Abstract
The new Australian Curriculum: English (ACARA, 2012) has considerable implications for teachers’ knowledge about language (KAL) and pedagogic practice. To successfully implement the functionally oriented model of grammar proposed by the Curriculum, many teachers will need to expand their expertise in grammar to understand ‘the structures and functions of word- and sentence- level grammar and text patterns and the connections between them’ (ACARA, 2009. p. 7). They will also need to apply that knowledge to enhance their students’ learning outcomes. This paper describes a small-scale research project involving a group of primary and secondary teachers in a targeted professional learning program. The initial findings have implications for theory and practice. In terms of theory, the research provides one of the first studies of the implementation of the new Curriculum. The case study reported underscores the importance of the implementation phase for the Curriculum and of the need for appropriate professional learning programs. The paper argues that such programs must go beyond a ‘train-the-trainer’ or ‘one size fits all’ model. They must be nuanced enough to account for the range of teacher needs in terms of linguistic knowledge and the contexts in which they will enact the Curriculum.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA, formerly National Curriculum Board) (2009). The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: English. Version 2.0. Melbourne: Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au.
Australian Curriculum Assessment assssssssnd Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2012). The Australian Curriculum: English. Version 3.0. Sydney: Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au.
Andrews, R. (2005). Knowledge about the teaching of [sentence] grammar: The state of play. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 4 (3), 69–76.
Andrews, S. (2007). Teacher language awareness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bigelow, M. & Ranney, S. (2005). Pre-service ESL teachers’ knowledge about language and its transfer to lesson planning. In Bartles, N. (Ed.), Applied Linguistics and Language Teacher Education. (pp. 179–200). New York: Springer.
Board of Studies NSW. (1998). English K-6. North Sydney: Board of Studies NSW.
Carter, R. (1996). Politics and knowledge about language: the LING projectlitics and knowledge about language: the LING project. In Williams, R.H.G. (Ed.), Literacy in society. (pp. 1–21). London: Longman.
Christie, F. (1993). The ‘Received Tradition’ of English Teaching: The Decline of Rhetoric and the Corruption of Grammar. In Green, B. (Ed.), The Insistence of the Letter: Literacy Studies and Curriculum Theorising. (pp. 75–106). London: The Falmer Press.
Christie, F. (2002). Classroom Discourse Analysis: A Functional Perspective. London: Continuum.
Christie, F. (2010). The ‘Grammar Wars’ in Australia. In T. Locke (Ed.), Beyond the Grammar Wars (pp. 55–72). New York: Routledge.
Cowey, W. (2005). A brief description of the National Accelerated Literacy Program. TESOL in Context, 15 (2), 3–14.
Derewianka, B. (2012). Knowledge about language in the Australian Curriculum: English. (This issue).
Gebhard, M. & Martin, J.R. (2011). Grammar and Literacy Learning. In D. Fisher & D. Lapp (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts. Mahwah, N.J. & London: Erlbaum & Taylor Francis.
Hammond, J. & Macken-Horarik, M. (2001). Teachers’ voices, teacher’ practices: Insider perspectives on literacy education. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 24 (2), 112–132.
Harper, H. & Rennie, J. (2009). ‘I had to go out and get myself a book on grammar’: A study of pre-service teachers’ knowledge about language. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 32 (1), 22–37.
Horan, A. (2003). English Grammar in Schools. Paper presented at the 2002 Conference of the Australian Linguistic Society, 13–19. July, Macquarie University, Sydney.
Johnson, K.E. (2009). Second language teacher education: A sociocultural perspective. New York: Routledge.
Jones, P. (2010). Teaching, learning and talking: Mapping ‘the trail of fire’. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 9 (2), 61–80.
Keen, J. (1997). Grammar, metalanguage and writing development. Teacher Development, 1 (3), 431–445.
Lefstein, A. (2009). Rhetorical grammar and the grammar of schooling: Teaching ‘powerful verbs’ in the English National Literacy Strategy. Linguistics and Education, 20, 378–400.
Luke, A. (2010). Will the Australian Curriculum Up the intellectual Ante in Primary Classrooms? Professional Voice, 8 (1), 41–48.
Macken-Horarik, M., Love, K. & Unsworth, L. (2011). A grammatics ‘good enough’ for school English in the 21st century: four challenges in realising the potential. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 34 (1), 9–23.
Maloney, J. (2001). Moving House. Melbourne: Penguin Australia.
Martin, J.R. & Rose, D. (2005). Genre relations: Mapping culture. London: Equinox.
Mitchell, R., Brumfit, C. & Hooper, J. (1994). Knowledge about language: policy, rationales and practices. Research papers in Education, 9 (2), 183–205.
Myhill, D. (2000). Misconceptions and difficulties in the acquisition of metalinguistic knowledge. Language and Education, 14 (3), 151–163.
Myhill, D. (2005). Ways of knowing: writing with grammar in mind. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 4 (3), 77–96.
Myhill, D. (2011). Grammar for designers: How grammar supports the development of writing. In Ellis, S., McCartney, E. & Bourne, J. (Eds) Insight and Impact: Applied Linguistics and the Primary School (pp. 81–92). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
NSW Board of Studies. (1998). English K-6. North Sydney: Board of Studies NSW.
Rose, D. (2010). The Reading to Learn Teacher Resource Package. Sydney: Reading to Learn.
Snyder, I. (2008). The Literacy Wars: Why teaching children to read and write is a battleground in Australia. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Winch, C. (2010). Dimensions of Expertise: A Conceptual Exploration of Vocational Knowledge. London and New York: Continuum.
Williams, G. (2005). Grammatics in Schools. In R. Hasan, C. Matthiessen & J. Webster (Eds.), Continuing Discourse on Language: A Functional Perspective (Vol. 1, pp. 281–310. London: Equinox.
Wray, D., Medwell, J., Fox, R. & Poulson, L. (2000). The teaching practices of effective teachers of literacy. Educational Review, 52 (1), 75–84.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jones, P., Chen, H. Teachers’ knowledge about language: Issues of pedagogy and expertise. AJLL 35, 147–172 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03651880
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03651880