Grammar and powerful knowledge in school English : an Australian perspective

Book chapter

Macken-Horarik, Mary. (2024). Grammar and powerful knowledge in school English : an Australian perspective. In In Rata, Elizabeth (Ed.). Research Handbook on Curriculum and Education pp. 388 Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802208542.00036
AuthorsMacken-Horarik, Mary
EditorsRata, Elizabeth
Abstract

This chapter considers the ‘wicked problem’ of grammar in English and the larger issue of a national curriculum that teachers cannot accept and are ill-prepared to implement. It begins with the challenge for Australian teachers of English of the renewed emphasis on knowledge about language (and grammar) in the national curriculum. Following discussion of sources of teacher difficulty with grammar, the chapter considers the larger provocation of social realist theories of knowledge for settled theories of English. It presents a question: what kinds of knowledge and know-how matter in English? The chapter concludes with an account of a project centred on functional grammatics that aimed to help primary and secondary teachers navigate the complex epistemological territory of their new curriculum.

KeywordsEnglish knowledge; grammar; functional grammatics; curriculum; Australia; know-how
Page range388
404
Year01 Jan 2024
Book titleResearch Handbook on Curriculum and Education
PublisherEdward Elgar Publishing
Place of publicationUnited Kingdom
SeriesElgar Handbooks in Education
ISBN978-1-80220-853-5
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802208542.00036
Web address (URL)https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781802208542/book-part-9781802208542-36.xml?tab_body=abstract-copy1
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
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All rights reserved
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Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online16 Apr 2024
Publication process dates
Deposited13 Sep 2024
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© Elizabeth Rata 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher

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