#2 Assessment in NJC Junior High

In NJC Junior High the decision has been made to not teach Literature in the traditional manner characterized by close reading and rigour. This is not to say that teaching and textual analysis is fast and loose, but rather, that there is a greater humanistic focus- that literature should inform students of the human experience. To this end, assessment does include quizzes, essay writing, dramatized readings but also more unusual activities.

For example, secondary 4 students are to act out a mediation session after studying Kuo Pao Kun's Lao Jiu and Shakespeare's King Lear. In the session, students are to argue from their position with the end goal of coming to a compromise and agreement on the situation. The students are assigned external mentors (working professionals, like lawyers, engineers, family service center counselors) to help them with their analysis of certain conflicts. For example in a particular session, 2 students might represent the disgruntled siblings of Lao Jiu accusing the parents of the failure to raise Lao Jiu properly.