Cirrus@Austlit

'The authors argue that although reform can lead to agentic reinvigoration of practice, it can also have negative effects on teachers' practices and wellbeing when rapid, whole-sale shifts are made. The alternative, to be subject to the discourse of 'curriculism', with its compromises on content and emphasis on cumulative learning and linear progression through learning 'levels', is described in Homer's 1994 keynote address. Homer argues that, as experts in the skills of textual analysis, it is fitting that English teachers 'should be at the forefront of making such analyses' of curriculum; a timely reminder this year as the revised Australian Curriculum is released, of the empowering benefits of reading curriculum texts analytically and critically, attending closely to the way they construct students, teachers and 'knowledge'.' (Publication summary)

'In a 1966 edition of English in Australia Tony Delves considered the purposes and goals of teaching English in his article ‘English as She is Not Taught’. Delves identified a number of key debates and ideas around the teaching of English that feel, even to the teacher or academic revisiting them in 2018, surprisingly contemporary: the role of grammar, language versus literature, student experience, creative writing, personal response, and teacher and student knowledge (Delves, 1966). Delves’ piece speaks to ongoing debates around the nature and content of subject English, where English is at once imbued with huge breadth and scope, responsible for not only literacy but also the moral and ethical education of students (Patterson, 2000), but at the same time, seen as having ‘no content’ (Dixon, 1975) and lacking a tangible body of knowledge (Doecke et al., 2018). We might then ask, as many before have – what is subject English? Peter Medway calls the need to define the subject as ‘an itch some of us can’t stop scratching’ (2005, p. 19).' (Editorial introduction)

'English teachers have always encountered moments in the classroom to talk about love. Whether this be courtly love, romantic love, patriotic love, or love of land and the environment, opportunities abound to talk about what we love, about loving, and about being loved, and about how these things are represented using language and other semiotic resources. It is fair to say though, that some kinds of love and ways of talking about love are more dominant than others, and that some genders and sexualities continue to be marginalised in English classrooms and across the school, both in our professional discourse as English teachers and in the conversations we attempt to facilitate amongst students.' (Kelli McGraw, Lisa van Leent and Brenton Doecke : Editorial introduction)

'This issue focuses largely on the teaching of literature and identity: covering class, culture, personal multiple identities as writers/ researchers/ teachers and critical thinking. The issue opens with Wayne Sawyer’s Garth Boomer address on the important concerns of low SES students in English and the importance of teacher-researcher programs. This paper was delivered at the 2017, Cutting Edge, AATE conference in Hobart and if you did not attend that conference and hear Professor Sawyer speak, I urge you to read this opening paper as it affects most of us concerned with equity in education. This paper reports on research which covers how to intellectually engage low SES students in literature study via mentoring and teacher researcher collaborative professional learning programs.' (Anita Jetnikoff : Editorial introduction)