Rationale
The rationale of the English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus is consistent with the rationale of the English Standard 11–12 Syllabus and English Studies 11–12 Syllabus. The English rationale is provided below.
Rationale for English in Stage 6 Curriculum
In acknowledgement of its role as the national language, English is a mandatory subject from Kindergarten to Year 12 in the NSW curriculum. Knowledge, understanding and skills acquired in English are central to students’ learning and development.
Language and text shape understanding of individuals and the world. Language allows students to relate to others, and contributes to their intellectual, social and emotional development. In English K–12, students study language in its various textual forms, with increasing complexity, to understand how meaning is shaped, conveyed, interpreted and reflected.
Students engage with literature from Australia and across the world, and develop an understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the interconnections of Country/Place, Culture and Community. Texts communicate in distinctive ways and are shaped by experiences, knowledge and cultures. By exploring past and contemporary texts, with a range of cultural and social perspectives, students broaden their experiences and become empowered in their identities, values and ethics.
Through interrelated practices and experiences in understanding and creating texts, students explore the power, purpose, value and art of English. These support students to become literate and confident communicators, critical and imaginative thinkers, and informed and active participants in society.
The study of English in this syllabus is founded on the belief that language learning is recursive and develops through ever-widening contexts. Students learn English through explicit teaching of language and literacy, and through their engagement with a range of purposeful and increasingly demanding textual experiences. The English 11–12 syllabuses enable teachers to draw on various theoretical perspectives and pedagogical models for teaching English to assist students to achieve the syllabus outcomes at the highest levels.
Rationale for English Life Skills
The English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus is focused on the development of students’ communication, language and literacy skills. Students have the opportunity to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in English and consolidate their communication and literacy skills to enhance their participation in post-school life. It provides students with opportunities to strengthen their ability to access and comprehend information and to determine its reliability. It also encourages the continued development of skills in literacy, individual and collaborative processes and reflective learning. These skills form the basis of the functional skills required post-school.
English Life Skills provides students with opportunities to study and enjoy a variety of texts. They explore texts from a range of everyday, social, cultural, community and workplace contexts. Students can develop their expressive language skills through comprehensive and contemporary language experiences. The English Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus encourages students to engage with the variety of cultural heritages and differences that make up Australian and global societies. They have opportunities respond to and compose a variety of oral, written and/or multimodal texts, including digital and media texts.