Should the basic HSC English courses be changed? (1 Viewer)

[possessionless]

To be honest, I really enjoyed the advanced course, even though my texts were pretty dodge. [bladerunner, skrzynecki, frankenstein, speeches, caesar]
And I think that was because I didn't treat it as some major grab for marks or anything like that, and I have never worried about the 40min essay time limit.


I believe, that if you put in the effort and get to know the syllabus and your texts/concepts that the advanced course will be very enjoyable, because by purely thinking your way through things, you have a lot of freedom to critically analyse and examine your texts without feeling restricted, because the only people I have heard complaining about the advanced course are the ones that feel that they need to memorise essays in order to do well. Maybe they just feel restricted by their apparent "need" to memorise, and that is why they hate the course?
^this is just judging by my experience over this past year, and in no way defines all the kids in the state [there were only 40 kids in my year]

hey we did all the same texts except for AOS. we did the same modules texts ahha.

It would be good if the same thing was done in the Standard and Advanced English courses.

that would be hardly fair.

 

[Schoey93]

hey we did all the same texts except for AOS. we did the same modules texts ahha.


that would be hardly fair.

So it would not be fair to study three texts instead of five? I'm confused.

 

[duckcowhybrid]

Yes, but you go to JRAHS, where teachers teach WAY beyond the syllabus. Other students either learn beyond the syllabus a little bit at school, in their own time or mostly, not at all. Of course Extension would be harder at JRAHS.

You're wrong mate. It's just we do a harder module (Navigating the Global, think postmodernism slammed together with globalization) as compared to BELONGING, which is lolworthy. I'd rather be doing Crime or Sci Fi, it would be much much easier. I hate philosophical thinkers and I don't really give a shit about Lost in Translation. I do like being able to use Matrix as my supplementary text though.

The fact that you (DCH) go to JRAHS perhaps explains why you like the English (Advanced) course... you actually get taught real English as an extension of the crap that most schools teach.

I like the English Advanced course because my teacher is brilliant. She covers everything comprehensively and then leaves 2-3 weeks for us to work on our essays and ideas before the exams. And she marks very strictly, so we get high quality feedback. + She's a hyperactive psycho, so we're never bored with her jumping around the room. Not all kids are lucky enough to have an awesome teacher like that (we keep same 2U teacher for Year 11/12). Other people have some pretty terrible teachers. I on the other hand wish I had double 2U English every single day so I'd learn more. 3U, I could do without, but next year we get to do better texts, which will help. I just love English in general.

 

[Schoey93]

You're wrong mate. It's just we do a harder module (Navigating the Global, think postmodernism slammed together with globalization) as compared to BELONGING, which is lolworthy. I'd rather be doing Crime or Sci Fi, it would be much much easier. I hate philosophical thinkers and I don't really give a shit about Lost in Translation. I do like being able to use Matrix as my supplementary text though.

I'm not wrong. You said yourself that in economics you are taught university-level economics as well as the preliminary and HSC courses (I think you may have even mentioned using calculus in economics, I'm not sure, I only remember it because it seemed very odd).

I like the English Advanced course because my teacher is brilliant. She covers everything comprehensively and then leaves 2-3 weeks for us to work on our essays and ideas before the exams. And she marks very strictly, so we get high quality feedback. + She's a hyperactive psycho, so we're never bored with her jumping around the room. Not all kids are lucky enough to have an awesome teacher like that (we keep same 2U teacher for Year 11/12). Other people have some pretty terrible teachers. I on the other hand wish I had double 2U English every single day so I'd learn more. 3U, I could do without, but next year we get to do better texts, which will help. I just love English in general.

I like English... it just appears to be a lot shitter in Years 11 and 12 (at least in our state anyway).

 

[Schoey93]

Duckcowhybrid, who is your English teacher - what's her surname? Is she famous?

 

[roar84eighty]

if u say englosh extension 1 is easier then advance

ur doin it rong
edit: or ur doin crime/SF har har har

 

[possessionless]

So it would not be fair to study three texts instead of five? I'm confused.

lol i just don't think that standard and advanced should do the same set texts, thats all.

 

[duckcowhybrid]

I'm not wrong. You said yourself that in economics you are taught university-level economics as well as the preliminary and HSC courses (I think you may have even mentioned using calculus in economics, I'm not sure, I only remember it because it seemed very odd).




I like English... it just appears to be a lot shitter in Years 11 and 12 (at least in our state anyway).

The Eco thing was different. That's because Uni level eco concepts (Mind you we aren't going beyond ECON1001 here) help a lot with basic Eco, but we aren't doing any shit like that for HSC. Just normal shit like globalization. For English, most people struggle with basic concepts anyways, especially 3U. Majority of the class has no fucking idea what Navigating the Global is (and I'm not very sure either).

Duckcowhybrid, who is your English teacher - what's her surname? Is she famous?

Not quoting her surname, but she's new this year (I lost my original teacher who went to Head Teacher at Turra High), got some shit sub for a term, lost all interest in 2U English with subs and then boom my new English teacher arrived. I have her for a whole 1.5 years =D. She's fresh out of uni (She's 22) and she has very very high expectations of us. When she marks essays, every blank space is filled with comments or smiley faces or frowney faces. If there are virtually no comments beyond GOOD, LOVE THIS, OMFG AWESOME, SMILEY FACE and ticks, your essay is A-grade guaranteed.

