14 minute read
A team and leader building day
The Year 6 Leadership Day is an important event in the Junior School calendar and one the girls greatly look forward to
At the start of each school year our Year 6 teaching team is already considering the skills that would best equip our students in the Senior School the following year: confidence, team work and leadership.
Our thanks to our wonderful Junior School PE staff, Mr Knight and Mrs Curtis, who ran a brilliant, adventurous day which challenged our girls, producing many laughs and high fives! They organised eight activities which every girl experienced. Each activity introduced the students to a new challenge that cemented friendships as well as subtly teaching a life lesson or two along the way.
About the activities:
In ‘River Crossing’, girls had to work together to ensure that each group member moved over the ‘river’ using only the bits of wood provided.
In ‘1,2,3 Turnstile’, students had to collaborate to pass from one side of the skipping rope to the other without missing a beat. It took a few goes but the penny dropped when the teams worked out that they needed to pass through the skipping rope in a particular pattern (shhh! Here’s the secret, one person first, then two, then three, and repeat until the whole team was through).
For the ‘Sort It Out’ activity, each girl took turns to complete one of three different roles, each requiring different leadership qualities. Girls were not able to talk in some, were blindfolded in another and had to demonstrate great listening in the third. As you might imagine this one was a giggle-maker!
For ‘Trains’, students needed to move in a train-like formation which was ‘driven from the rear with non-verbal messages and driven by a blindfolded driver’….you can only imagine how many girls fell on the floor laughing for this one. Don’t worry though – girls were great at helping one another up and getting back to the task. ‘Role-Play’ was a less-physical task which required detailed team discussion, listening to all views and culminating in a joint presentation. A range of powerful quotes from historical leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr, were given to the students and they had to spend time reflecting on the meaning of each statement. Students shared to the wider group their rationale for why they had decided to choose a particular ‘card’ as a group. In their teams, students discussed what they believe the qualities of a good leader are, and how the quotes brought these qualities to life. The teams picked a person to share their ideas with the wider group and they created a short role-play of the situation, demonstrating what a good leader might do if she was in a similar situation.
The ‘Build a ?’ activity would have had many a parent amused as girls had to work without assistance from their teacher to pitch a tent from scratch. The Year 6 teachers were so impressed by the students’ collaboration and success that they think parents can book next year’s camping trip with more confidence! Now, how to get the students to do the dreaded camp washing up????
‘Flag it’ is a wonderful group activity for building House spirit and encouraging girls to consider the leadership qualities which are important to the House. It reinforced the history of St Cuthbert’s and allowed girls to make more friends from across the three classes.
Welcome to the ‘Circle of Trust’, where students work in small groups, as catchers, supporters and helpers. The group forms a small circle standing shoulder to shoulder, each with one foot forward, hips dropped, knees bent and hands up, and one trusting soul volunteers to be the ‘faller’ – communication is key here so the teachers were sure to lead several dress rehearsals in advance!
Meet the Faculty: English
Our English Faculty is well-known and its achievements are some of the most substantial within St Cuthbert’s. In the Senior School, English is taught by our team of dedicated teachers across Years 7–13 who work closely with our Library and Writing specialist teams for a well-rounded outcome.
We caught up with Head of Faculty, Amber Lloyd, to get to know the faculty a little better.
Amber had an unexpected entrance into English, via Biology! She shared with us, “When I did my OE, I happened to get a job teaching Biology at an outdoor education centre in Magaliesburg, South Africa. I loved teaching so much that when I returned to New Zealand I applied to teachers’ college to qualify. My degree is in English, I actually have no Biology in my degree, so to me it was natural to follow my passion and combine it with my new-found love of teaching, and I trained as an English teacher.”
Amber first taught at St Cuthbert’s between 1994 and 2000 when she moved to Hong Kong and several other NZ schools to continue her teaching of English. Given her broad experience, we were curious as to why she thought the English programme at St Cuthbert’s is so special. Amber said,
ABOVE Left to right: Rachel Renner, Briar Lawry, Jane Atterbury-Leaf, Audrey Young, Leon Birt, Amber Lloyd, Naomi Saxton, Sue Tee, Ros Ali, Shona Trash and Desiree Albuquerque
“At senior levels students are lucky enough to have a wide range of choices in terms of the English courses offered. St Cuthbert’s is one of the only schools in the country to offer specialist writing programmes, something we are passionate about and very proud of as a wider team.”
