Login

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

March 29, 2024, 11:55:40 pm

Author Topic: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco  (Read 4738 times)  Share 

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Juddinator

  • Victorian
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 269
  • Respect: -4
Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« on: November 16, 2011, 08:46:19 am »
+2
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/students-read-wrong-book-in-vce-exam-fiasco/story-fn7x8me2-1226196101002

Poor kids, I really do feel sorry for them. This is such poor form by the English/Literature Staff at the school.

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2011, 09:29:08 am »
0
Thats crazy. That means they sat there for 2 hours panicking and they would have only done 1 essay instead to 2, unless they just thought they'd chose a random book and just analyse the passages for them.
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.

simpak

  • Victorian
  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *******
  • Posts: 3587
  • Respect: +376
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2011, 04:09:49 pm »
0
Ahaha, brb, dying.
2009 ENTER: 99.05
2014: BSci Hons (Microbiology/Immunology) at UoM
2015+: PhD (Immunology) at UoM

cyrus_atlantis

  • Victorian
  • Forum Regular
  • **
  • Posts: 66
  • Respect: +4
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2011, 04:55:26 pm »
0
they would have noticed it during reading time and told the supervisor probably. Clearly, they cant just spend the whole 2 hour writing an essay..
But indeed, that is really sad
2010 - METHODS LOTE
2011 - LITERATURE SPECIALIST CHEMISTRY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
GOAL - 96+

GOAL ACHIEVED!

2012: Bachelor of Commerce/Law at Monash Clayton

Russ

  • Honorary Moderator
  • Great Wonder of ATAR Notes
  • *******
  • Posts: 8442
  • Respect: +661
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2011, 05:49:57 pm »
+1
Someone's getting fired over this. If you read the article on the heraldsun, there are some glorious comments:

Quote
Literature is not about studying any particular book, so this should have no effect on their exam outcome. This type of single focus teaching is why kids are not getting a proper education these days.

Quote
Studying novels...? Why aren't english classed aimed at more basic things, like spelling, punctuation, grammar, diction? I've never understood the desire of english classes to ignore the fundamentals of language, even when I was in high school.

Quote
Good lesson in life you don't get to study everything you do in the real world for an employer, sometimes you don't have the answers, so you have to think on your feet and adapt I don't see the issue here at all really..

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2011, 06:21:38 pm »
0
I'm pretty sure that's valid logic?

I mean literature = studying of literature, therefore you do not need to study specific literature  :-\
Then what would you study?

Imagine all the people that would have studied for that text. How are they not disadvantaged compared to everyone else?
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.

paulsterio

  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *******
  • Posts: 4803
  • I <3 2SHAN
  • Respect: +430
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2011, 06:28:00 pm »
0
If you're studying specific literature, it's too similar to English, they should study specific examples throughout the year as they learn to spontaneously interpret and analyse literature without having "rote memorised" which is essentially what Mainstream English is - it's about writing as much as you can and not thinking, it should be an unseen text, similar to language analysis in Mainstream, skills based, not memory based

ShortBlackChick

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1103
  • Respect: +212
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2011, 07:03:39 pm »
0
If you're studying specific literature, it's too similar to English, they should study specific examples throughout the year as they learn to spontaneously interpret and analyse literature without having "rote memorised" which is essentially what Mainstream English is - it's about writing as much as you can and not thinking, it should be an unseen text, similar to language analysis in Mainstream, skills based, not memory based

How would you do that not knowing the context behind what the author is trying to convey or why? Every passage from every book that is given to analyse in Lit is just a small piece of the puzzle, so to speak- so how could you analyse its meaning when you have no idea whatsoever what the author is on about in the first place. Every writer has a message they convey throughout the novel, not just in one passage.
I dont understand how it's not a skill based subject. I personally dont have the skills to analyse a passage in the detailed manner that is required for Lit (hence why I dropped it) and neither do I have the ability to memorise a whole book (or 2) and its deeper messages and literary devices in detail.
2010: History Revolutions 35
2011: English 3/4, Accounting 3/4, Economics 3/4, Mathematical Methods 3/4, International Studies 3/4.

Quote
This C**t, under the name of anonymous, started giving me shit and I called him a C**t and now look. I'm f****n banned.

paulsterio

  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *******
  • Posts: 4803
  • I <3 2SHAN
  • Respect: +430
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #8 on: November 16, 2011, 08:02:10 pm »
0
I'm not going to spark a debate, I really don't wish to go off topic or to "troll" as to speak, but I quite like the language analysis of mainstream english and one of the reasons for that is that it's different to the other two areas of study, it's more "skill" based - I'm sure you understand what I mean, we are given quite little contextual information and asked to analyze whatbthe author is trying to say, I think that there should be a part of the literature course (not all of it of course) which is based on an "unseen" passage, much like a language analysis, and students can be asked to analyze it in the way that we are analyzing our media articles (or blogs hahahahah) - but obviously with a different purpose (not persuasive devices)

WhoTookMyUsername

  • Guest
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #9 on: November 16, 2011, 08:07:26 pm »
0
yes, i agree it is very reasonable to imply that LA has the biggest correlation between more work = more marks out of all eng / lit topics (excluding EL), i do not know the lit course in depth so i am not in a position to comment further

simpak

  • Victorian
  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *******
  • Posts: 3587
  • Respect: +376
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #10 on: November 17, 2011, 01:46:10 am »
+5
Quote
Good lesson in life you don't get to study everything you do in the real world for an employer, sometimes you don't have the answers, so you have to think on your feet and adapt I don't see the issue here at all really..

