The space between the two epigraphs presented at the beginning of this article marks the difference between an insider and an outsider. Ms Barbieri, from "Voices from the Middle," made the first comments as an expression of what reflective practice -- observing and critiquing video tapes of hers and others' teaching -- could mean to her…

Rudyard Kipling wrote "The Road to Mandalay" in 1892 when Burma was a British colony and Queen Victoria was the Empress of India. In the poem, Mandalay is a city some 500 miles along the Irrawaddy River from the capital, Rangoon. British troops stationed in Burma were transported on the river by paddle steamers. The picture painted of…

Readers of "English in Australia" are well aware of the genesis and development of Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA), since its evolution has been extensively documented in this journal, beginning in 1999 with Margaret Gill's call to arms to the profession, "If we don't do it someone else…

This article explores issues relating to the development of the Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA). STELLA is the product of work by members of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) and the Australian Literacy Educators' Association (ALEA), the two key professional bodies in…

The most reported outcome of programs for teaching English in Indigenous schools in Australia is that there continues to be a significant gap in the level of attainment of English language and literacy between Indigenous students as a group and other Australian students (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), 2008a,…

The Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA) were developed and launched in 2001. In this article, the author aims to consider their relevance and value to practising and beginning English teachers. STELLA provides a lens through which the very complex job that English teachers do to prepare students for…

Prue Gill calls for a national English curriculum that appreciates the complex relationship between curriculum and assessment, one that is supported by strong government investment in professional learning, and one that will enable young people to imagine a different future from that which has been imagined for them by their elders.

For the final assessment piece of her Bachelor of Education the author was asked to use the STELLA Standards Framework (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) to critically analyse and reflect on personally significant incidents which occurred during her final practicums. The objective was to be able to communicate…

Presents a provisional framework for the STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia), which identifies broad dimensions of teaching together with groupings of related attributes derived from teachers' narratives. (RS)

Comments on development of literacy "benchmarks" by the Commonwealth Government. Suggests that the benchmarks (1) will prove a highly productive discursive (and thus financial) context for some researchers, assessment organizations, and professional development teams; and (2) are a product of the melodrama of crisis, having no foundation…

Suggests that the big issues surrounding a project like STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) can be viewed in three dimensions: the doubt that literacy teaching can be reduced to a checklist; whether teaching is synonymous with "curriculum delivery"; and the best way to articulate the values of…

Discusses implications of the issues of continuity and discontinuity, commonality and difference, congruity and paradox as they engage the research team, the industry partners, and the teachers around Australia who constitute the STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) project. (RS)

Explores the issue of generic versus subject-specific standards in terms of their role in teachers' professional development. Suggests generic and subject-specific standards share a symbiotic relationship. Outlines a basis for a "third wave": some teachers may find at a particular stage in their career that generic standards are more…

Questions whether a framework such as STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) can capture the essence of what teachers do in the classroom. Addresses three animating passions which have informed and energized the author's work as a teacher: intensity, empathy, and gaiety. (RS)

Discusses an attempt by a group of Australian primary and secondary teachers to address the issue of school literacy practices during the transition years (Years 5-8). Suggests attempts to support student learning were both supported and circumscribed by the school context. Notes any notion of professional engagement to bring about lasting change…