HSC English | Harrison Saito

Harrison Seminar Japanese Australian high school students.HEIC

Reorienting and rebuilding young minds...

Build strong children to minimise fixing broken adults.

My 'why'...

My quiet struggles as an Aussie born Japanese boy, confused and desperately trying to connect and create meaning under a strict upbringing.

I wish to be a humble guide to youth, who are suffering in the current landscape, to help them nurture tools, rally themselves together and create.

I owe it to myself, those who were and still are part of my own journey and for the sake of humanity.

As an educator, I believe my role is to guide a student's understanding, widen and deepen the scope of their awareness. (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001).

A problem well put is a problem half solved.

To put bluntly, coaching HSC English has simply been a 'medium' for me and my students to camaraderically explore the subconscious, reorient inevitable distractions and more deliberately, rebuild practices more true to our souls. For our 'inner child', for our future selves and for the greater good.

See below for my planned timeline for Stage 6.

By end of year 11... I aim for

- Recognition of multidimensional observation: the authorial purpose, textual and character construction, your own intrapersonal and interpersonal experience with the text
- Engaging with a text synergistically with your own inherent curiosities, experiences and subsequent biases.
- Developed sound reading and writing practices and scaffolds.
- Improved appreciation and self-initiative towards embracing the art of reading and writing as part of your practice.
-- Acceptance and engagement towards the game we must play for Prelims and HSC: NESA's Modules and Rubrics.

By end of Trials... I aim for

- Heightened awareness and appreciation for past, present and future 'power play' existing very well in our own physical worlds.... (eg: Interculturality, politics, role of gender and identity, trauma)
- Increased curiosity and acumen in exploring, synthesising and applying course discourse and concepts to your life.
- Certainty in adapting reading and writing practices and scaffolds more proficiently on your own.
- Increased willingness and familiarity to facing challenges and fears within English and the meta of 'life'.
- Developed acumen in independent analysis and evaluation of texts.

After HSC...

- Unpacking our journey together for the goals and purposes within the next stage of your life...

My ethos behind my 'how'

I must lead by example. By being actively involved in my own self-development, I aim to inspire the youth too, to self-critically yet kindly transform their own daily practices.

This visibility (Hattie, 2008) of my vulnerability within my developmental journey aims to ring true with our core human desire over time; human connection.

As a coach and educator, I aim to continuously refine my approach. There is a time for me to lead, and there is a time for the student to lead. The interesting duality within youth is that they wish to guided, but simultaneously limit testing their increasing autonomy.

Below are examples of how I collaboratively mindmap with my students.

"Children need to be shown how to think, not what to think." (Margaret Mead)

$90 per week

Using HSC English as a medium, each session aims to consciously bridge the gap between your facades and you. I take pride in my 'no-nonsense' big brotherly role as I do my best to support you through your turbulent adolescent years.

- 7 days a week of on-call contact and accountability

- 1 hour a week of formal class (online and face to face)

- Personalised reading materials, tasks and assessments to facilitate recognition between English as a study, and as an opportunity to understand yourself and then rebuild yourself through physical and mental practices.

- Access to my own exemplar responses and my past student responses.

Initial talks on problem solving and strategisation is complimentary.

Lance P, Marist College North Shore '21

"When I was studying for my HSC, I was having a lot of trouble with English and was recommended by a friend to start tutoring with Harrison. As a naive 17 year old student, I was struggling with my own expectations with HSC and as a result became quite anxious about my academic performance as I believed it would determine my future in university. Upon reflection of myself during that time, I would often impose a great amount of pressure to perform well and achieve high marks that would eventually deteriorate my own self-esteem, confidence and ultimately my own health. However, I noticed a positive change in myself with having lessons with Harrison, not only improvements in my writing capabilities but also in addressing these issues that I did not realise at that time. He was a positive influence in helping me realise the reality of the HSC and the examinations that it is only 'a test' and a 'pathway to university' which did not define myself as a human being. He raised an emphasis on focusing on the progression of my abilities and skills rather than results, through goals to have a sense of direction towards improvement. Overall with this perspective on the reality of HSC, and a focus on improving my skills, it has really made a productive impact on managing my expectations for the HSC and relieving myself from the burden to attain high marks. As a result, I actually experienced more academic success which has even persisted into my tertiary studies as I am in my second year of university studying a bachelor of nursing. I am very grateful for meeting a person like Harrison who has been a positive influence in my teenage years and his many lessons and teachings have become foundational to my holistic development as a young adult."

Shoaland G, St Pius X '22

"Hey Harrison, I cannot express how grateful I am for the invaluable life lessons and experiences that you have shared with me over the years. Your guidance and support has helped me through my teenage years and schooling, and I have grown because of your influence. You have always been there to listen to me when I needed to talk, to offer sage advice when I was uncertain, and to encourage me when I needed a boost. Your mentorship has helped me to navigate challenges, discover my strengths, and pursue my passions with confidence. Through your example, I have learned the importance of hard work, determination and, and resilience. You have taught me to set goals, to work towards them with discipline and focus, and to never give up. Your unwavering belief in me has been a constant source of inspiration, and I am forever grateful for your encouragement and support.More than anything, you have taught me to experience life fully and to appreciate all of its ups and downs. Your wisdom and perspective have helped me to see the world in a new light, and I can gladly say I am becoming a better person because of it. Thank you Harrison, for all that you have done for me. Your mentorship and brotherhood has made a profound difference on life and will always cherish the memories and lessons that we have shared together."

"The answer to improving outcomes for all students lies in the person who puts into place the end effects of so many policies." (John Hattie, 2003)

Some discourse and theories which have inspired me...

Anderson and Krathwohl's revised Bloom's Taxonomy (Understanding underpins all forms of higher order thinking)
Pearson and Gallagher's 'Gradual Release of Responsibility' (I do, we do, you do)
Vygotsky's 'Zone of Proximal Development' (We learn better with a peer)
Germane Cognitive Loading (efficiently and explicitly furthering understanding through encouraging relevancy to one's life)
A blend of inductive and deductive reasoning (East and West)
IQTVE scaffolding (Stevenson, 2023)
Internal Family Systems (Schwartz, 1980)
Psychological Aspects of the Shadow (Jung, 1938)