In this article, the author reflects on statement six of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) "Statements of Belief". Statement 6 says, "We are committed to ongoing learning communities especially through active participation in a range of professional communities." The author discusses this statement by way of his own…

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 will" in…

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…

In 2005 the Australian Literacy Educators' Association (ALEA) established a professional learning project focused on the Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia (STELLA) professional standards developed earlier in the decade by the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) and ALEA. The key question for…

In this article, the author shares her practicum experience in a nine-month English program and a gruelling assessment schedule for her other five subjects. During her practicum several incidents occurred that caused a shift in the way she perceives the role of an English teacher, and they have informed her English teaching practices. She reflects…

This article presents the author's reflection on Statement 4 of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) "Statements of Belief". The statements attempt to outline beliefs about what might form the most important work of Australian English teachers. The author explores Statement 4, which heralds: "We are committed to developing…

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…

It has been argued that schools are trapped in a print-based past, while their students inhabit a nonprint-based age, and that this has accompanied a shift from traditional mass media to media driven by computer technology. This article draws on the work of Stuart Allan to examine some of the history of this shift in term of news and asks what…

This study focuses on two high school seniors as they wrote in their British Literature and Psychology classes. We analyse the writing experiences of the two volunteer students as they produced formal academic writing (research, essays, and synopses), personal writing (poems, stories, and personal narratives), and hybrid writing (research written…

This research is an examination of how gender is constructed through the pedagogical practices of the teacher in one secondary English/literacy classroom. It is evident from the classroom data that the teacher talks to the male students and the female students very differently and in this way constructs gender in different and inequitable ways.…

Outlines the author's history as an English teacher. Suggests that English teaching is not hermetic but profoundly influenced by educational trends outside the subject itself. Explains that the author's commitment to English combines a sense of engagement with a sense of liberation. (PM)

Discusses history as a way of rereading English in an attempt to reach a more complex understanding of what literacy and English teaching are. Explores the ways in which English teachers' background shaped not just their views on the subject but also their classroom practice, their stance toward new subjects, and their subjectivity as teachers…

Outlines key transformations of secondary education in New South Wales in the twentieth century. Discusses the debate of whether the study of literature should be compulsory. Details the study of literature articulated in the 1965 syllabus and its revision in the 1990s. (PM)

Contends that having the responsibility to develop and implement curriculum is crucial to teachers' professional identity. Proposes that teachers are currently marginalized in the curriculum development process. Describes the opportunity presented to English teachers in 1986 to develop a Study Design for the Victorian Certificate of Education.…

Contends there is a continuing Australian wariness of intellectual precocity and it is self-evident that strong feelings of egalitarianism are still prevalent in policy debates concerning New South Wales (NSW) educational history. Explores some of these aspects historically from convict beginnings to the present. Speculates about their effect on…