ABSTRACT
One of the underlying aims of this book has been to encourage you to think for yourself about the issues related to the teaching of English. That seems to be a fairly obvious intention but it is sometimes difficult to keep faith in the importance of independent thought when so much in education is prescribed and controlled. Professional development should never be simply about putting received ideas into practice. It is our view that proper acquisition of the standards cannot take place fully without some understanding of the underlying tensions, theoretical debates and research.
