Describes young adult novels that may prove to be classics of the genre. Discusses "The "Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier, "The Outsiders" by S. E. Hinton, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare, and "On Fortune's Wheel" by Cynthia Voight. (HB)

Discusses the ways language shapes meaning and knowledge. Considers how writing instruction is vitally linked to the concepts of social constructionism. Outlines a class exercise in which the teacher shares an essay-in-progress with students and discusses the idea of writing and revision as "conversation." (HB)

Discusses one teacher's approach to "advanced" English instruction. Reflects on such topics as the undigested transmission of the canon and the problems of the "common sense" style of teaching. Includes comments by two students who participated in the course being described. (HB)

Explains the new conception of literary genre as it is being devised in the fields of literary studies, linguistics, and rhetoric. Suggests how this new conception has affected the thinking of teachers on writing and writing instruction. (HB)

Discusses useful ideas about the teaching of writing found in the "Institutes of Oratory" by Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (A.D. 95) which emphasizes the interrelationship of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Counters 12 current fallacies that militate against reviving such a plan. (NH)

Dramatizes the give and take that accompanies any attempt to get an English department to speak with one voice and arrive at a consensus regarding curriculum revision. Provides details of the curriculum reform process undertaken at the University of Oregon. (HB)

Responds to Garth Boomer's classic 1984 essay on English teaching. Notes that the essay (1) enabled the author to articulate what he found disengaging about the essay and much of the current professional writing on English teaching; (2) clarified what he most valued in his colleagues; and (3) clarified his understanding of the purpose of the…

Relates the author's experiences as a teacher with a high school student, a soft-spoken Japanese young woman, who taught the author and her fellow high school students much about understanding, forgiveness, and peace. (SR)

Considers several ways to think about the teacher's role in the teaching of reading. Notes that a curriculum built on critical literacy is one that highlights diversity and difference while calling attention to how people are constructed as literate beings. Argues that students should position themselves as social activists who challenge the…

Calls for a recasting of English in tune with changes that new digital technologies are heralding. Argues that it will be essential for children to acquire skills such as selecting, sequencing, manipulating and re-forming texts and to co-ordinate different layers of meaning. (NH)

Notes that university teaching is, for better as well as worse, what many American literary writers do for a living. Notes the author was determined from the beginning to be a full time writer, but now faces declining income. Describes his reluctance for university teaching. Proposes four "alternative" writing courses he would be willing to teach.…

Edith Graybill, English instructor at the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan, speaks about her school's English language arts curriculum, the influence of the school on the role of English language arts, the theories of teaching and learning used at the Academy, and other related topics. She believes that most of the students appreciate…

This book questions the educational suitability of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in the classroom. The author argues that the book teaches misguided lessons about race relations. "Huck Finn's 'Hidden' Lessons" challenges the more typical understanding of Huck Finn and guides readers through an analysis that demonstrates how racism functions…

Politics has always made strange bedfellows, but now the public and the traditional academy are collaborating in an attack on the site of their uneasiness--what they label "political correctness as neo-fascism" and what one composition teacher calls "political correctness as challenge to ideological assumptions." In their…

Because of the inadequacy of the three models of English teaching in Australia (the skills, personal growth, and cultural heritage models) in carrying the impact of English instruction beyond its own confines, a new model--the person-process model--is necessary. The model focuses on the individual, but serves to locate individuals in their life…