Hoops of Steel
A space where English teachers in Queensland and beyond can connect about the joy and point of learning, language, and literature.
Hoops of Steel
Agency in the Age of Accountability with Jeffrey Lewis
It feels risky to invite students to experiment and make choices when there's so much pressure on student performance. Jeffrey Lewis talks about how to make space in the curriculum for students to find their own ways to get inspired.
Jeffrey Lewis is currently Assistant Head of English at Brisbane Grammar School. He has previously held positions on the ETAQ Management Committee, including Director of Professional Learning and Secretary. He is an avid reader, amateur playwright, and committed Pokémon fanatic.
Show notes:
Jeffrey's next read is Running with Pirates by Kári Gíslason
Friend of the pod Professor Jennifer Alford has suggested some clever reads for English teachers on the topic. These two are open access:
Curriculum guidelines for the development of student agency in secondary education: A systematic review https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/curj.318?af=R
And if you're super, keen, contact Julie at j7.arnold@qut.edu.au for access to one or mor of these great titles:
- McCarthy, M., Riddle, S., & Hickey, A. (2025). The teacher as double agent: performative compliance, allegiance and survival in the contemporary classroom. Teachers and Teaching, 1–15.
- Chisholm, J. S., Alford, J., Halliday, L. M., & Cox, F. M. (2019). Teacher agency in English language arts teaching: A scoping review of the literature. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 18(2), 124-152.
- Brown, M., McKnight, L., Yager, K., & O'Sullivan, K. A. (2021). Empowering english teachers: teacher agency in Australia. English in Australia, 56(1), 26-33.
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