Amber also heads up the Debating team which is increasingly popular at St Cuthbert’s. Amber believes its attraction is that our students recognise how valuable the skills of debating can be in terms of having the ability to deliver a fluent and persuasive argument – great skills for the workplace and for home. “Some students,” noted Amber, “admit that they’ve joined debating because they’re keen to be able to win debates against parents or siblings! I think our Head Girl this year has done a fantastic job of promoting debating. Most importantly, debating is fun!” Strategically, the English Faculty is highly committed to the College goals of Knowledge School and Global Citizenship. Some of the faculty have been involved in the Knowledge School project since its inception and are continuing to work on developing a cohesive, coherent, Knowledge-Rich English curriculum right across the school from Years 0 – 13. The faculty also aspires to include aspects of Global Citizenship in everything taught and is constantly working to ensure that the students are studying literature from a wide range of diverse authors and exploring the most urgent issues of our day.
Amber is well-known for being a supportive and inclusive faculty leader and she asked her team to offer their insights:
Craig Howe
English Teacher, (Years 7–13)
The Year 11 English course aims to provide a rich literary experience for the students, in line with the NZ curriculum and encompassing written, visual and oral language. As this is seen as the first step into more senior English, there is a strong focus on literature, ranging from contemporary Maori writers through to the lauded WWI poets of Great Britain. The course delves into a range of themes, such as cultural identity in NZ, the AIDs crisis in the 1980s, and the breakdown of the American dream. The programme also provides opportunity for the students to develop their understanding of current issues concerning the world we live in, and to learn how to express their views on these issues through the writing of journalistic opinion pieces and through the timeless art of public speaking. The students also begin to learn to position themselves as literary critics, developing skills to analyse how writers use language to convey ideas. All in all, the Year 11 English course looks to inspire our students to learn through literature what it means to live in our world.
Audrey Young
English Teacher (Years 7–13)
At junior levels, we aim to provide a fun and challenging programme that exposes students to all the different aspects of English and learn the foundational skills required to succeed further up in the school. At Years 7 and 8, students are exposed to lots of different content and
learn many skills. At Year 9, we focus on reading and the enjoyment of it. At Year 10, the emphasis is on writing skills.
Some aspects of our programme which students enjoy, or that are unique are spoken word poetry unit at Year 10, graphic novel studies at Years 7 and 8, Spelling Bee at Year 9 to name but a few.
In summary, Amber conveyed that not only does English teach our students critical thinking and the skills of analysis, but also importantly she stressed that the study of English literature teaches empathy. It sounds clichéd but it puts you in another person’s shoes. You can gain an insight into what it’s like to be a different gender, ethnicity, class and, even what it was like to live in a different time.
The annual Writers’ Night is the English Department’s celebration of our writers. It’s always a splendid, and moving evening, all about creativity, vision, fun and sharing our stories.
Ros Ali
Head of Libraries and Writing (Years 9–13)
English Literature with Writing, at all three senior levels, is particularly suited to students who strive to have a voice, who love to write and explore ideas, express strong viewpoints and learn the craft of writing and publishing. As well as completing a fully assessed English literature and language programme, English Writing students are encouraged to experiment with words, to read as a writer and to research thoroughly. There are special assessment standards which focus on this. Experimentation and creative confidence are encouraged as students work to publish stories, poems, personal essays, commentaries and reviews in their writing portfolios and beyond. This year, the Writing Programme has expanded more than ever with six senior classes and three staff involved.
The student magazine, ‘Margin’, largely run by writing class students and supported by students across the Senior School, provides a ready platform for College students to collaborate, publish and share. It also gives opportunities to learn wider editing and publishing skills, and encourages collaboration with other students and staff. Junior and Senior Writing Clubs, regular writing workshops and writing competitions also offer extension, and help to develop and promote the student voice. Last year’s long lockdown saw an unprecedented number of submissions in the Writing Awards and Speak Out competitions across the senior school. Let’s hope this trend continues. St Cuth’s voices are strong and very keen to be heard.
ABOVE: Amber Lloyd, Head of English
Sue Tee
Senior English Literature (Years 12 and 13)
Our senior English classes have some similarities to what many remember of their English classes back in their school days – reading Shakespeare and a range of literary greats, as well as writing essays.
