The president-elect of the National Council of Teachers of English, provides an overview of the various trends in English instruction during the last 30 years. (Author)

Urges the use of Bloom's taxonomies in literature instruction because in transmuted form they lead to fairness and openness in instruction, particularly on examinations. (CRH)

Offers examples of ways that college and university departments of English can broaden students' capabilities as readers and critics. (AEA)

Reconsiders the nature of literature as a school subject. Discusses the notion that school literature is different from reading literature outside school. Discusses three anomalies: the text and the textbook; educators' idolatry of "naive readers" whose heads are to be stuffed; and the roles of the reader and writer in school programs.…

Pointing out that student testing in literature should take into account each school's philosophy concerning the literature curriculum, this digest explores the broad domain of literature study and looks at specific objectives and outcomes in literature testing. The digest discusses answers to the following questions: (1) Where are the broad…

Presented as a paper at the Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in Washington, D.C., in November 1969. (DS)

The reader has replaced the text as the central figure in the teaching of literature. Three techniques that psychologists and educational researchers believe produce better reading comprehension are: the concept of schemata, or the kind of mental outline a reader has when perceiving something; the acquisition or development of an appropriate…

Educators who are responsible for planning curricula in literature should wish to do so with a full respect for the diverse groups that comprise U.S. society. The current way of thinking about this problem in setting policy for literature instruction is in terms of the canon: that is, the traditional works and the order in which they are to be…

The cultural diversities of peoples and dialects in the United States have brought a richness to the English language that has made it one of the most supple of all the languages in the world. In addition to the diversity in the language are the diversities in literature, technology, nationality, politics, and styles of teaching. Teachers of…

Advocates focusing literature instruction on the classroom community rather than the individual because through language, as through mathematics, concepts and worlds are fabricated. (CRH)

Presents two major points of disagreement with George Henry: English education is not a discipline, and the study of English is primarily the reflexive use of language. Also points to one area of agreement--that there is a lack of theory with respect to the teaching of English. (HOD)

Written in the same spirit as the earlier edition but thoroughly revised and updated, this book is designed to make teachers aware of reader-response theory and its implications for literature instruction and curriculum. The book demonstrates how a response-centered curriculum brings students to a greater understanding of all forms of literature…

Distinguishes between Stanley Fish's idea of interpretive communities and rhetorical communities and asserts that because language is the passport to these communities, schools should seek ways to help students enter the communities to which they seek access. Cites evidence from an international study of writing to support the idea of rhetorical…

A summary of the reading and literature studies undertaken by an international voluntary association of educational researchers from various countries is in this paper. The studies' major findings are listed, and certain student attributes--such as sex, socioeconomic status, reading and viewing habits, and parental involvement--are discussed as…