This essay presents an English teacher's inquiry into her professional practice in an institutional setting that is heavily regulated by standards-based reforms. Rather than something external to her, she sees those reforms as part of an internal conflict that affects her capacity to be fully responsive to her students. In dialogue with a…

What is the practical pedagogic value of the zone of proximal development? How might we draw from the writings of Vygotsky and Leont'ev with regard to understanding the process of children and young people's development as socialised intellectual beings? This article applies cultural-historical theory to classroom activity in order to reveal the…

In John Dixon's account of Dartmouth, experience is seen as central to the business of English as a school subject. Experience, for Dixon, is the raw material that is worked on in the classroom. What kinds of theory inform this emphasis on experience, and what are the curricular and pedagogic implications of this version of English? How does…

Underlying the generally oblivious attitude of teachers and learners towards the past is insufficient respect for the role of memory in giving meaning to experience and access to knowledge. We shape our identity by making sense of our past and its relationship to present and future selves, a process that should be intensively cultivated when we…

Courses on teaching young adult literature (YAL) often encourage preservice English language arts teachers to consider their future students as they evaluate texts for classroom use. In this study, Sulzer and Thein analyzed preservice teachers' responses to familiar questions used to frame discussions of YAL--questions that ask them to read on…

This article reflects on how English as a school subject was positioned in the seminal paper "The Teaching of English in England", otherwise known as The Newbolt Report, and its relationship with current government policy in England. Nearly a century after the Report's publication, questions regarding the content and purpose of English…

To be successful, teachers of English in grades 6-12 need more than basic content knowledge and classroom management skills. They need a deep understanding of the goals and principles of teaching literature, writing, oral discourse, and language in order to make sound instructional decisions. This engaging book explores the pedagogical foundations…

The emphasis on 21st century learning practices in Australia has led to a paradox of concerns in the field of teaching. This paper examines dual deficiencies related to teaching film in the subject of English; being the lack of contextualisation and authenticity in traditional modes of film study, and the widening gulf between teachers and…

This article explores the concept of "Professional Memory" in English teaching. It argues that English teacher memories, analysed through a collective lens and in particular conjunctures, can provide powerful evidence of practitioner-led reform and development. Such evidence can be used to challenge the existing theoretical framework of…

This paper explores the processes behind drawing different kinds of inference from a single short film. It examines the range knowledge that groups of viewers are able to derive from listening to film sound, and from summarizing the work of a whole film, using the concepts of "aesthetic" and "efferent" reading set out by Louise…

This essay explores how and why English teachers, especially women, must unpack and honour the many facets of our autobiography that make up our experiences and identities in classroom practice. Drawing on the work of Jane Miller and Anne Turvey, it starts with a 'moment' with a Year 10 class. It calls for attention to be paid to the intensely…

This article is a reflective account of my work as a writer-in-residence in 12 post-primary schools, over two academic years. Coming from the perspective of a writer the article fills a gap in the literature, where a substantial body of work exists on the teacher as writer, but little exists on the writer as teacher. The article makes a case for…

The poet, Seamus Heaney, argues that transformations for both teachers and students may be engendered through recognising the connections and distinctions between the language of poetry and the language of everyday life. This article explores some of the ways in which choral reading of poetry, using multiple voices like musical instruments, may…

In the British "zone" of the English education world, which Australia largely inhabited throughout the 20th century, the key book that came out of Dartmouth was John Dixon's "Growth through English." Some in the British "zone" may not even be aware of the equivalent American book, Herbert Muller's "The Uses of…

This volume identifies, illustrates, compares, contrasts and provides informed reflective commentary on the diverse career trajectories of English language teachers, teacher educators and researchers. Increased migration and globalisation pressures have led to dramatic changes in English language teaching over the last few decades. The resulting…