This paper analyses how English teachers learn to become expert designers of learning and why sharing that expertise is increasingly vital. Its conceptual framework is the widely recognised, empirically tested, five-stage developmental Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, exemplifying the development of teacher expertise, constituted by the…

This paper draws from an international case study of secondary English teachers in New South Wales, Australia and England, in which thirty-three in-depth interviews were conducted. The research investigated the impact of educational reform on teachers' professionalism, their pedagogies and their beliefs about the subject of English. It reports on…

Around the world attacks are being made on English as a degree subject because in neoliberal terms it is perceived as not leading to graduate level employment. The evidence is clear that this is not true, certainly in England, which is the focus of this article: English graduates go into professional and well-paid careers; some of course become…

E-reading devices such as The Kindle have rapidly secured a significant place in a number of societies as at least one major platform for reading. To some extent they are part of the overarching move towards a fully digitised world but they have a distinctiveness in being deliberately "book-like". Teachers generally have some suspicion…

English teachers in England have experienced a lengthy period of external constraint, increasingly controlling their practice. This constraint was originated in the 1989 National curriculum. Although in its first version it was in harmony with practice, its numerous revisions have moved it a long way from teachers' own values and beliefs. This…

This article explores a number of dimensions about the role of literature in schooling and analyses the views of both practising and student teachers who responded to two national surveys about the teaching of literature. These surveys suggest that literature occupies a good deal of curriculum space but without producing a satisfying experience…

Looks at what has been happening to the notion of being a "good" English teacher during a period when increasingly this has become a political and professional issue in England. Outlines the pattern of change for English teachers in England, including positive and negative outcomes of the last few years. Indicates what might be learned…

Contends that most student teachers of English in Great Britain now welcome information technology (IT) in English, seeing it as central to the literacy of all pupils. Finds some current English teachers remain ambivalent about IT, but the general trend is toward a broader definition of literacy that gives significant value to electronic text…