English

A Curriculum Framework for Seventh-day Adventist Secondary Schools
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The South Pacific Division Curriculum Unit has enlisted the help of a number of teachers in preparing this document. We would like to thank all who have contributed time, ideas, materials and support in many tangible and intangible ways. In particular, the following people have helped most directly in the writing and editing of this document:

FIRST EDITION

Tania Calais Nunawading High School

John Cox Avondale College

Don Dickens Sydney Adventist High School

Calvin Durrant Avondale College

Allan Hedges Curriculum Unit South Pacific Division

Lyndsay Hiscox Brisbane Adventist High School

Elwyn Jenkins Macquarie University

Peter Kuch Avondale College

Donna Lloyd Keilor High School

Tanya Martin Newcastle Adventist High School

Clinton Max Christchurch Adventist High School

Louise Mocilac Adelaide High School

Murray Oliver Avondale Adventist High School

Daniel Reynaud Longburn Adventist College

Wayne Vogel Carmel Adventist College

SECOND EDITION EDITORS 1995

Tania Calais Nunawading Adventist College

Jennifer Kavur Gilson College

Jeanette Mead Lilydale Adventist Academy

Karelle Stanton Hilliard Christian School

SECOND EDITION EDITORS 1997

Adelle Faull Sydney Adventist College

Clinton Max Avondale High School

Glenda Roberts Macquarie College

It is our wish that teachers will use this document to improve their teaching and so better attain the key objectives of Seventh-day Adventist education.

Sincerely

Dr Barry Hill

Director Secondary Curriculum Unit

South Pacific Division

Seventh-day Adventist Church

Department of Education

148 Fox Valley Road November 1997

WAHROONGA NSW 2076 Second Edition

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

WHAT IS A FRAMEWORK? 4

USING THE FRAMEWORK 5

SECTION 1 PHILOSOPHY 6

A Philosophy of Education 7

A Value Base for Teaching Language 8

Objectives 9

SECTION 2 THE PLANNING PROCESS 10

Foundation Values 11

Planning the Teaching of Foundation Values 12

Strategies For Teaching Values 13

Suggestions for Planning Units 14

SECTION 3 EXAMPLES OF PLANNING FOR VALUING 17

Teaching Foundation Values: Static Image — Photograph 18

Teaching Foundation Values: Macbeth 21

Example of a Planning Summary: To Kill a Mockingbird 24

SECTION 4 PLANNING ELEMENTS 27

Strategies for Teaching Values 28

Values — Longer List 32

Teaching Thinking 38

Key Competencies 41

Assessment 44

SECTION 5 APPENDICES 46

Appendix - Teaching Values From a Range of Texts 47

WHAT IS A FRAMEWORK ?

A Framework

In the Adventist secondary school context, a “framework” is a statement of values and principles that guide curriculum development. These principles are derived from Adventist educational philosophy which states important ideas about what Seventh-day Adventists consider to be real, true and good.

A framework is also a practical document intended to help teachers sequence and integrate the various elements of the planning process as they create a summary of a unit or topic.

The framework is not a syllabus.

The framework is not designed to do the job of a textbook. Although it contains lists of outcomes, values, and teaching ideas, the main emphasis is on relating values and faith to teaching topics and units.

Objectives of the Framework

1. One objective of the framework is to show how valuing, thinking and other learning skills can be taught form a Christian viewpoint. The Adventist philosophy of art influences this process.

2. A second objective is to provide some examples of how this can be done. The framework is therefore organised as a resource bank of ideas for subject planning. It provides ideas, issues, values and value teaching activities of art, so it is intended to be a useful planning guide rather than an exhaustive list of "musts".

The framework has three target audiences:-

1. All English teachers in Adventist secondary schools.

2. Principals and administrators in the Adventist educational system.

3. Government authorities who want to see that there is a distinctive Adventist curriculum emphasis.

USING THE FRAMEWORK

LAYOUT

The framework is comprised of four sections — philosophy and objectives, suggestions on how to plan, examples of topic plans and a set of lists of important ideas, values, issues, teaching strategies and other elements which are useful in building a planning summary. The nature and purposes of each section are set out below.

