In language which can be understood by ordinary people with college backgrounds, this book introduces philosophical hermeneutics (the interpretive theory of the humanities) to English teachers, with their role in writing instruction especially in mind. The book contrasts philosophical hermeneutics with other theories of interpretation and…

Addressing the possibility of making positive change in education, this book explores the way that American pragmatism and the rhetoric of North American romanticism work together to create a method for restoring hope to composition and English teachers and responsiveness to the systems they work within. What the book calls…

Presents a five-step model for problem solving in approaching composition writing assignments. Explains how it worked in an actual classroom setting. (EL)

The second of a two-volume report, this document focuses on the study of written language growth and development among 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children. The first section of the report introduces the program of research by examining its methodological and conceptual contexts. The second section provides illustrative and alternative looks at the…

Examines the theoretical background for a process-based pedagogy. Denotes a sample progression for a process-based course, including a description of the phases in the writing process and an application of this description to various assignments. Includes an extended example. (JD)

This collection offers insights into what a democratic vision of literacy looks like in practice. Building on the work of teacher and literacy scholar Jay Robinson, the 10 essays in the collection explore the relationships between literacy and society. The essays pay tribute to Professor Robinson, who retired in 1966 from the University of…

The product of a course at the University of Pittsburgh, this book offers educators the opportunity to see how the acts of reading, writing, and thinking that characterize work in academia appear to those students who lack adequate preparation for such work--namely, basic writers. The introduction to the book presents an overview of the course and…

Presents reading/writing units based on story grammar techniques and intended for students in grades one through six. (FL)

The 21 essays in this book interrogate one another as they explore the relationships among politics, curriculum, and pedagogy in contemporary classrooms and cultures. Critical theory, the book suggests, is generated in and through classroom practice, rather than imported from without. After an introduction by James F. Slevin and Art Young, essays…

A collection of papers, all by the author, looks at a variety of theories and theoretical approaches from linguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics and their applications to the teaching of English as a second language. Two studies are also presented. Titles include: "Content Schemata and Second Language Learning";…

Prepared by college teachers of writing who are also teachers who write, the papers in this collection appear in a sequence that begins with theoretical issues and problems, moves through the stages of the writing process, and ends with a discussion of revision and evaluation. Specific topics covered in the papers include (1) language theory and…

Describes and compares the major approaches to organizing a writing course, classifying them under the following four terms: traditional modes, process, epistemic, and stylistic. Discusses the basic tenets of each teaching philosophy, suggests appropriate textbooks, and identifies various ways of implementing these approaches in the classroom. (JG)

Intended for teachers who wish to explore alternatives to the dominant pedagogy in the United States, and reflecting the creative enthusiasm many teachers gain from Paulo Freire's ideas, this collection of essays presents practical examples of innovative classroom work being done in Freirean education in America, as well as examinations of his…

Through a series of nine narrative essays, this book explores the stories that writing center directors and tutors encounter in their work with students. The essays in the book look at various aspects of the writing center, including how tutors meet and work with students; how tutors interact with students whose opinions and political beliefs are…

Examines the appropriateness of the second-language teaching/learning model when applied to college-level first-language writing instruction. (RL)