WIMMERA students agreed they should have a say on what is in the curriculum.
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It comes after a successful campaign by Victorian students who pushed for representation on the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority board and a separate panel that advises on VCE texts.
The authority provides the curriculum, assessment and reporting for the state’s public and private schools while the text advisory panel advises the authority on what books should be studied.
Kaniva College school captain Remi King said student representation on the authority board was a step in the right direction.
“It can be harder for adults and people teaching the curriculum to really understand a student’s point of view,” she said. "A person who isn’t a student shouldn't make all the decisions. It would be beneficial to have a student giving their two-cents on what students are thinking.”
Remi said the current curriculum was "jam-packed" and did not allow students to explore topics in-depth.
"There's a lot to cover in a short amount of time. It doesn’t feel like we are learning topics in-depth – we skim over it and have to move onto the next topic,” she said.
“I want to see less topics covered, so we can look other topics more in-depth. When it comes to end of year exams, we can be more knowledgeable.”
A student who is interested performs better and pushes for the best result.
- Jonah Smith
Horsham College school captain Jonah Smith said student representation could offer unique insights on the current curriculum’s strengths and weaknesses.
“It is important to have students interested in what they are studying. A student who is interested performs better and pushes for the best result,” he said.
Jonah said student engagement not only depends on the curriculum’s content, but how it was presented to students in the classroom.
“There are teachers who prioritise different learning styles in the classrooms and others who have a set way of teaching,” he said.
“Adapting to how the students wants to engage with the material helps them understand and comprehend the subject in a more engaging way.”
Kaniva College school captain William Braunstein wanted more variety in the books studied in VCE.
“I personally find them plain and boring. I understand there needs to be some structure in what we read, but it would be great to be given more of a variety of texts to choose between,” he said.
We want more modern books that relates to our generation and that we can connect with.
- William Braunstein
“A lot of the texts are based on historical events, which many of us find very dry.
"We want more modern books that relates to our generation and that we can connect with.”
The details of the new model are still being finalised. It is unknown what mix of former and current students will serve on the authority board and its text advisory panel or how they will be selected.
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