It is suggested that you read this page describing these four sections now before attempting to use the document for the first time.

SECTION 1 — PHILOSOPHY

Section 1 is the philosophical section. This section contains a philosophy statement, a statement of the value base for teaching language, and a set of objectives which have a Christian bias.

This section is meant to help teachers refresh their memories of the Christian perspective they should teach from. They may consult this section when looking at longer-term curriculum planning, and when thinking about unit objectives. They may also consider adapting it or using it as is to form part of their program of work.

SECTION 2 — HOW TO PLAN A UNIT

Section 2 is the "how to" section of the framework. It explains processes teachers can follow when planning a topic or unit of work while thinking from a Christian perspective. It is followed by sample summaries compiled by working through the steps. Because it suggests ideas for integrating ideas, values and learning processes in teaching, this section is the heart of the document.

SECTION 3 — SAMPLE UNIT PLANS

Section 3 shows practical examples of how to use the framework in topic and unit planning. It is meant to show how Section 2 can be used to produce a variety of possible approaches to teaching valuing, thinking and other learning.

SECTION 4 — PLANNING ELEMENTS

Section 4 contains the various lists of ideas, values, and teaching strategies that teachers may consult when working their way through Section 2 of the framework. It is a kind of mini dictionary of ideas to resource the steps followed in Section 2.

SECTION 1

Philosophy

INDEX

A Philosophy of Education . . . 7

A Value Base For Teaching Language . . 8

Objectives . . . . . . . . 9

PHILOSOPHY

Seventh-day Adventist education is based upon a world view derived from the Christian faith. This view begins with an eternal, loving and personal God who has always existed, is all-powerful and is the source of all life, truth, beauty and Christian values.

God, through Christ the Son, created this world as a part of His perfect universe. Furthermore, He sustains His creation by His power and through the natural laws He instituted. Although created perfect, this planet has been corrupted by sin, resulting in a world that is out of harmony with the rest of creation. However, God has instituted plans to restore this world to its original perfection.

Man was originally created in God’s image: a unity of body mind and spirit; endowed with intellect, emotion, and the power of choice. Sin, however, has not only corrupted man’s environment, but man himself. God’s image has been marred, yet may be restored through a personal response to the initiative of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Man’s meaning, therefore, is found not in himself but in his rela-tionship to his Creator.

All truth finds its centre and unity in God. God communicates truth to man in a general way through the natural world and His providential acts and, more specifically, through Jesus Christ, and His inspired word. Man comprehends truth through observation and reason, but these avenues to understanding require faith and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Since all truth is God’s truth there is no dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. Rather, Christian faith pervades all of life and every activity has spiritual significance.

God, through His moral laws, has outlined standards of ethical behaviour based on His own character of love. When adopted by man these laws develop a commitment to selfless service and a personal and loving concern for all.

Man’s appreciation of beauty and his innate creativity, although marred by sin, still reflect God’s image. Without the direction of the Holy Spirit these capacities may be used for evil instead of good. Appreciation of beauty and creativity extend to all man’s cultural activities and involve relationships with God, other people, and the natural world.

VALUE BASE FOR TEACHING LANGUAGE

The Adventist perspective of education sees the following beliefs as being the organizing framework of language learning experiences.

1. The ability to use language is God-given.

2. Language, which is intimately linked to the processes of thought, enables us to assess the universe and our place in it.

3. Growth in language is integral to personal development and to realising our God-given individuality and humanity.

4. Language enables us to know God and communicate our understanding of Him; explore and expand our private and public worlds; organise our experience; and form, recognise and reveal our values.

5. Learning for the most part occurs as students use language, as they speak, listen, read, write, observe and reflect upon the processes of their own learning.

