VCE Lite roundup

Conservative Melbourne columnist Andrew Bolt on proposed VCE English changes;

First, [Lynn Kosky's] draft course ignores the fact that English is not just a technical talent, but a culture. English literature is one of the great glories of civilisation, and children who know nothing of it have been robbed of joy, and part of their heritage and identity.

Robert Valk, whose Bolt-Hole blog is dedicated to countering Bolt's arguments, repsonds;

The twentieth century has seen an explosion in the diversity of human communication. A modern English course must deal not only with the great literary works of yore, but with cinema, radio, email, SMS, and hypertext among others. To ignore these new modes of communication would be like teaching physics and stopping at Aristotle. The loss of culture is perhaps more concerning. We run the risk of producing a generation with unprecedented power to communicate, yet has nothing to say. We need our links with the past, or we have no direction for the future. But our culture also needs to evolve. At some point Jazz stopped being black-mans's rebel music, and became part of the fabric of 'respectable' culture. If 'Great Expectations' gets replaced by 'The Alchemist' or 'Blade Runner', is that truly such a loss? As long as the new content provides a point for debate and analysis, then why should it not replace older works? If a kid studies electronic communication formally, they might realise that the rules of polite and effective communication do not change just because the format does.

An editorial from The Age;

We have no argument with broadening and enriching the teaching of English in all its forms; critical, informed and imaginative thinking depends on it. But literature is still the basis of literacy - the words' origins attest to the primacy of lettered learning. ... The difficulties of achieving literacy in all students should not be underestimated, but basic English competency needs to be established long before years 11 and 12. The VCE study design should not make it easier, in any way, to neglect reading and writing as the indispensable foundations of English.

And a few days ago, an opinion piece by Peter Guest;

What a course such as VCE English should do is equip students with the necessary skills, abilities and experience to allow them to play a role in society that is purposeful, meaningful and worthwhile for them both personally and for the community as whole.

Dangerous Curves responds;

A good English program is one which will inspire students regardless of where they live or how recently the began to call Australia home. It will put an end to ineffective communications, like text messages which read 'R U redi 4 da party, dont B L8!!!!!' It will stop retailers from using terms such as 'drive thru', 'lite', 'kwik' and every other possible molestation of our language. It will not be so contrived that it is relevant only to those living somewhere between Sandringham and Elwood. It will not be so common as to not challenge students to develop their skills.