But there the similarities stop, our students are not only exposed to the classics, but also to a fantastic range of contemporary writers and film makers. As English teachers and lovers of literature, we are constantly reading new texts and thinking ahead. Could we teach this text?
This means that we are always seeking answers to questions about the world we live in and by extension, exposing our students to new issues, ideas, and our lives through literature and film.
So, text choice is crucial. We believe our students perform so well in examinations, often because the texts we choose are controversial, current and challenging.
Our teachers love their subject with a passion – they claim it is like having the best book club in the world, in your classroom. With the discussion and dissemination of ideas, students end up writing really well about the texts they’ve studied in English. They are also confronted with new ways to “read” texts, that is, through literary theory. This means a classic novel such as Jane Eyre may be studied through various lenses or viewpoints, for example, feminism, Marxism, post-colonialism or psychoanalytical theories.
We’re so lucky to be able to teach the texts we love. We keep the old and challenge with the new, although one might argue that the old is never really old. Shakespeare, in the words of Harold Bloom, teaches us what it means to be human.
Naomi Saxton
Media Studies (Years 9–13)
Media Studies at St Cuthbert’s is lucky to work alongside the English Faculty and extends and develops our students in their analytical and creative skills in the visual medium. This programme allows us to foster and support student film making and content creation ambitions and to see the world in new ways. Critical and media literacy are absolutely essential in our times and developing these skills is instrumental to creating active and conscious global citizens through creative exploration and innovation.
Students of Media Studies:
• learn to explore the evolution of film across time, space and culture.
• examine film as an art form, studying a broad range of film texts from a variety of cultural contexts and analysing how film elements combine to convey meaning.
• acquire, develop and apply skills through filmmaking exercises, experiments and completed films.
• are challenged to understand alternative views, to respect and appreciate the diverse cultures that exist within film, and to have open and critical minds.
• will examine film as an art form, studying a broad range of film texts from a variety of cultural contexts and analysing how film elements combine to convey meaning.
Our Visual English courses allow students to explore aspects of humanity through a film lens. Film Society allows students to explore film with a global and historical focus and explore social history through the arts - this runs every Monday evening in Terms 2 and 3 and encourages young people to think critically about the world, share ideas and insight and deepen their understanding of society, culture, politics and representation. This co-curricular option develops students’ critical abilities and their appreciation of artistic, cultural, historical and global perspectives in film. Students examine film concepts, theories, practices and ideas from multiple perspectives, challenging their own viewpoints and biases in order to understand and value those of others.
St Cuthbert’s College – a Knowledge Rich School
St Cuthbert’s has been involved in the Knowledge Rich School project for the past four years. This is a multi-school research project set up by Dr Elizabeth Rata from The University of Auckland. Together with several North Island schools, St Cuthbert’s has been refining and testing a new model for curriculum design. The project has involved us scrutinising how we teach English at St Cuthbert’s. It has been an engaging, challenging, and philosophical exercise that has resulted in the mapping of a comprehensive and sequenced pathway for the study of English from Years 0 – 13, one the faculty is very excited about.
Dr Rata illuminated a global trend in outcome-based curriculum design, with the onus shifting to teachers to decide which core concepts to teach, how to teach them, and what content to use. St Cuthbert’s became involved as we were aware that with no prescribed content (texts one must read or view), teachers are able to teach a great range of texts across different years. This has created disparities, as well as gaps in students’ subject knowledge.
Many teachers favour texts which connect to their students’ experiences, and this approach has real merits. However, if we do this exclusively, we run the risk of denying the students access to what they don’t know. By taking students beyond the world they know, we can challenge their thinking and deepen their understanding and knowledge. This is even more important as we see our students fall away from personal reading due to the time spent consuming media content.
Amber says, “As a result of the Knowledge Rich School project, we have been challenged to scrutinise the texts we teach. We want to be certain our students are learning the core concepts they need to know through content (literature, films) that is the best fit for each purpose. This has caused some healthy and lively debate in the English Faculty which I’ve encouraged! The Knowledge Rich School project demands that teachers do not shy away from harder texts, and we all agree on that. We can confidently claim that Shakespeare will be taught in the English Faculty of St Cuthbert’s College, along side other tried and tested, quality texts selected from a wide range of genres, periods, and cultures. We look forward to challenging our students with these texts, ensuring they are supported and have the opportunity to ask questions in a safe trusted environment as they go”.
