English Teachers Association
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How English has Changed for the New Century
Why change?
The first official moves to reform HSC English began with the 1995 Board of Studies survey of the profession, which itself volunteered the view that senior English was outdated. The profession based this view on its perceptions of the needs and interests of its students and the results of research in the subject area and education methods. Despite the literary bent of teachers, they recognised the need for change, even when it necessarily meant stepping outside the comfortable boundaries of their own expertise.
The results of the Board's research and consultation was the recommendation that there was need for an extension of the scope of English as a subject. This would accommodate such changes as:
- the decline in the privileged status of literature and the growing acceptance of popular culture texts
- the developments in theoretical understandings about literature
- the influence of technology on the ways we communicate
- the need for accountability to universities and society at large
Areas of Change
The differences in what students learn in English and the way they learn it mean that there are major changes in the study of English in New South Wales. There are differences in its:
- content
- structure
- format for assessment and the communication of that knowledge
These changes become evident when we compare previous examination questions to new ones.