Visual images as related material December 4, 2009
Posted by eruditehsc in 2009-2012, Advanced Modules, Area of Studies, Area of Study: Belonging.add a comment
Carefully selected visual images can make a great choice of related material for Belonging and for Module C in Standard and Advanced. But they need to be carefully chosen and some work deconstructing the image and its context need to be done.
For example: the Museum of Contemporary Art has an exhibition of the work of Fiona Foley – Forbidden. Fiona Foley is a highly respected indigenous artist. Her Edge of Trees stands premanently outside The Museum of Sydney. Her work examines the place of indigenous people in Australia with a particular reference to Queensland and the nineteenth century. Her work is researched and interpretive. It is rich in meaning: Belonging and Module C: Conflicting Perspectives, History and Memory. It is also rich in techniques.
Holidays are the time to read your texts!!! December 4, 2009
Posted by eruditehsc in 2009-2012, Advanced Modules, Area of Studies, Area of Study: Belonging, HSC, HSC English, Higher School Certificate, Standard Modules, Study skills.add a comment
Read your texts. You won’t get another chance to read them in a releaxed manner again before the HSC. It is the best preparation for a hard year so do yourself a big favour.
The prepared essay debate November 4, 2009
Posted by eruditehsc in HSC English.3 comments
As a teacher with many years experience, I’ve never thought learning the essay was a good idea:
- if you prepare your answers and rely on them, do you actually read the question and address the issues in the question?
- what do you do when the learned essay doesn’t fit the question?
The purpose of an exam is to test your knowledge. In English, reading the question carefully and then answering the question that has been set is part of that process. This means selecting from the body of knowledge that you have developed over the year just the right material and quotations to address the issues in the question.
Using rote learned answers shows up in a number of ways:
- the phrasing from a past question, even using the terms of a past question
- passages that lack direct reference to the question
- an argument that doesn’t align with the set question
- failure to refer to the issues in the question set despite evident knowledge
Learning the answers can be a product of a lack of confidence or a belief that there is a right answer of some sort. There isn’t. There are many ways to answer a question but whatever the answer, the question on the day must be answered: thoroughly, with textual reference and with appropriate quotations.
Learning pre-prepared answers is a bit like leaning heavily on publishers study notes. It doesn’t suggest your have engaged with the text. You need to show your understanding of the text, not someone else’s and certainly not one that can be accessed by everyone studying the text.
Don’t forget … October 18, 2009
Posted by eruditehsc in HSC English.add a comment
HSC Advice Line. It’s worth the cost of a call for the help you will get.
Follow the link: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/advice-line-2009.html
4 weeks … September 22, 2009
Posted by eruditehsc in HSC English.add a comment
… and all the pain and suffering of being in Year 12 will almost be over. make the most of it because you can still make a difference.
