Teaching English »

The place of English in the secondary curriculum has been the subject of intense debate in the general media as well as in education circles. This reader addresses the key issues of that debate in a way that is both accessible and lively. Separate sections cover the historical background to the debate, including the major teaching areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing, assessment and the professional development of teachers within the subject. Specially commissioned articles look at some of the most controversial issues in the subjectfor instance the place of grammar and the centrality of literature in the curriculum. Novice English teachers will find this book an invaluable introduction to the complexities of their subject. For their more experienced colleagues, this text will be an invaluable way to keep up to date with current thinking.

Introduction Part 1: An historical perspective 1. Shaping the image of the English teacher 2. English our English: the new orthodoxy examined 3. The National Curriculum in English Part 2: Speaking and Listening 4. The National oracy project 5. Perspectives on oracy 6. Planning for learning through talk 7. Talking and assessment in secondary English 8. Bilingualism and oracy 9. Standard English: the debate Part 3: 10. Reading 11. Making sense of media: from reading to culture 12. Information skills 13. Working within a new literacy 14. The centrality of literature 15. Teaching black literature 16. Teaching Shakespeare in schools 17. Balancing the books: modes of assessment in A level English 18. How do they know its worth it? The untaught reading lessons Part 4: Writing 19. Writing 20. The national writing project 21. Teaching writing: process or genre? 22. School students' writing: some principles 23. Writing in imagined contexts 24. Teaching poetry in the secondary school 25. Getting into grammar