

The order of texts to be studied at each year level is to be determined by the co-ordinator, and will be linked to the demands of the mid-year, and end-of-year examinations.

The time allocations for the individual units at years eleven and twelve are set by VCAA and may be found in the Study Design.

Assessment Procedures

At years 7 – 10, work is assessed two ways. Class work is assessed and corrected with critical and diagnostic comments by the class teacher during the year. The marking system is generally either numerical or a grade (A-E), though there will of course be variations on this according to individual taste, and the nature of the task. The teacher produces a final mark at the end of terms two and four which is presented as a percentage. There is no moderation of these class marks across the year level.

The other form of assessment is through examinations, which are held at the end of terms two and four. The examinations are set by the co-ordinator of the year level in consultation with the teachers at that level. The examinations are designed to test the content of the work covered during the semester, and also the skills which students are supposed to have acquired. The papers are marked by a panel of markers, and the marks are moderated by the panel and the form level co-ordinator at a series of meetings. Final grades are then calculated and distributed by the Head of Department.

At years eleven and twelve the school sets its own examinations which are for the guidance of students, parents and staff only. These examinations take place at the end of terms two and four for year eleven, and three for year twelve. The examinations reflect the tasks which will be required by VCAA as part of the VCE, and are assessed according to the grade descriptors issued by VCAA. The examination papers are set by the co-ordinators and teachers, and are marked by a panel, which then acts as a moderating body for the final grades.

At the end of the year, the Head of Department calculates final marks and grades and distributes them to students. In Year 12, these marks are calculated strictly according to SAC results, while in Year 11 final grades are based upon an algorithmic formula.

The current document on reporting and assessing is appended.

Evaluation

The evaluation of the courses and the assessment procedures takes place on a regular basis throughout the year, through both formal and informal discussion. The most important stage of the evaluation processes is the immediate feedback from all members of staff on the content of the syllabus at each year level. This feedback comes through comments ‘on the run’ within the workroom or over recess / lunch times. It is usually followed up by a formal meeting called by the co-ordinator of the year level in which views are sought from all members of staff teaching at the given level. If there is a perceived difficulty which needs redressing, the problem and possible solutions are brought to the Head of Department with whom the final responsibility for the implementation of change rests.

Regular Department meetings are held on Friday afternoons at which matters relevant to the whole Department are discussed. Matters of curriculum, pedagogy, administration, professional development and alike are raised in this forum. Agendas are distributed in advance and Minutes are kept and circulated afterwards.

Three days are set aside each year for curriculum development: the first day of terms two and three, and the final day of term four. The Head of Department is responsible for setting the agenda for these days, within the parameters set by the Scotch Director of Educational Research, but seeks input from all members of the department.

Examinations are evaluated after all the papers have been marked. The process involves exploration of the marks obtained by the students, and an analysis of the areas of the examination paper where low marks were obtained. If there is any identified problem over the content of the examination, or its success in testing skills, then this is noted for consideration when the next examination papers are set. To resolve any immediate problem the marks for a paper, or section of a paper, may be modified by the Head of Department to ensure that results are achieved which are as fair as possible to each student. Papers are considered by all staff teaching at the specific level before they are taken by the students, and this has, in the past, prevented any major problems with the examinations.

Half way through each year all staff are asked about suggestions for the following year’s texts. This requires an evaluation of the current material and a constant updating of the syllabus when new suitable material appears on the market.

Appendices

Other relevant documents available on request:

• The present course outline for each year level, which sets out the aims and objectives, learning outcomes, lists the texts, course programmes and assessment and reporting policies and details.
• The workbook which has been prepared for some year levels. This workbook is issued to each boy and sets out the expectations for him during the year.
• Examination papers from 2004 for every subject at each year level.
• English Pathways diagrams for boys currently at Scotch.
• English Year 7 – 10 continuum documents for Examinations
• Scotch College Grade Distribution Policy statement
• English Department Formal Report criteria continuum document
• English Department Core and Elective Texts document.
• Advice given to year eleven and year twelve students about their current courses as prescribed by VCAA.