English, Drama & Media Studies Aims & Objectives
The most important aim of the English Department is to foster a positive appreciation and enjoyment of the subject by all members of the school. Educational studies have shown that English is the most important subject on the curriculum, as effective literacy is the key to raising standards across all subjects and equipping pupils with the skills and knowledge they need for life beyond school.
Because language is a principle means of making sense of our personal experience and of communicating with others, the teaching of English aims to help the development of pupils as individuals and as members of society through the essential skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. A proper development should improve the quality of thought, of
sensitivity to others and the environment, the refinement of values, and the precise, forthright but tolerant communication of these. Without indulging in ethics, or without insisting on definition or even detailed agreement, The English Department aims directly and indirectly to improve communication skills and therefore enrich the lives of all individuals.
Specifics Aims
The overall aim of the English Department is to enable pupils to develop sophisticated literacy skills. We aim for each individual, within her or his ability, to be a shrewd and fluent independent reader:
(i) orchestrating a range of strategies to get at meaning in text, including inferential and evaluative skills:
(ii) being sensitive to the way meanings are made;
(iii) reading in different ways for different purposes, including skimming to pick up quickly the gist of a text, scanning to locate specific information, close reading to follow complex passages and re-reading to uncover layers of meaning;
(iv) being reflective, critical and discriminating in response to a wide range of printed and visual texts.
A confident writer:
(i) able to write for a variety of purposes and audiences, knowing the conventions and adapting and developing them;
(ii) able to write imaginatively, effectively and correctly;
(iii) able to shape, express, experiment with and manipulate sentences;
(iv) able to organise, develop, spell and punctuate writing accurately.
An effective speaker and listener:
(i) with the clarity and confidence to convey a point of view or information;
(ii) using talk to explore, create, question and revise ideas, recognising language as a tool for learning;
(iii) able to work effectively with others in a range of roles;
(iv) having a varied repertoire of styles, which are used appropriately.
English teachers have a leading role in providing pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to read, write, speak and listen effectively, and the English Department at Walton has the ability to make the acquisition of these skills challenging and FUN!
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