English teaching in New South Wales since 1971 : versions of growth?

This article presents the case of the state of New South Wales (NSW) since the 1970s, as a particular account of English in Australia. The author set out to address the question, ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“How has English, in particular English in Years 7ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“10, been defined from the early 1970s to the present day in NSW?. He argues here that there was a particular version of the subject installed in 1971 and developed in NSW, and moreover that this was a quite specific realisation of ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“English as personal growthââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. While the discussion will touch very briefly on classroom practice, it will focus mainly on constructions of the subject in syllabus documents.