ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies major trends in the subject's history in the UK and other parts of the English-speaking world. It describes some key policy initiatives, pedagogical approaches and methods of assessment that have impacted on English teaching for much of the past century. The chapter focuses at a particular example of an 'official' English curriculum, the National Curriculum for English in England and Wales and at similar examples from other parts of the English-speaking world. The chapter also addresses issues such as standards, definitions of literacy and the place of spoken English in the curriculum, and identifies some possible future trends in the subject. English for personal growth is assigned to the bottom left quadrant because it emphasizes personal growth, brought about through individual creativity. English for critical literacy is assigned to the bottom right quadrant because it represents a model of English in which the socially constructed nature of the subject is revealed through engaging in debate about texts.
