Collaborating in a virtual classroom to see how language works

Year 8 Language and Literature students at Wesley’s Elsternwick Campus – in their virtual classroom – are analysing the opinion pages of Australia’s major newspapers to see how journalists influence public debate, as Lachlan Morton explains.

Year 8 students at the Elsternwick Campus have been collaborating in a virtual Language and Literature classroom in the first weeks of second term, using OneNote and video chats to work together on analyses of editorials from major newspapers before each drafting their independent analyses.

We went back to the olden days, way back to 3 February 2020 BC (before COVID-19), to investigate the strategies and devices used in the opinion pages of the Sydney Morning Herald to persuade readers.

The headline in the SMH Editorial for 3 February summed up the argument: ‘Pricing carbon the only real catalyst for sustainable energy solutions.’ Were our Year 8s convinced?

Using OneNote, students analysed and annotated the opinion piece, colour coding their work then sharing this with their peers for constructive criticism and feedback before drafting a formal analytical piece.

The video above shows the process and progress of one student. During the analysis and annotation process, students video-conferenced in small groups to share more personalised and detailed feedback and elaborate their thinking, in dialogue. This second step supported the written feedback they had first shared in OneNote, much as they might share in a face-to-face discussion in an actual classroom.

Their verdict? The SMH Editorial mounts a compelling case for a pricing mechanism on carbon emissions and it’s great to remember the issue of climate change might soon be back on the table – once we reach what Prime Minister calls ‘the other side’ of the pandemic.

Lachlan Morton is Faculty Coordinator of Language and Literature at Wesley’s Elsternwick Campus