Creating an interest for English

[sin0001]

So for most of my highschool years I haven't been interested in English at all, because I'm a mathy-science type of student, and I've really underperformed in English.
I'm looking to change that for year 12, I've started english tuition, but I still can't concentrate during tuition because I just find it boring :/
So I would really appreciate any advice on what I can do to create an interest for English, for next year

[MonsieurHulot]

So for most of my highschool years I haven't been interested in English at all, because I'm a mathy-science type of student, and I've really underperformed in English.
I'm looking to change that for year 12, I've started english tuition, but I still can't concentrate during tuition because I just find it boring :/
So I would really appreciate any advice on what I can do to create an interest for English, for next year

Read. Read anything that you enjoy, enjoyment is the key. If you love reading fantasy novels, or the business section of the newspaper, read them as much as you can. Don't read your English novels (yet) or newspaper articles that might crop up in Language Analysis, that isn't the focus. By actually enjoying what you do you will simultaneously kindle an interest in English as a whole and improve your skills at it, vocabulary, eloquence etc.

[Limista]

Try debating if they offer it at your school?

Force yourself to see the inadequacies of peoples' arguments and counteract their claims. You don't necessarily have to argue with them to their face all the time (you'd probably lose a lot of friends that way haha  ) but you can still mull over potential arguments in your head. In developing arguments, you will be unconsciously critiquing thought, judgement and language.

[binders]

If you're not that interested in doing English, and you're sciency, do English Language to fulfil your english requirement.
If your school doesn't offer it, you can do it externally, either through distance Ed., or through a tafe.
It focuses more on analysis than interpretation, and you could even use science texts are part of your sources
for essays, rather than novels.

[brenden]

You could try to view English as a science subject. Might sound a bit strange but you can make it black and white if you want to. Depends on what your aims are as well?

[Lasercookie]

I kept fluctuating between enjoying the subject and hating the subject throughout this year. I think mostly that was due to what mindset I was approaching the subject with. There are some interesting parts of the course, and I think it's better to focus on those parts rather than getting bogged down in the fact that you have to drudge through the task of writing essays etc.

Do you enjoy your texts? Surely they'll be at least something that will interest you in them. Latch onto the themes that you like (although be wary that you would need to tackle and understand the parts of the novels etc. that you don't like too).

English is your opportunity to think and interpret issues. It allows you to develop an opinion on matters. There aren't too many restrictions placed upon you, other than that you need to be grounded in reality, be able to back up your claims. That's mostly the reading, the discussing and the essay planning portions of English. I don't know about you, but I think that it is enjoyable to be given the chance to come up with your own ideas.

You then have an opportunity to communicate your ideas, which is the writing part (and probably the more important part).  For the text response essays the writing tends to be a bit more formal, but lots of opportunity to come up with your own opinion of the books and then having a go at trying to write something that's at least semi-interesting to read. Context is a bit looser when it comes to how you have to write it, so you can opt to write in a way that feels a bit more natural to you.

It might be a pain in the ass at times, but I found that once you've thought a bit about the topic and decided that you have something interesting to say about it (well that might be easier said then done), the task of writing an essay becomes a bit easier to tackle and less daunting.

You can then step back and then look at where you need to improve your writing etc. to become better. It's pretty essential that to be able to communicate your ideas well. Rinsing and repeating the process of thinking about the ideas and then trying to find better ways of communicating it. Which is probably the annoying and hardest part of English.

The fact that you have to do English can be used as a motivating factor at times, but I think enjoying the subject is kind of hampered if you just treat it as set work that has to be done.

[Art Vandelay]

Read. Read anything that you enjoy, enjoyment is the key. If you love reading fantasy novels, or the business section of the newspaper, read them as much as you can. Don't read your English novels (yet) or newspaper articles that might crop up in Language Analysis, that isn't the focus. By actually enjoying what you do you will simultaneously kindle an interest in English as a whole and improve your skills at it, vocabulary, eloquence etc.

Yep, that's pretty much it, OP. You'll find that though VCE English is pretty rigid in terms of structure (yes, there is SOME room to move), by reading and writing on and about the things you enjoy, you'll be able to develop a personalized, subjective style, and will grow to enjoy English!

My friends parents gave my friend gaming manuals/guides to read, and now he's a voracious reader, and great writer! English is a subject with much depth, and thus you'll find one way or another to enjoy it.

It also helps to gain an understanding of what you're trying to do by writing an essay. For this purpose, I suggest you read the Study Design for English, as well as recent Assessment Reports (all from the VCAA).

Good Luck!

[watto_22]

In addition to reading during the holidays, try doing some writing as well.
Ultimately, aside from one Oral SAC, your entire assessment in English is done by your writing, so clearly this is a major skill.

Perhaps easiest of all would be to keep a diary/journal - no real inspiration required.
Literally just try and document what you've been doing each day or each week or every however often. Include funny moments or stories and really aim to describe what happened as efficiently (fewest words) yet effectively as possible. Try and make it enjoyable to read for both you and for anyone (not that you do need to share it). Look for the excitement in the world around you and communicate that through your writing

Alternately, you could write stories or articles or epics, whatever you want.
Just write something. There's a whole lot of that to come

[sin0001]

Reading does sounds like a fun way to develop interest.
I didn't take up Eng. Language, as it seemed like a risky move to try in the final years of VCE, and I head it was actually harder than mainstream. But people told me to just keep mainstream Eng. as in the end, Eng. Language IS still english, I can't escape it lol

[binders]

You don't need to do 1/2 to do English Language, and it's not English in the same way as lit or mainstream English.
My teachers described it as "English for science types"

give this post a read:
A Guide to English Language for New/Prospective Students

[sin0001]

Yeah Eng. Lang. defs seems very appealing, especially when people say that it suits the students who are stronger in maths+science subjects.
But too late to switch now, if I do switch, I'll just stress myself out, which I'm not willing to :/

[pi]

I found I liked English the more I became involved in my texts. Once you feel you have a somewhat deeper understanding of the texts you tend to enjoy it more. Also, with Context, research things that you're interested in, that really helps develop some interest in your own writing.

[awesomejames]

The only reason I am motivated to want to do well in english is because of the ATARNotes English study guide...NO JOKE