American theatre history should include a study of Native American performances, since these performances are rich with "American" symbolic materials such as imagery, symbols, and heraldic visions of animals and landscapes. Indian cultures understood the importance of performance for both the visionary and the community at large. Even the pow-wow…

Any use of language involves the following interlocking systems: (1) referential; (2) contextualization; and (3) ideology. These together constitute culturally viable "discourse systems." Examination of these systems as they operate in daily contexts reveals a paradox in the concept of literacy. (Author/BJV)

Defines and illustrates language techniques used by Black authors writing to and for Blacks in the 1960s and 1970s. Suggests how language and theme barriers of such literature might be overcome in a contemporary integrated oral interpretation classroom. (PD)

Proposes a greater emphasis on the oral expression of literature in English classrooms and English teacher education curricula. Examines the three main oral problems encountered by students--persona, emphasis, and pace. (RL)

A theory of interpretation developed from the composition scholar's reading and revision of literary theory can effectively serve as a core theory in writing across the curriculum programs. For example, recent composition theory, with its emphasis on close study of students' texts and the process of their writing, provides the writing teacher with…

The field of interpretation needs to be more aware of and sensitive to the contributions of black culture and consciousness. The interpreter wishing to perform black poetry, for example, needs to recognize that the black aesthetic has its roots in African culture and traditions and does not always share the assumptions of the European or…

Teachers should be making every effort to use approaches for teaching literature that encourage students to discover the meaning of a text for themselves, using the language of the text and without unnecessary teacher intervention. Therefore, rather than having the students be led by the teacher/interpreter through a work they encounter the first…

Reveals the phases through which an apathetic eighth-grade class of poor readers went on their way to becoming active learners. The phases included: (1) discussing attitudes and goals; (2) positive environment; (3) sharing literature through oral reading; (4) reading for an audience; and (5) active learning. (SKC)

The primary goal of speech communication teachers should be to help students learn to analyze and communicate information in interpersonal, group, and public situations--a goal that can be reached only through a mixture of lecture, lecture/discussion, and performance approaches. Although administrators are currently proposing higher…