The Challenges of the Stage 4 & 5 English Syllabus at Cecil Hills High School - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Challenges of the Stage 4 & 5 English Syllabus at Cecil Hills High School

November 2004

http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au

Cecil Hills High School:

• Co-educational High School situated in South Western Sydney
• 1,100 Students (96% ‘local’)
• COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL
• 11 English Staff + 2 STLA/ESL + 2 TA’s
• Expert and competent teaching staff
• School opened in 1996

• Work already done / Work to do
• TARS interview process
• Dialogue with Senior Executive

• “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
• Quality Teaching arises from expertise.

Stage 4 – 2003

Stage 5 – 2004

Generic approach to faculty programming:

• Mandated text form
• Mandated Outcome(s)
• Common Assessment Schedule

Allows for expertise

Varied text choice

Caters to class needs

Programming inclusive.

Disadvantages

Consistency

Fear of the unknown

Knowledge of syllabus

Mandated text forms.

• Programs available
• Greater variety of texts
• Focus on Faculty time-table
• Discussion of ‘best practice’
• Reporting practices
• Registration of compulsory text content.

Content Requirement for Stage 5

• Australian literature, including insights into:
• Aboriginal experiences p
• Multicultural experiences p
• Literature from other countries and times p
• Shakespearian drama p
• Cultural Heritages / popular cultures / youth cultures
• Picture books p
• Everyday and workplace texts p
• Range of social / gender / cultural perspectives p

TIME and communication

Aboriginal and Non-Anglo texts

Assessment inconsistencies

The Quality Teaching model

If we don’t control it, someone else will.

Intellectual Quality = Critical Literacy

Quality Learning Environment =

• Criteria-based instruction and assessment
• Student-based assessment and reporting

Significance = contextualisation