Changes to the English syllabus in an overhaul of the HSC have been welcomed at Springwood High School.
Lauren Parsons, who heads the school’s English department, said while there would be a lot of work involved in restructuring how HSC English subjects are taught, she said the draft syllabus was more in keeping with the needs of 21st century learners.
Multi-modal texts will be introduced, so instead of simply studying an article printed in a journal, students could be examining social media and websites in addition to printed text.
“Kids today are so attuned to an alternate technological world … it’s a myth kids don’t read or write. They go home and they communicate for hours of an afternoon on social media sites,” Ms Parsons said.
“The introduction of multi-modal is pertinent to everyday lives.”
The emphasis on using different types of texts was welcomed by student William Goodwin who likes to work in a variety of mediums.
Other changes to the English syllabus include a focus on grammar, punctuation and sentence structure in the new module the Craft of Writing.
Student Max Ogle said he was interested in eventually working as a stand up comedian, and said “English was a big part of that” and the focus on these basic skills would be helpful.
The introduction of multi-modal is pertinent to everyday lives.
- Lauren Parsons
Fellow Year 10 student Hilary Saltis agreed. “It’s a good thing. It helps you in the long run when doing the HSC”. She also welcomed the focus on language basics in her pursuit of a musical theatre career.
Ms Parsons said the critical literacy skills to be taught in the Craft of Writing module were already present in the current English syllabus taught from Years 7 to 12. But in the new syllabus these skills would be more heavily emphasised. She said the school would be integrating the module into English subjects, not teaching it as a stand-alone module.
Draft versions of the English, Maths, Science and History syllabuses were released by the NSW Education Standards Authority, formerly the Board of Studies, last week, with the final versions to be released late in the year.
If followed a four-year consultation with teachers and academics – which Ms Parsons took part in.
“It’s [the HSC overhaul] been a long time coming and due for a change and reinvigoration in the way we are doing things,” she said.
The new syllabuses will be introduced next year for students sitting the HSC in 2019.
