How do you approach teaching English in the modern classroom? What is expected of a would-be English teacher? This bestselling textbook combines theory & practice to present a broad introduction to the opportunities & challenges of teaching English in secondary school classrooms. Each chapter explains the background to debates about teaching the subject & provides tasks practical teaching approaches & further reading to explore issues & ideas in relation to school experience. Already a major text for many university teacher education courses this new edition has been thoroughly updated in the light of recent revisions to the National Curriculum for English examination syllabuses & the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status. As well as containing critical explorations of the history & definitions of the subject & policies such as the Secondary National Strategy that are appropriate to Professional & Masters Level PGCE study other chapters present a broad range of effective innovative approaches to teaching such crucial areas as: reading & writing speaking & listening drama media studies & information & communications technology grammar poetry & language study Shakespeare post-16 English language & literature. Written particularly with the new & student teacher in mind this book offers principles & practical examples of teaching & learning within a twenty-first century context in which new notions of literacy compete with demands of national assessment. Taking these changing principles as a starting point the text also addresses questions about the nature of initial teacher preparation & raises issues concerning standards-based teacher education mentoring in schools & monitoring the development of a student teacher.