The study of English supports students in becoming confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens, as students learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships with others and the world around them. The study of English helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed for education, training and the workplace. It helps them become ethical, thoughtful, informed and active members of society and plays an important part in developing the understanding, attitudes and capabilities of the next generation.
Through its innovative programs and pedagogy, Atwell College's English learning area guides students through the Australian Curriculum to ensure that students:
- listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose,
- appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue,
- understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms and in combination with non-linguistic forms of communication to create meaning,
- develop interest and skills in inquiring into the aesthetic aspects of texts and develop an informed appreciation of literature.
The English Curriculum is organised into three interrelated strands that support students' growing understanding and use of Standard Australian English. Together, the three strands focus on developing students' knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking and writing. The three strands are:
- Language: knowing about the English language.
- Literature: understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literature.
- Literacy: expanding the repertoire of English usage.
In 2019, Atwell College trialled the “Roadmap” literacy initiative. This program is designed to help students interpret and understand questions. The program focuses on key ‘command words’ in questions which help students better understand what a written question is asking. This enables students to answer questions with greater accuracy, improving their literacy scores and contributing to better results in many subjects. The Roadmap program will be implemented for all students in Year’s 7 and 8 in 2020 to further support student literacy skills.
Our Staff
The English team at Atwell College is a dynamic and engaging group of teachers who are passionate about language, literature and literacy. Through our existing expertise and ongoing professional development, we are constantly striving to support students by engaging them with a variety of text types and structures in order to build awareness and knowledge. We achieve this by drawing on accepted and emerging pedagogies to ensure we differentiate for all students and meet them at their individual point of need.
Atwell College's English teachers:
- Actively encourage reading for enjoyment as a pathway to improved literacy.
- Embrace existing technology and experiment with new and emerging technology to support student engagement.
- Engage in pedagogical practice that supports students to recognise their thinking processes and dispositions.
- Invite students to consider challenging and varying perspectives in order to develop critical thinking skills.
Through the study of English, students at Atwell College will find their own voice and continue to develop their ability to communicate and problem solve in an ever changing world.