Not allowed to mention text in Context???

[tange]

My student's English teacher told the class that it is forbidden to directly mention the selected text for Creating and Presenting (including expository essays). While I understand that it is important to engage with the 'ideas' presented by the selected text rather than summarising the plot, is it wrong to discuss an example from the text by linking it to the main ideas and Context?
I read sample essays from the examiner's report and the pieces did mention the selected text by relating it to the idea and prompt. 

[literally lauren]

urgh, English teachers -.- amiright?

It's definitely not 'forbidden,' save for a few odd assessors who might prefer subtler links. Any teachers prepared to dock marks for simply mentioning the text, regardless of how well a student discusses the ideas, have hopefully been weeded out of the pool of actual exam markers by now.
Unfortunately your student will probably just have to acquiesce to his/her teacher's whims for the SACs and learn a proper exam approach with you.

I tend to advocate a couple of explicit textual links for expository pieces anyway, since I know other teachers who will be hesitant to give much credit at all without solid text-based discussion as a foundation. It's a tricky balance, but a lot of students are unfortunately in a position we're they're learning how to cater to their classroom teacher whilst having an alternate 'safe' approach for the exam where they're trying to please as many types of assessors as possible 

[brenden]

My student's English teacher told the class that it is forbidden to directly mention the selected text for Creating and Presenting (including expository essays). While I understand that it is important to engage with the 'ideas' presented by the selected text rather than summarising the plot, is it wrong to discuss an example from the text by linking it to the main ideas and Context?
I read sample essays from the examiner's report and the pieces did mention the selected text by relating it to the idea and prompt. 

I just wanted to say that I love that you're humble enough to come here consistently  to ask for help so that you can do the best for your students. Lauren covered everything else.

[tange]

Hi Literally Lauren,

Thanks! I greatly appreciate your help. So would it be correct if I teach my student the following approach?

Context: Encountering Conflict
Text: On the Waterfront
Prompt: Conflict from history can teach us many things about ourselves.

Idea 1:
Subjective perceptions and self-interest > often results in heightened emotions and loss of rationality > clash between individuals or groups when attempting to protect and enforce their personal beliefs.

- 'On the Waterfront' exemplifies this notion through the discrepancy between XYZ... characters
- Discuss incompatible values between the authorities and citizens due to selfishness and different perception of power/ rights
- How this enhances conflict through particular film techniques and then linking it to the main idea of selfishness
- Comparing these textual examples with a social parallel to demonstrate how the idea is universal

Idea 2:
Why learning from past conflict(s) is important, etc (repeating similar process as above)

 
Thanks!!!
XD

[literally lauren]

Context: Encountering Conflict
Text: On the Waterfront
Prompt: Conflict from history can teach us many things about ourselves.

Idea 1:
Subjective perceptions and self-interest > often results in heightened emotions and loss of rationality > clash between individuals or groups when attempting to protect and enforce their personal beliefs.

- 'On the Waterfront' exemplifies this notion through the discrepancy between XYZ... characters
- Discuss incompatible values between the authorities and citizens due to selfishness and different perception of power/ rights
- How this enhances conflict through particular film techniques and then linking it to the main idea of selfishness
- Comparing these textual examples with a social parallel to demonstrate how the idea is universal

Idea 2:
Why learning from past conflict(s) is important, etc (repeating similar process as above)

Yes, that's a pretty flawless exploration, just going by that skeleton you've got there.
And mentioning the text initially (or close to the start of a paragraph, after the starting conceptualisation is out of the way) is a neat little trick for convincing the assessor you're using the text as a 'springboard'/'vehicle' into other ideas, which is exactly what they've been stressing in recent years.

I'd argue mentioning the film techniques might be a little too in-depth, but that's a matter of personal preference. I know people who preferred to analyse the text much closer than I did before moving into other areas, whereas I hated my text, so I just got that out of the way asap and linked into other territory.

I'm really struggling to think how any teacher could think no reference to the text was a good idea, let alone a compulsory "recommendation." Almost any report or interview with VCAA assessors is not-so-subtly reminding people to use the text properly, ie. not as closely a Text Response, but nonetheless conducting an adequate exploration of (one of?) its 'core' message(s).  Perhaps see if your student can sit down with their teacher and formulate an approach for the SACs together, which the two of you can then refine in lessons. Just based on experiences with students last year, it's a worthwhile, if a tad laborious process to work out what exactly their teacher is looking for, but not only will it give them (and you) more direction when working on essays, but it can earn students brownie points for taking the initiative to go beyond


And yeah, props for seeking clarification here on behalf of your student. I know stuff like this, as well as much more (probably worse) misinformation is being peddled at various schools around the state, so hopefully this can clear up misapprehensions for others as well

[tange]

Thanks Literally Lauren!
By the way, the English teacher happens to be the head of English and was the Chief Assessor for VCAA....
=O

[literally lauren]

Thanks Literally Lauren!
By the way, the English teacher happens to be the head of English and was the Chief Assessor for VCAA....
=O

Please tell me that was deliberate past tense? Was that the one that was replaced in ~2010 if I'm remembering right, or did I just attack the current Chief Assessor for getting English wrong?...

Oh well, if I vanish under mysterious circumstances, assume I've fallen prey to the VCAA-luminati. Nice knowing you all 

[tange]

Haha I'm pretty sure he was in the position from 2011 - 2014 (not this year). I figured out a way to use the text without talking about directly as I don't want to encourage my student to ignore/neglect studying the selected text, which my become a bad habit for next year when he is doing Yr 12. I will ask my student to discuss a personal approach with his teacher.

[meganrobyn]

I just want to suggest that the student *may* have misunderstood. The teacher may have said that they can't refer to any Text Response texts in their Context piece - which is true. I'd ask them to go back to the teacher and clarify - perhaps, in a delicate way, with an example from the Assessor's Report that included explicit reference to a Context text, just in case there was no misunderstanding.

[tange]

I know that 'On the Waterfront' was a film for Text Response a few years ago but this is for a Year 11 student who is doing 'On the Waterfront' for Encountering Conflict. I read the teacher's email, which specifically stated that the student is not permitted to mention the text or anything along the lines of: Kazan's film 'On the Waterfront' explores 'X idea (associated with conflict)'. Therefore, I don't think the student misunderstood the teacher.

[nat_1577]

Well, if your teacher advises you not to mention the text, then I say, avoid doing so during sacs. After all, they're the one marking you, so it'd be better to cater to their preference.

However, generally it's fine, if you're doing something like persuasive or expository. Just don't mention it in every paragraph of your essay. What I'd usually do for my expository pieces was incorporate it into one paragraph, and hen base the other paragraphs off ideas from the text. My teacher also said it'd be a good idea to put a quote from the book in the conclusion to tie it all together.

For creative, I know people have written from the perspective of characters in the book and scored highly, so I'm sure that's fine too.