The many voices of the English classroom

In the field of English much attention has been focused on the teaching and assessment of isolable, decontextualised skills. This paper contests such versions of English, insisting on the continuing need to conceptualise the English classroom as a social space where a number of voices meet. It places the particular accounts of two English teachers and their classrooms within a tradition that pays attention to the subjectivities, cultures and histories of school students and to the relationships that are built up over time.