ACADEMIC A fresh look at English
New Head of English Sian Evans is bringing a fresh approach to what is being taught in College’s English classrooms.
Working with focus groups, including staff and students, she is determined to get the input of as many voices as possible while developing a new direction for the subject at College. “The feedback I’m getting is that people want more variety in English across the school, so that boys aren’t repeating the same basic course outline each year. Boys are keen to have more say in what they study in English, and for there to be clearer links across the curriculum and to the wider world. I have also had several requests for
more focus on academic rigour, and towards making assessments more interconnected and meaningful.” And among the comments she is hearing is a cry for more Shakespeare. Maligned and disregarded in some educational sectors as being too difficult and too removed, Shakespeare is very accessible via modern movies, and a delight to those who choose to be challenged, says Sian. “What I’ve taken away from all of the discussions I’ve had with
teachers, boys and parents, is that we need to embark on a step-by-step process to focus as a department on the New Zealand curriculum and on our big-picture vision of what we would like a Christ’s College graduate to look like, rather than allowing NCEA assessments to determine our programming decisions. We need to be able to identify what the boys should be able to do, so their learning can be more meaningful and successful, and then work backwards from there.”
Christ’s College Canterbury
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