English - Department Overview

From the VCE English Study Design of 2007 come the following words:  

“The English language is central to the way in which students understand, critique and appreciate their world, and to the ways in which they participate socially, economically and culturally in Australian society.” 

This view is central to the teaching of English at Academy of Mary Immaculate. It tells us that at Academy of Mary Immaculate we must work to ensure that all students have the power that comes from ease and facility with English, the dominant language of Australian society. This ease means being able to understand the many and varied ways in which language is used, as well as the ability to use it confidently, appropriately, accurately, and with purpose.  

Within this framework the study of English is conducted, paying attention to each of the four modes of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The rules of grammar are also studied in order to deepen students' understanding of the way the English language works. The VELS government documents and the new VCE study designs provide the basis upon which all our courses are based.  

The skills of drafting and editing are also emphasised, as effectiveness of process helps determine the quality of the final product. However, drafting and editing are skills that students are taught to use themselves, and while drafts may be collected by a teacher to analyse process, students are expected to learn to draft and edit their own work as a matter of course.  

The fiction library also is essential to the work of the English Department, as the enjoyment that comes from reading and exposure to different ideas and styles of writing is central to our goals. To this end, teachers are free to book classes into the fiction library for silent, sustained reading periods on a regular basis.

Kilian McNamara
Head of English