{"id":73147,"date":"2024-06-12T00:02:44","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T04:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=73147"},"modified":"2024-06-12T00:02:44","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T04:02:44","slug":"shakespeare-beowulf-and-chaucer-could-be-back-in-the-nz-english-curriculum-should-they-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/shakespeare-beowulf-and-chaucer-could-be-back-in-the-nz-english-curriculum-should-they-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Shakespeare, Beowulf and Chaucer could be back in the NZ English curriculum \u2013 should they be?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For the second time in as many years, New Zealand\u2019s secondary school\u00a0English curriculum will be rewritten<\/a>, a move which has generated disquiet from teachers and academics alike.<\/p>\n

The revised year 7-13 English curriculum, to be released in July, is expected to include compulsory Shakespeare and grammar lessons, as well as a recommended reading list ranging from contemporary New Zealand authors to Chaucer and Beowulf.<\/p>\n

Supporters say these changes will establish a \u201cknowledge-rich\u201d curriculum with a set of recommended texts. Currently, individual teachers have the\u00a0autonomy to select what is taught<\/a>\u00a0in their classrooms.<\/p>\n

But others have\u00a0expressed concern<\/a>\u00a0about a seemingly secretive process. The New Zealand Association of Teachers of English, for example, learned of the curriculum changes from the media.<\/p>\n

Teachers are also concerned about the emphasis on traditional literary texts, such as Shakespeare and other works. They worry many students might find these works inaccessible. As parents and teachers await the draft curriculum, it is worth considering what is changing and why.
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The English curriculum re-write will see students studying Chaucer and Melville. But this may be the wrong approach, writes Taylor Hughson https:\/\/t.co\/gggO9OBfIs<\/a><\/p>\n

— Newsroom (@NewsroomNZ) June 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n