In late 2011, the author was approached by Garry Collins, the president of ETAQ, to deliver a keynote for ETAQ for their first meeting in March 2012. The reflections presented in this article have been drawn from the transcript of that presentation. The reflections focus mainly on implementing the Australian curriculum--English. (Contains 1 note.)

How might a tertiary English teacher use Garth Boomer's ideas on "teaching against the grain" to challenge the rules and assumptions that dominate the Academic Language and Learning (ALL) industry in the university sector today? How might such a teacher use Boomer's ideas to enact "emancipatory pedagogies" (or something like…

I have been an English teacher for 38 (gulp!) years. For over 20 of those I have taught "English methods" courses in initial teacher education programs. As the retirement light glows increasingly brighter at the end of my career pathway, I reflect on three aspects of teaching English that have been--and remain--the cornerstones of my…

The current version of the draft National Curriculum (1.0.1) remains a document which dis-integrates the subject through its three strands and fails to conceptualise a relationship between these strands. Drawing on curriculum history, I argue that this stands in strong contrast to a curriculum such as the 1971 NSW Syllabus for Years 7-10, which…

The study of the history of the English language can help students become aware of major issues in several academic fields, including history, literature, political science, anthropology, communication, economics, the Arts, and, of course, languages and linguistics. Even though instructors may not have an especially broad background in the…

This commentary argues that Joseph Zins' work can contribute and enhance university-based teacher preparation programs. Focusing on secondary English Education, it examines how SEL competencies can improve the curricula and field experiences to support pre-service teachers.

The president-elect of the National Council of Teachers of English, provides an overview of the various trends in English instruction during the last 30 years. (Author)

Outlines an English program based on three principles: (1) the content of English should be words that matter to someone, (2) students get better at something by doing it, and (3) opportunities for pupil choice should be built into the course. (FL)

Examines the past three decades of educational history to determine whether English teachers or textbook publishers dictate what goes into the English language arts curriculum. (RL)

Looks back at the author's 1972 essay and responds to it now, helping readers place it within an historical context in order to learn about the genesis of his ideas then and his reflections now. Suggests that students do have authority, through their unique and at times vast understandings from their own experiences of language, of literature, and…

Notes that English teachers have to do their part in teaching literary-cultural literacy, but they also have a responsibility to expose students to the wide range of literature that exists outside of the de facto Young Adult Literature perpetuated by school curricula. Presents annotations of 10 new or overlooked Young Adult books worth reading.…

Criticizes the recent emphasis on a curriculum designed to teach skills and advocates a return to a traditional humanities centered curriculum. (SRT)

Advocates treating the discipline of English as a part of the arts. Suggests that a whole curriculum would give equal attention to the arts, humanities, and mathematico-scientific studies. (HTH)

Provides an extensive narrative describing how the full-time English faculty at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, developed a successful advanced writing requirement. (HB)

Responds to the Pacesetter English program by nominating it for the 1995 National Council of Teachers of English's "Doublespeak" Award. Criticizes the Pacesetter program as faulty and a "mind-numbing manipulation of teachers, texts, and students." (HB)