Advanced Higher English issues
So I'm just wondering if AH English is dreadful everywhere or just my school?
Basically, we get little to no guidelines on how to write our essays, dissertations or our folio pieces and little to no time in class so far has been used to analyse the texts we're studying (we're doing plays so my teacher has us read the parts during class time - despite this we only just finished A Streetcar Named Desire and still need to read Cat on A Hot Tin Roof). We haven't started on any poems yet (my teacher says we'll learn 15?!?) Once this year she even left us with no lesson plan for a whole TWO HOUR period!
So yeah that's my rant, I'm interested in knowing what AH English is like at other schools? (And hoping that this incompetency isn't inherent throughout all your teachers)
Basically, we get little to no guidelines on how to write our essays, dissertations or our folio pieces and little to no time in class so far has been used to analyse the texts we're studying (we're doing plays so my teacher has us read the parts during class time - despite this we only just finished A Streetcar Named Desire and still need to read Cat on A Hot Tin Roof). We haven't started on any poems yet (my teacher says we'll learn 15?!?) Once this year she even left us with no lesson plan for a whole TWO HOUR period!
So yeah that's my rant, I'm interested in knowing what AH English is like at other schools? (And hoping that this incompetency isn't inherent throughout all your teachers)
(edited 8 years ago)
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Original post by JM_1998
So I'm just wondering if AH English is dreadful everywhere or just my school?
Basically, we get little to no guidelines on how to write our essays, dissertations or our folio pieces and little to no time in class so far has been used to analyse the texts we're studying (we're doing plays so my teacher has us read the parts during class time - despite this we only just finished A Streetcar Named Desire and still need to read Cat on A Hot Tin Roof). We haven't started on any poems yet (my teacher says we'll learn 15?!?) Oncethis year she even left us with no lesson plan for a whole TWO HOUR period!
So yeah that's my rant, I'm interested in knowing what AH English is like at other schools? (And hoping that this incompetency isn't inherent throughout all your teachers)
Basically, we get little to no guidelines on how to write our essays, dissertations or our folio pieces and little to no time in class so far has been used to analyse the texts we're studying (we're doing plays so my teacher has us read the parts during class time - despite this we only just finished A Streetcar Named Desire and still need to read Cat on A Hot Tin Roof). We haven't started on any poems yet (my teacher says we'll learn 15?!?) Oncethis year she even left us with no lesson plan for a whole TWO HOUR period!
So yeah that's my rant, I'm interested in knowing what AH English is like at other schools? (And hoping that this incompetency isn't inherent throughout all your teachers)
You are not alone! While I'm enjoying it, I've had much the same experience. No guidelines on how to write a critical essay for ADVH and for folio essays it's just that it has to be above 1000 words. We spend our class time either reading our dissertation texts, performing (just talking) the plays we're studying, or watching movies. We've done three Oscar Wilde plays and are starting gatsby just now. When it comes to analysis our teacher just hands out pages of notes off the internet and there's no class discussion. We're frequently left alone in class to get on with our own work and barely get any direction from the teacher. It feels like we do no work whatsoever (especially compared to higher). I get that ADVH is meant to be less spoon feeding but it's still a drastic change.
Glad it's not just me undergoing this - although I'm quite jealous you get actual printed resources, all my teacher does is a kind of half-a**ed discussions in class. I will say however I started writing my dissertation and I'm greatly enjoying it ( which makes me doubly happy cause I'm applying to do English at uni so I was getting a tad worried about how little I've enjoyed it this year.)
And with regards to the spoon feeding thing - I'm doing AH History as well this year and my teacher for that just seems so much better organised in general, and she manages to keep the class entertaining, on track and never lets us forget that we are studying with the goal of sitting an exam in May - while also not babying us the way we were done at higher - whereas in English I just feel like I enter into some kind of stasis as soon as I enter into the classroom and that I'm attending some extracurricular evening class than an actual examined qualification course.
And with regards to the spoon feeding thing - I'm doing AH History as well this year and my teacher for that just seems so much better organised in general, and she manages to keep the class entertaining, on track and never lets us forget that we are studying with the goal of sitting an exam in May - while also not babying us the way we were done at higher - whereas in English I just feel like I enter into some kind of stasis as soon as I enter into the classroom and that I'm attending some extracurricular evening class than an actual examined qualification course.
Original post by JM_1998
Glad it's not just me undergoing this - although I'm quite jealous you get actual printed resources, all my teacher does is a kind of half-a**ed discussions in class. I will say however I started writing my dissertation and I'm greatly enjoying it ( which makes me doubly happy cause I'm applying to do English at uni so I was getting a tad worried about how little I've enjoyed it this year.)
