The misalignment between the curriculum and the classroom : critical thinking and creativity in English study

Arguably, the most striking impact that neoliberalism has had on the Australian education system over the last 3 decades is the move towards mass standardised testing, and the subsequent creation of ‘league tables’ that pit schools and students against each other in a quasi-market. This research focuses on the impact that these changes have had on the role of critical thinking and creativity in the English classrooms of New South Wales (NSW). The research involves both document analysis and interviews with teachers. A thematic analysis of key syllabus documents from the 1980s to the present and beyond maps key features of the documents at different time periods, and identifies articulations of the purpose, value and measurement of these key features of the English syllabus. Interviews with English teachers serve to investigate the ways in which these shifting articulations of curriculum and assessment have impacted pedagogy. These three categorical framings – curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy- provide a framework for an analysis of how the role of critical thinking and creativity in the English classrooms of NSW has changed. It will also contribute to debates about the value of critical thinking and creativity amongst policy makers and other education professionals