Questions to consider when teaching an American Indian literatures course include the nature of Native American identity, what constitutes American Indian literature, and the cultural context of Indian texts. Overviews articles in this issue that describe different approaches to mainstreaming American Indian literature into traditional American…

Asks whether the sustained instruction in the "basics" of English, especially grammar, is being unrightfully ignored. Challenges teachers who claim that instruction in grammar is unneeded or ill-advised. Counters such assertions by examining two research studies purportedly proving the ineffectiveness of teaching grammar. (HB)

The period immediately following the second World War is important for the history of the preparation of teaching assistants in this country because English instruction changed dramatically due to the enactment of the G. I. Bill in 1944. However, the long-term effect of the Bill on curriculum and pedagogy has not been documented. The G. I. Bill…

Content analysis of two classes of professional periodicals that appeared between 1886 and 1917 provides a comprehensive picture of the evolution of teaching methods in English. Designed specifically to aid the classroom teacher, device journals presented teaching methods or actual lessons with few explanations of the theories underlying practice.…

There is a widely felt need to do something in education about the moral wasteland of contemporary American society. It is appropriate for English teachers to posit some usable dimensions of moral education. Seven cornerstone principles appear to be universally involved both in the lives of literary characters and in the kind of heart-deep…

A review of the changes in the English elementary and secondary school curricula in Canada from about l900 reveals two kinds of language knowledge: knowing "how" (knowledge measuring aspects of language performance) and knowing "that" (factual information about language). Until approximately l900, the belief existed that knowledge about the…

Protests the lack of professional respect and lack of professionalism associated with the teaching of English, blaming in part teachers' lack of control of their teaching lives. Presents ten rights and responsibilities basic to the profession. (NH)

Discusses the continuing controversy over how to teach grammar. Finds that the traditional, structural, and transformational approaches each have their strengths and weaknesses, with none clearly better than the others. Suggests that the teaching of grammar, while not the key to improvement in written English, will always have a place in the…

Suggests that English teachers should be familiar not only with the recommendations by the Commission on Excellence in Education, but also with Ernest Boyer's "High School," and John Goodlad's, "A Place Called School." (MM)

Suggests changes in the English-language arts curriculum at the junior high and middle school levels as a result of research and theory on brain growth periodization and levels of cognitive development. (RL)

Differentiates modernism and postmodernism to show that despite the differences in form in twentieth century American literature--differences that high school students must be made aware of--there are patterns in the American experience that are of recurrent, urgent, and ultimate concern for the American artist. (Author/RL)

Presents the findings of the Modern Language Association's survey of the changes from 1990 to 1994 in faculty size in doctorate-granting departments of modern language. (HB)

This article details the process of implementing a sequenced information literacy program for two core English composition courses at Utah State University. An extensive needs assessment guided the project, leading to a curriculum design process with the goal of building a foundation for deeper critical thinking skills. The curriculum development…

Internationally, educators are calling for teachers to help students learn to respect and value social and cultural difference. Literature teachers can also contribute to such a revolution in consciousness through literature study. It is crucial to education in a multicultural society that students are taught ways of reading and talking about…

Because of consistent faculty involvement from its earliest stages, the writing assessment program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) represents a competent, fair, and useful procedure for the large-scale testing and evaluation of student writing. UMKC's assessment curriculum builds on the existing sequence of three composition…