English – General Capabilities
General capabilities equip young people with the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions to live and work successfully. General capabilities support and deepen student engagement with learning area content and are best developed within the context of learning areas.
Opportunities to develop general capabilities in learning area content vary. While Literacy and Numeracy are fundamental to all learning areas, literacy development is core to the English curriculum. In addition, all other general capabilities are relevant to English. General capabilities are identified in content descriptions when they are developed or applied through the English content. They are also identified in content elaborations when they offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning.
In the English curriculum, literacy is developed through the study of the English language in all its spoken, written and visual forms. Literacy equips students with the skills to confidently listen to, read, view, speak, write and create texts in all learning areas. As students develop literacy skills, they understand how language use is determined by different contexts. They develop the skills to acquire and build knowledge and understanding, and to communicate their emotions, opinions and ideas with others. Through analysing, interpreting and evaluating a range of texts, students understand language features and conventions, and are exposed to a broad vocabulary.
In the English curriculum, students use numeracy skills to communicate, read and evaluate information that includes quantities, statistics and patterns, including visual patterns. They use numeracy skills to understand and present evidence and substantiate ideas. They determine, examine and comment on any possible bias that is present in numerical data and quantitative sources.
Through the English curriculum, students develop the ability to use digital tools to communicate and collaborate, and read and access information. They use a range of tools to create and edit digital and multimodal texts and presentations. They select and evaluate sources, and respect intellectual property. They consider the suitability of information, audience and online safety when using digital tools.
In the English curriculum, students develop critical and creative thinking through listening to, reading, viewing, writing, creating and presenting texts. They also develop critical and creative thinking through interacting with others, creating and experimenting with literary texts, and discussing the aesthetic or social value of texts.
Through close analysis of texts, students critically analyse the opinions, perspectives and unstated assumptions embedded in texts. They develop critical thinking as they express personal responses and preferences, state and justify their points of view, and respond to the views of others. Students develop creative thinking skills by considering authors’ innovations, and planning, exploring and creating ideas for imaginative texts. They develop creative thinking when they use and adapt language to represent novel ideas.
Through the English curriculum, students develop personal and social capabilities as they learn that language is central to personal and social identity. When engaging with a range of texts, students explore diverse perspectives and how these shape different interpretations and responses. Interacting with others in formal and informal settings helps students to become effective communicators. They are able to articulate their opinions and collaborate with others. Through close reading and discussion of texts, students experience and evaluate different personal and social behaviours and perspectives. They develop connections and empathy with characters in different contexts.
In the English curriculum, students develop ethical understanding as they explore ethical issues within real-world and fictional settings. They identify moral messages, ethical concepts, bias and stereotypes, and their representation in texts. As students develop their understanding, they compare, evaluate and discuss how these messages are created through language. Students analyse ethical perspectives on contemporary issues. They evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the ways in which arguments are represented.
Through the English curriculum, students develop intercultural understanding as they study texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts. They learn that the English language has been influenced by different cultural groups, languages, speakers and writers. Students engage with the oral narrative traditions and contemporary literature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, wide-ranging Australian literature and world literature, including texts from and about Asia. They explore cultural perspectives and world views from the past and present. Students interpret and analyse authors’ ideas and points of view represented in traditional and contemporary texts in a range of media. They learn to appreciate issues of intercultural meaning and sensitivity.