The annual conference of the NSW English Teachers’ Association was held at Beverly Hills Girls High School on Saturday, 26 November.
The focus of the conference, this year, was on Stages 4 and 5, in anticipation of coming changes to the English curriculum. These will commence from 2024 for Secondary English, starting with Years 7 and 9.
Amongst many fine presentations offering new directions and programming options for Years 7-10, the Secondary English Faculty of the College was represented by Assistant Coordinator, Mr Gawthorne, and Coordinator, Mrs Refalo.
Dystopias are all the rage, and English teachers have been keen to delve into the odd dark world. However, our students have found themselves living in a dystopia of pandemics, global conflict, environmental threats, digital disconnection and economic downturn. Mr Gawthorne’s presentation therefore outlined a program of learning in Stage 5 to explore the optimistic side of science fiction, and ways in which texts can connect with STEM learning areas in a spirit of hope and collaboration.
Mrs Refalo’s later session was a panel of esteemed and experienced English educators, including the President of the ETA NSW, Sharyn Stafford. Mrs Refalo organised and chaired this plenary session, which all conference-goers attended and which concerned ways to prepare for the coming work of curriculum change. The advice of the panel members was warmly received, as it included practical steps and positive encouragement for dealing with the task of progressively re-organising six grades of teaching and learning.
As both the Junior and Senior Schools of the College embark upon overhauling our quality teaching and learning programs in order to meet new syllabus requirements for a new decade, we look forward to providing further updates on ways that this will cater to the academic needs of our students.