6. Language learning best takes place in activities that are enjoyable and that are appropriate to students' needs, interests and capacities. These activities should include everyday communication and personal expression, both formal and informal, literature and the mass media.

7. As values are inextricably embedded in language, Adventist teachers should recognise that their faith will inevitably disclose itself in all forms of language activity.

8. Most effective teaching of Christian values through the subject English will be accomplished when there is congruence between the lifestyle of the teacher and the values being taught.

OBJECTIVES

Listed below are some values-oriented and more spiritual objectives for teaching English.

1. To help students realise as fully as possible their God-given language potential.

2. To develop and refine students’ values.

3. To develop a student’s sense of judgement and critical discrimination.

4. To make available a range of situations within the parameters consistent with Christian belief, in which students may use and develop their language capabilities.

5. To develop an awareness of the part that values play in shaping a text.

6. To develop an awareness of the part that the presuppositions and the philosophy of life held by the writer can affect the text.

7. To develop the creative potential of students and appreciation of creativity in others.

8. To develop students’ aesthetic sensibilities.

9. To develop receptivity to others' views and experiences.

10. To develop the desire and ability to communicate with God and about Him.

11. To use English as a vehicle for developing their own system of values.

12. To use the process of exploring the text as a means of exploring and assimilating positive values.

SECTION 2

The planning process

INDEX

Foundation Values . . . . . . 11

Planning the Teaching of Foundation Values 12

Strategies For Teaching Values . . . 13

Suggestions for Planning Units . . . 14

FOUNDATION VALUES.

A value is an estimate of worth or merit placed on same aspect of our experience.

While countless values can be found in English text (see examples in Section 4), there is a hierarchy of values in the teaching and learning of English in a Christian context. This framework identifies the most important of these values as being “foundation values.”

These foundation values are found at all levels of learning. They are overlapping in meaning and interdependent. As students identify them, question them, use them and internalise them, they become an important part of personal and group experience.

The foundation values are enumerated below:

Personal

· creativity disposition to be original, flexible, fluid in thought or deed

· critical ability skilful judgment of worth, of balanced view, showing clarity of thought, analytical

· excellence of high quality, doing one’s best, fully meeting criteria

· freedom ability to make real choices, liberty, independence,

· honesty integrity, truthfulness, sincerity, frankness, openness

· inquiry disposition to search and question, quest for knowledge

· responsibility accountability, reliability, acting on one’s own initiative, autonomy

Social

· goodness moral excellence, virtue, kindness, generosity, excellence of quality

· loyalty faithfulness to one’s obligations, allegiance, cause, purpose

· openness willingness to accept other views, new knowledge or change, tolerance

· perseverance steady persistence or purpose, continuing steadfastly despite obstacles

· purpose sense of direction, pursuit of goals, determination

Spiritual

· gratitude thankfulness, warm or deep appreciation, thoughtfulness

· justice sense of fairness, moral rightness, righteousness, belief in law, equitableness

· love self-sacrifice, affection, attachment, passion, intimacy

· trust commitment, reliance on or confidence in a person or cause, conviction of truth, belief

· truth commitment to identify, accept, pursue, believe truth

PLANNING THE TEACHING OF FOUNDATION VALUES

There are two basic strategies for planning the teaching of “foundation” values in English text. The foundation values as defined in this document are listed on the following page. One strategy is to select the values first, identify them, and structure the exploration of their context and meaning. This is the deductive model. A second strategy is to be inductive and discover values as they emerge naturally in the text, with little or no prior direction or structure. The diagram on the next page summarises these strategies.

Before attempting much inductive work, students need a deductively formed value base so they understand the concept of values in general and what the foundation values mean. Younger students in particular need more direction and practice in asking and answering questions like “what did you learn from this?”

The Inductive Model

Some suggestions for using this model are:

· Involve the discussion of an issue, idea, character, theme, etc. It can be done in small groups, whole groups, teacher centred.

· Use open-ended higher order questions.