And with regards to the spoon feeding thing - I'm doing AH History as well this year and my teacher for that just seems so much better organised in general, and she manages to keep the class entertaining, on track and never lets us forget that we are studying with the goal of sitting an exam in May - while also not babying us the way we were done at higher - whereas in English I just feel like I enter into some kind of stasis as soon as I enter into the classroom and that I'm attending some extracurricular evening class than an actual examined qualification course.
And with regards to the spoon feeding thing - I'm doing AH History as well this year and my teacher for that just seems so much better organised in general, and she manages to keep the class entertaining, on track and never lets us forget that we are studying with the goal of sitting an exam in May - while also not babying us the way we were done at higher - whereas in English I just feel like I enter into some kind of stasis as soon as I enter into the classroom and that I'm attending some extracurricular evening class than an actual examined qualification course.
Yesterday she left us alone for a whole double period and got us to mark our own critical essays! And when it comes to notes it's all just copied off spark notes etc.
Original post by JM_1998
So I'm just wondering if AH English is dreadful everywhere or just my school?
Basically, we get little to no guidelines on how to write our essays, dissertations or our folio pieces and little to no time in class so far has been used to analyse the texts we're studying (we're doing plays so my teacher has us read the parts during class time - despite this we only just finished A Streetcar Named Desire and still need to read Cat on A Hot Tin Roof). We haven't started on any poems yet (my teacher says we'll learn 15?!?) Once this year she even left us with no lesson plan for a whole TWO HOUR period!
So yeah that's my rant, I'm interested in knowing what AH English is like at other schools? (And hoping that this incompetency isn't inherent throughout all your teachers)
Basically, we get little to no guidelines on how to write our essays, dissertations or our folio pieces and little to no time in class so far has been used to analyse the texts we're studying (we're doing plays so my teacher has us read the parts during class time - despite this we only just finished A Streetcar Named Desire and still need to read Cat on A Hot Tin Roof). We haven't started on any poems yet (my teacher says we'll learn 15?!?) Once this year she even left us with no lesson plan for a whole TWO HOUR period!
So yeah that's my rant, I'm interested in knowing what AH English is like at other schools? (And hoping that this incompetency isn't inherent throughout all your teachers)
I feel the exact same!! Are you sitting the new CfE AH this year?
We only have 4 periods of advanced higher classes a week so its a total struggle to fit anything in! Our prelims in early January and so far we've only (finally) finished Streetcar named desire!! We still have Glass Menagerie to read and analyse but we're doing an essay right now just on Streetcar which is completely irrelevant to the exam since all we will write in the exam is a comparison between the two plays!
The essay plan she has given us is useless as well because not one bit has anything to do with the question she has issued!
We don't have to learn any poems because the one which we will write an essay on in the exam will be unseen, however we've had no guidance at all on how to go about answering the essay yet!
Plus we have had no help what so ever with our dissertation! We've just been expected to do it all in our own time and our first draft is due in a few weeks! We have 'mentors' for the dissertation (just other english teachers with knowledge of our chosen texts) and luckily mines is really helpful and I am doing books I really love so I'm coping better than most in my class and get there veryyyyy slowly!
i know AH are supposed to really develop independent study but its a bit of a joke and we all have no clue whats going on and how we'll be ready for the exam, let alone the prelim!!
(edited 8 years ago)
Does anyone have any suggestions for my dissertation question for comparing 1984 and Animal Farm as I have had little to no guidance
Thought I'd bump this thread to see if it's improved yet for any of you guys (cause it hasn't for me 😂) - my teacher is too focused on making us read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in Southern accents to care about actually analysing the play, or preparing us in any way whatsoever for our prelim.
Also, wondering what you're all doing your dissertation on?? (Had to have my first draft in on the 18th)
I did Time's impact on the human consciousness in Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and I think it went quite well; but considering the fact I had no guidance whatsoever with it, it may be complete rubbish 😅
(Oh, and we also haven't finished our folio pieces either yet - mainly cause we get little to no meaningful feedback, my friend was given a piece back and simply told "it's missing something" )🙄🔫
Also, wondering what you're all doing your dissertation on?? (Had to have my first draft in on the 18th)
I did Time's impact on the human consciousness in Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and I think it went quite well; but considering the fact I had no guidance whatsoever with it, it may be complete rubbish 😅
(Oh, and we also haven't finished our folio pieces either yet - mainly cause we get little to no meaningful feedback, my friend was given a piece back and simply told "it's missing something" )🙄🔫
Same for me we've been told to hand in the 1st draft of our dissertation the first week back after the holidays but had no help on how to write it. I got no idea how to even start!!!!
