Tag: education
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Finding Writing Models
If you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of using quality writing models in the English classroom for everything from creative writing to an alternative to the dreaded TEEL. And I’m not alone in thinking that one of the best ways to learn how to write well is…
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Activity Spotlight: Text Walk
The Text Walk, also known as a chalk talk, is one of the foundational activities in our English classrooms. It serves as the basis for many of our other activities, and a springboard for discussion. Most importantly, the text walk is a means of getting students to engage with short extracts of texts for themselves,…
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Review: Coaching Teacher Writers
Each month I review a different text designed to help English teachers and faculty leaders to develop a robust and engaging curriculum. I’ll discus them primarily from the point of view of a teacher or leader in an Australian context and explore the balance between theory and practice. This post contains affiliate links. Coaching Teacher-Writers,…
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Effective Assessment and Feedback
Providing effective assessment and feedback can be simultaneously the most rewarding and the most time-consuming part of the job. Amongst the many benefits of feedback, we find improved student outcomes, greater understanding, even stronger relationships with students. But providing feedback can also become a burden on teachers already pressed for time with classroom, administrative, and…
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The General Capabilities: Where Next?
From their inception in 2008’s Melbourne Declaration to the first inclusion in the 2010 ACARA F-10 Curriculum the General Capabilities have sat alongside traditional subject areas such as English, Mathematics, Humanities and Science. The 2019 Mparntwe Declaration has now superseded the Melbourne Declaration and underpins the recent review of the Australian Curriculum. There are seven General…
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You’re doing coursework wrong: Why SACs are not exams
This post refers to the current 2016-2022 Study Design for Unit 3 and 4 VCE English. SACs are not examinations. Sounds obvious, but in my experience, School Assessed Coursework in English (and most other curriculum areas) is treated as a pared back version of the end-of-year examination. In fact, it’s so rare to find any…
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An English curriculum that matters
An English curriculum that matters doesn’t have to neglect the classics. You can have both relevance and rigour, creating a curriculum that everyone enjoys.