That ones my fave.  Comments are golden, participants' knowledge of the VCE system gave me a good laugh.

@Everyone else debating this - I appreciate your suggestions, but the Literature course isn't designed to encourage 'on the spot' readings and the application of analytical skills to a variety of texts, regardless of whether it should or not.  To write a successful essay requires an extensive amount of time and consideration of the author's contentions.  Imagine opening the English paper to write your text response in Section A, and having to choose a question on a book you had never read.  Even though these students probably read more than one book in class, to write spontaneously on one that you have not prepared for would be extremely difficult, especially considering the time constraints involved.  Literature encourages an in depth understanding of the context and themes embedded in a text and not the ability to pull apart silly and obvious passages that say things like 'Tattoos r gr8' in the middle of an English exam.  Often, the true meaning behind the passages given could only be harnessed after a number of readings and required complex understanding and thought about what lies beneath the text, not what is self contained and right before your eyes.  In my opinion, language analysis type picking apart is based mostly on surface meaning.  The beauty of a good literature essay is the way that it manages to pull together a whole text using just three passages given at random.  It requires a level of planning and understanding that could never be achieved if you had never intended to write on a text until midway through your reading time.

There is a huge difference between the extent to which you are required to understand a text in English compared to Literature.  It is difficult to describe to those who have not taken both subjects, but English really does hone in on the basics of theme based analysis and a study of 'message' rather than 'meaning' itself.  Much of English is focused on taking texts and ideas and relating them more broadly to social themes.  I feel that I could have confidently written an English essay on another text that I had studied in class had AMFAS not appeared on the exam when I took English, but I do not feel the same way about Literature.

So basically, what I am trying to say is - while you can try to consider what this might have been like for these students by basing it on your own experiences with VCE English, such comparisons are quite unwarranted.  The courses are inherently different, although it is difficult to explain how and why.

The problem with literature is that most of the teachers are left to their own devices.  There is no real 'way' to teach the subject, just as there is no real 'way' to write an essay.  While some people can offer their advice regarding what to write on and how to structure it, there is no predetermined formula as their is for a text response.  Most schools have only one class, or one member of staff dedicated to teaching the course because that's all that is required.  There are so many texts to choose from that it's likely the mistake would go unnoticed by colleagues and peers at other schools alike.  But I still cannot understand how one can be so stupid as to select the wrong text for their students.
« Last Edit: November 17, 2011, 01:49:35 am by mavisgibbons »
2009 ENTER: 99.05
2014: BSci Hons (Microbiology/Immunology) at UoM
2015+: PhD (Immunology) at UoM

funkyducky

  • Victorian
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1273
  • Respect: +64
  • School Grad Year: 2011
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2011, 10:34:41 am »
+1
^ I did Lit 1/2 and then switched to English 3/4, so I know what  you mean - there's so much more depth to a passage analysis in Literature than to a text response in English, it becomes vital to understand the author, where they're coming from, why they wrote the piece and the significance of the slightest details. After all, anyone writing anything intended for others' eyes deliberates over the choice of each word and adjusts their phrasing to convey their meaning as completely as possible. If there's one regret I have in choosing English over Lit, it's that I spent the whole year somewhat bored by the tasks, whereas it was a joy to explore and learn to appreciate works of literature.
I won the GAT: 49/50/50.
Tutoring! Maths Methods (50), Specialist Maths (43), Chemistry (45)

99.99

  • New South Welsh
  • Trailblazer
  • *
  • Posts: 37
  • Respect: +13
  • School: d
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #12 on: November 17, 2011, 11:06:58 am »
+5
^ I did Lit 1/2 and then switched to English 3/4, so I know what  you mean - there's so much more depth to a passage analysis in Literature than to a text response in English, it becomes vital to understand the author, where they're coming from, why they wrote the piece and the significance of the slightest details. After all, anyone writing anything intended for others' eyes deliberates over the choice of each word and adjusts their phrasing to convey their meaning as completely as possible. If there's one regret I have in choosing English over Lit, it's that I spent the whole year somewhat bored by the tasks, whereas it was a joy to explore and learn to appreciate works of literature.

You've really hit the nail on the head here.

@Paulstero, you are being very arrogant offering your opinion on how a course should taught when you didn't even do literature. I really enjoyed the literature course and almost everyone I know did too. I can't think of a better course to set to year 12s.

simpak

  • Victorian
  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *******
  • Posts: 3587
  • Respect: +376
Re: Students read wrong book in VCE exam fiasco
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2011, 11:30:50 am »
0
Yup!  Taking Lit /over/ English is a risk in itself though.  We're not even allowed to do it at my school.  I wonder if these students took both, or chose one over the other.  I have a feeling it was probably the latter, which is a shame for their compulsory score.
2009 ENTER: 99.05
2014: BSci Hons (Microbiology/Immunology) at UoM
2015+: PhD (Immunology) at UoM