English initial advice paper

1
English initial advice paper

• Starting points
• Core responsibility language, literature,
  literacy
• identities, cultures how connected with
  English capabilities wellbeing
• National curriculum should provide a structure,
  rationale and common vocabulary
• Core intentions to be balanced by systems
  adapting and innovating

2
Organising elements

• Three elements as organisers for English
  curriculum K - 12
• Knowledge about the English Language
• Knowledge about literature / Informed
  appreciation of literature
• Growing repertoires of English usage / knowledge
  about how to use English accurately and
  effectively across a broad range of settings
• Principles - interaction between elements may
  imply mapping (moving back forth between
  knowledge skills and applying them)

3
Debates

• This section could be a constructive feature, in
  foreshadowing states/territories differences,
  heading off points of disagreement
• Beginnings and basic (phonics)
• Materials scope of English to include visual
  and non-print communication and new technologies
• Literature and Australian literature selection
  of texts
• understanding, analysing, appreciating and
  constructing texts (how to interpret
  texts.critical literacy)
• Grammar inclusive?

4
Possible issues for Victoria

• Element 1 Language is there balance, early
  years with growing sophistication in
  understanding use of language and discourse
  (e.g. VCE English Language)
• Element 2 Literature text engagement of
  reader - is thinking acknowledged sufficiently?
• Element 3 Literacy oral and visual, digital,
  handwriting and word-processing, exploration and
  production of multimodal texts all covered do
  we agree with the position on literacy?

5
Issues from 17 October national English forum

• English as Arts/Humanities vs Productivity
  agenda?
• Literacy teaching, national testing
• ESL, EAL/D, special needs - and common standards
• Relationship to existing state and territory
  curriculums
• Will NC give subject English a common
  metalanguage across states and territories, for
  language conventions, text production, grammar of
  written and visual language?
• Relationship with other studies, e.g. Media,
  Drama, LOTEs, and with
• Cross-curriculum learnings what should
  curriculum document say?
• Professional learning and resource support
• national literary heritage implications?

6
Positive response so far..

• The paper acknowledges the rich traditions and
  diverse ways in which English is taught
• But also, across the states and territories
• What is distinctive or common?
• Are the proposed curriculum organisers enabling
  or constraining?
• Standards to be written with focus on the
  learner, or with content-focus and - ?
• Are the proposed levels, emphases, and possible
  pathways for the senior secondary years
  appropriate?
• Compulsory?
• Key stages to sequence learning is continuum
  useful?