Original post by starbaker1
Same for me we've been told to hand in the 1st draft of our dissertation the first week back after the holidays but had no help on how to write it. I got no idea how to even start!!!!
I just wrote an extended critical essay really, and judging by the examples I've seen that's all it is 😅
What's your theme? / what books are you writing about?
(edited 8 years ago)
I'm doing Never ley me go by Ishiguro and Memory of water by Itaranta on the destructive potential of secrets. U?
Time's impact on the human consciousness and identity in Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf😅
I actually quite enjoyed writing it, but I had to do quite a lot of outside reading (like critical books on her from the library, essays online etc)
Teacher help was nonexistent though (she did get us reading cards for Edinburgh Uni library but other than that it was just "go write a dissertation") 😂
I actually quite enjoyed writing it, but I had to do quite a lot of outside reading (like critical books on her from the library, essays online etc)
Teacher help was nonexistent though (she did get us reading cards for Edinburgh Uni library but other than that it was just "go write a dissertation") 😂
Yep sounds familiar don't know what the teachers getting paid for. I even went to get help from support at our school but it was too advanced from them and they didn't know what they were doing. I also handed in 2 folio pieces in October (1st draft) and havent had any back even though I have asked several times.
Much like many of you, I have also been betrayed by the woman who I trusted with my education. 3 days away from a prelim and instead of revising our teacher - The David, has decided to bail on the class and bring in a uni student to teach us. This betrayal will be my downfall as I am slowly consumed by the shadows.
Thank heavens this hasn't been my experience. We've covered our texts and poetry and the first draft of my dissertation was handed in before the hols. Some of my class still have to hand in theirs. I have another dissertation to do for mods which drove me to act promptly on the English one. I'm doing three AHs and a H which is such a terrifying workload that I alternate between being super efficient and struggling with that horrible drowning sensation.
Original post by wordshark
Anyone got any advice for writing the disseration. Got about a quarter done but realised I don't have a clue what I am supposed to be doing. Recieved no guidance from teacher whatsoever.
That's a worrying place for you to be in. It's six weeks since my draft was handed in. Tomorrow I'm going to insist on getting it otherwise I'm going to head of dept. The rest of my class handed theirs in after me and all have got their feedback though they have different supervisors. I think six weeks is long enough but I'm hoping that I don't need to make a fuss to get it. I wouldn't dare give anyone advice because mine might come back with a big fat red pen line through it.
Good luck. I'm sure you will do much better than you expect. 👍
Original post by wordshark
Anyone got any advice for writing the disseration. Got about a quarter done but realised I don't have a clue what I am supposed to be doing. Recieved no guidance from teacher whatsoever.
My teacher has the second draft of mine atm, which I'll be getting back tomorrow if she's marked it like she said she would. All I got on the first draft was that my first page was a bit flowery, but the rest was beautiful - so I'm taking that as a good sign lol
The way I viewed the task was like writing a long critical essay that you get to choose the question for ( I realise that's not really much help, but the best advice I've got really is to just write a 3000 word critical essay haha)
What texts did you choose to write on?
Original post by JM_1998
My teacher has the second draft of mine atm, which I'll be getting back tomorrow if she's marked it like she said she would. All I got on the first draft was that my first page was a bit flowery, but the rest was beautiful - so I'm taking that as a good sign lol
The way I viewed the task was like writing a long critical essay that you get to choose the question for ( I realise that's not really much help, but the best advice I've got really is to just write a 3000 word critical essay haha)
What texts did you choose to write on?
The way I viewed the task was like writing a long critical essay that you get to choose the question for ( I realise that's not really much help, but the best advice I've got really is to just write a 3000 word critical essay haha)
What texts did you choose to write on?
Original post by DougallnDougall
That's a worrying place for you to be in. It's six weeks since my draft was handed in. Tomorrow I'm going to insist on getting it otherwise I'm going to head of dept. The rest of my class handed theirs in after me and all have got their feedback though they have different supervisors. I think six weeks is long enough but I'm hoping that I don't need to make a fuss to get it. I wouldn't dare give anyone advice because mine might come back with a big fat red pen line through it.
Good luck. I'm sure you will do much better than you expect. 👍
Good luck. I'm sure you will do much better than you expect. 👍
Thanks. I've finished my two folio essays so I'm not too far behind, but they were always my strength. My two books are Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World--overdone I know, but I actually enjoyed reading them. I'm not short on stuff to write, although I'm unsure on the finer points. Are we meant to include critical analysis from other sources? Looking at the old advh English guidance online, I worry if I'm missing information on things like referencing etc. While I appreciate the dissertation has been reduced in size, I'm not sure whether demands have been too.
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