 

[LouiseFaz]

I personally don't do ext. english only advanced but my good friends tell me its bludgy and they dont do half as much work in extension as they do in adv. same teacher and everything.


i have more of a maths mind, and will probly be able to prepare a half hour speech on Why english is crap and should not be compulsory, no subjects should be compulsory.

 

[kyokaku92]

The only thing about English Advanced I would change is the Area of Study! No offence but belonging has to be one of the worst and most cheesiest modules that we have to do for our HSC

3U english on the other hand is more interesting and our texts are generally better crime ftw

 

[possessionless]

The only thing about English Advanced I would change is the Area of Study! No offence but belonging has to be one of the worst and most cheesiest modules that we have to do for our HSC

3U english on the other hand is more interesting and our texts are generally better crime ftw

are you serious??
belonging was my favourite part of english. i loved it so much!

 

[Ethanescence]

Belonging is extremely subjective, so really it can only seem 'cheesy' because that's your perspective, and that's how you're willing to interpret it.

Some aspects of belonging I studied; like an ironic instances of belonging, a spiritual relationship with the natural world, existential crisis, and a loss of identity and alienation (lack of belonging) in the presence of the materialism of culture, I personally found to be interesting.

Belonging isn't all about hugs, puppies and new best friends. That would be a shallow interpretation.

 

[roar84eighty]

fucking lol @ existentialism and belonging – using sartre's nausea as a related text ahaha

'you see ... he was uncertain of his existence and couldn't belong to reality'

belonging is love friendship family land home town world or alienation not belong no fren no family no home etc.
its so every1 can understand and have identity and have relationship and hav acceptence and then belong

 

[kyokaku92]

Belonging is extremely subjective, so really it can only seem 'cheesy' because that's your perspective, and that's how you're willing to interpret it.

Some aspects of belonging I studied; like an ironic instances of belonging, a spiritual relationship with the natural world, existential crisis, and a loss of identity and alienation (lack of belonging) in the presence of the materialism of culture, I personally found to be interesting.

Belonging isn't all about hugs, puppies and new best friends. That would be a shallow interpretation.

Wow!! I think my teacher must be missing the important aspects seriously, that is what I would prefer to learn about belonging.... not this cliqued rubbish on friends, family, buddy type crap I'm doing right now in english

 

[roar84eighty]

pretty much what we studied - then the stupid hsc question was so ridiculously shallow I had to manipulate everything I learnt massively to fit it to the ridiculously narrow question

yeah same
cos i knew like so much every essay i done was band 6 uni quality englis essays about belonging u know i went deeper and examined the sociological issues that relat to culture and belonging yer fuck that hsc question so easy i could have rote 45 page essay but th question was like waaayy to simple and easy like narrow so i could only rite like not even half

 

[The Nomad]

yeah same
cos i knew like so much every essay i done was band 6 uni quality englis essays about belonging u know i went deeper and examined the sociological issues that relat to culture and belonging yer fuck that hsc question so easy i could have rote 45 page essay but th question was like waaayy to simple and easy like narrow so i could only rite like not even half

Yes, you definitely sound like a literary genius.

 

[penguin.ali]

Those texts don't sound 'dodge'. They sound like they would have been fun to read, possibly even fun to analyse.
Did you write your essays and creative writing piece in the exams ad hoc? You didn't prepare responses beforehand? If so, that is admirable. What do you expect for your final mark?

I have never prepared a response in my life. I just get in there and write and generally average 80% or so in most tasks [fingers crossed for those marks or more in hsc]. That includes creative pieces, although I occasionally double up on characters in ext 1 and advanced, just because I have gotten to know these characters the best.

Although, these marks come from an extensive knowledge of my concepts and just making a lot of notes and testing myself at home. It is possible to simply write "ad hoc" and do well, provided that you know your content.

 

[Arcorn]

I have never prepared a response in my life. I just get in there and write and generally average 80% or so in most tasks [fingers crossed for those marks or more in hsc]. That includes creative pieces, although I occasionally double up on characters in ext 1 and advanced, just because I have gotten to know these characters the best.

Although, these marks come from an extensive knowledge of my concepts and just making a lot of notes and testing myself at home. It is possible to simply write "ad hoc" and do well, provided that you know your content.

This is how it should be done, except there was one where my modern history teacher wanted to see people's essay skills and got them to bring in a pretty much prepared essay and essentially just reproduce it. I found it a terrible task since I like not knowing the question until it is presented to me.

People seem to complain about having 40 minutes for writing an essay, I generally find myself repeating myself too much if I have longer, I think it all comes down to people actually learning to write an essay rather than just reproduce them

 

[Schoey93]

I have never prepared a response in my life. I just get in there and write and generally average 80% or so in most tasks [fingers crossed for those marks or more in hsc]. That includes creative pieces, although I occasionally double up on characters in ext 1 and advanced, just because I have gotten to know these characters the best.

Although, these marks come from an extensive knowledge of my concepts and just making a lot of notes and testing myself at home. It is possible to simply write "ad hoc" and do well, provided that you know your content.

Surely, at least, you prepare a brief outline of the story's content - e.g. a sentence under each of the headings, Orientation, Complication, Climax and Resolution?

 

[Arcorn]

You do that when you read the question and spend aprox. 5-7 minutes planning it out but you shouldn't be pre-preparing.