· Present a problem, (e.g. a crisis situation) and ask for ways to resolve the problem.

· Explore choices - reasons, judgments, consequences - to identify character qualities, concerns, issues.

· Ask what the text tells about the writer's beliefs, values,world view, qualities, implicit and explicit choices. The writer can be treated as a character.

· Role play, adoption of a persona.

· Use assignments on texts to identify values and the writer's development of themes around these. These can result in oral presentations.

The Deductive Model

Some suggestions for using this model are:

· Define possibilities of values associated with characters, issues, decisions. You could then move from these possibilities to the inductive.

· Ask students to overtly seek values exhibited in characters and prove their existence by quotes, links and examples from the text.

· Use five relationship links. e.g. stranger, acquaintance,friend, intimate, inner self as a frame of reference to explore values.

· Define the value, then give students models of how these operate in relationships, life etc. Then ask students to apply the model in a new setting.

· Use a film or other text to show how commitment to a value such as deceit requires a precarious, extended cover-up operation.

· Use assignments on texts to first define the value, then have students discover them in relation to the themes and issues of the text.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PLANNING UNITS

The following section of the framework explains some steps you may go through to integrate values, learning experiences, and communication, valuing and thinking skills into the unit planning process. Assuming that you have decided the approximate content area you want covered, there are at least seven steps that could be part of the process, not necessarily in any particular order. Remember that you may omit any of these steps if they do not suit your planning style. They are:

1. Decide on some outcomes

2. Choose the text

3. Decide the values to emphasise

4. Select your teaching activities

5. Decide on some types and levels of thinking to emphasise

6. Note the key competencies you may include

7. Plan some assessment tasks

1 DECIDE ON SOME OUTCOMES

Having chosen your topic, use your state syllabus or curriculum profile and this framework to choose and list your outcomes. The purely language- and communication-oriented outcomes will be found in state syllabi. The values-oriented objectives of this framework are on page .

2 CHOOSE THE TEXT

The selection of text is an important step in determing the values students are exposed to.

Students learn values in English through the interrelationship that exists among the participants in any learning situation, the text being considered, and the context in which it is being conducted. In an ideal situation there should be a free flow of ideas which may arise from the text, the teacher, the collectively held values of the students, or the values held by a particular individual.

Text is a term used to denote examples of ways people communicate, and can be perceived as a tool used in teaching genre and values. A more detailed description of text and guidelines for choosing text appear on pages .

3 DECIDE THE VALUES TO EMPHASISE

Every topic makes reference to values. Choose some of the values that you may emphasise in your topic or unit. These values can be categorised in different ways. This framework has used the categories of academic, aesthetic, environmental, ethical, faith, health and personal development, management, quality of language use, social and readiness to learn. See pages for lists of these values.

4 SELECT YOUR TEACHING ACTIVITIES

There are a wide range of learning experiences to choose from in teaching values. A starter list of these activities appears on page .

It is suggested that you also think about at least five aspects of teaching the valuing process — identifying values, clarifying values, making value judgments, making decisions or acting out judgments, and matching the valuing process with learning experiences. These aspects of valuing are explained on pages .

5 DECIDE ON SOME TYPES AND LEVELS OF THINKING To EMPHASISE

In learning language, students are also learning to think at different levels. Good teaching ensures that students are thinking at levels that include and move beyond learning facts.

There are many good schemes for describing the thinking process. It is worth remembering that thinking occurs at different levels of complexity. Four types of thinking are listed below.

i Acquiring and integrating knowledge

This category of thinking includes skills such as understanding ideas, facts and processes, and organising and storing these in the mind. These processes are the hub of the process of thinking about content.

ii Extending and refining knowledge

Skills at this level of thinking include classifying and comparing, analysing errors and perspectives, constructing support for a position, and inquiry and deduction. These two dimensions of learning form the process of information processing.

iii Using knowledge meaningfully

This dimension of thinking includes skills such as problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, experimental inquiry, and invention.