A satirical essay that purports to describe a meeting of an educational foundation deciding how to spend a grant to improve writing instruction. (TJ)

Presents examples of new approaches and materials for using television in educational settings. (RL)

Cites four necessary components of college courses on adolescent literature: (1) advocating book talks and oral readings as motivation devices; (2) providing review sources and selection aids; (3) discussing ways of using nonbook materials, such as filmstrips and records; and (4) discussing teaching strategies for particular books and types of…

Describes the management appropriate to different kinds of new curricula within the English program and urges the department chair to assume intellectual, as well as managerial leadership of the department. (HOD)

Argues that the "Standards for the English Language Arts" (SELA) gives English teachers direction. Discusses what "teaching English" means. Suggests that SELA is not a prescriptive list of measurement items nor a cookbook for skillful English teaching: SELA is a statement of principles of, for, and by professionals, and a K-12 statement of…

Traces the public furor that greeted the National Council of Teachers/International Reading Association's "Standards for the English Language Arts." Discusses responses to criticisms. Argues that the language in the "Standards" is flat; the standards are meant to be guidelines, not mandates; and the emphasis was on process. (RS)

Reflects on a research project conducted by two professionals in language arts instruction investigating the curriculum decisions and book selection among classroom teachers. Recounts the researchers' own attempt to make sense of new ideas in the field and the application and relevance of those ideas to classroom practice. (TB)

Notes that rhetoric has declined from an esteemed academic field to one taught by underpaid, overworked instructors. Traces the decline to larger college populations and the treatment of composition instruction as an apprenticeship to the teaching of literature. Argues that the condition will persist as long as colleges promote literature while…

Discusses current thinking on the theory-practice relationship within both literary and curriculum theory by presenting ideas and positions of representative figures from each discipline. Suggests an approach that seeks to capitalize on the important and common aspects of both. (KEH)

"English for Ages 5 to 11," a report prepared by the English Working Group (England), is presented as a positive step toward improved English instruction for special education students, as it returns to a pupil-centered view of teaching/learning, supports entitlement to a full English curriculum, and integrates assessment into…

Describes how one English teacher developed a five-day approach by which William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" was successfully introduced to a seventh-grade class. Argues that it is possible to have such young students read and enjoy Shakespeare. (HB)

Describes the kinds of teaching jobs that most recent doctorates in English attain. Discusses the role of the English professor at regional universities. Considers how it is different from the role of professor at a larger state university or at a smaller private college. (HB)

Discusses the ongoing debate about the role of literature in the freshman composition course. Claims that teachers of these courses individually determine the nature of each course. Shows that, for many decades, literature has not retained a secure place in freshman composition courses. (HB)

Discusses the debate about the use of literary works in freshman composition courses. Calls for more extensive research into the period of the 1950s and 1960s, with particular attention to the changes in composition instruction and the loss of literature from that curriculum. (HB)

Gives advice for the beginning teacher by narrating the fictional experiences of one teacher's childhood and explaining how these experiences shaped the teacher's professional outlook. Concentrates on the visit of one of the teacher's uncles to America. (HB)