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An edited version of the letter below was published in The Courier-Mail of Friday 29 April 2016. Underlined words were deleted and the bracketed ones inserted. The paper's heading was "Enforced English Unwise". In the version I submitted I identified myself as Past President of ETAQ but the paper did not print that detail. My original paragraphing was also adjusted.
English compulsory in Years 11 and 12?
The Premier's reported (Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's) intention that English should be a compulsory subject in Years 11 and 12 by state edict is well-intentioned but misguided ("New chapter in learning", April 27).
Arrangements at school level already make a form of English a compulsory senior subject for most students, apparently 98% (of students).
Anyone who thinks that compelling (it will be productive to compel) the remaining 2% to also take the subject will be productive understands little about schools or teenagers.
The old saying that one volunteer is worth ten pressed men is relevant here.
What the Premier and Education Minister (Kate Jones) should be more concerned about is the form of subject English (subject) that students study.
Because of pressure on schools for published OP results to look good, too many students are currently counselled into (taking) the less challenging English Communication, the non-OP eligible form of the subject.
Garry Collins
Immediate Past President, English Teachers Association of Queensland (ETAQ)
 "Garry Collins, ETAQ Immediate Past President")
Author:Garry Collins, ETAQ Immediate Past President| Tags:General news |
Short Stories and PoetryThe transformation of text is demanding and difficult, but it is also often a thing of beauty. General English Unit three requires students to transform a poem into a short story, which requires us to guide them through this process. Using poems as stimulus for short story is inspiring and energising and this workshop will offer practical a... | |||||||||||||||
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March Masterclass 2022We are delighted to announce our first event for 2022 will be the March Masterclass: Writing: Our future to be held on Saturday 12 March 2022 at Iona College, Lindum, when Dr Sally Humphrey, senior lecturer (Literacy Education) ACU will present the keynote address. The program will be available by 28 January and registrations will open ... | ||||||||||||
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May Seminar 2022The May seminar Writing our future ... will respond to developments in the text list, National Curriculum and NAPLAN. Keynotes will be presented by Lisa Bottomly and Sophie Johnson, from QCAA with supporting workshops on the new additions to the text list. | ||||||||||||
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JCU Spectacular 2022Join Dr Claire Hansen for a two-hour session on teaching Macbeth. We'll dive into an exploration of the language of Macbeth and teaching strategies to engage students with Shakespeare's Scottish play. The workshop will also explore learning activites for Macbeth created by the Shakespeare Reloaded project. For further details, see the... | ||||||||||||
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Indigenous Perspectives in the Junior CurriculukAfter a work program review Town High explored ways to better embed indigenous perspectives in the year 7 program through a novella study of Black Cockatoo. The unit became our first taste of analytical essay writing in year 7, in preparation for subsequent years. We found greater engagement from students across the board. ... | ||||||||||||
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This is the first time I have been to an ETAQ conference and it was really sensational to get so much at all of the sessions.
ETAQ conferences always have sessions that make me excited to be a teacher.
I know that ETAQ conferences in the past have never disappointed - valuable, relevant, practical, inspiring so I came again.
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