In this essay, John S. O'Connor and Avi D. Lessing discuss the increasingly reductive and routinized nature of contemporary schools and the costs such an approach holds for students and teachers alike. The current approach is especially troublesome in light of the rich history of progressive voices, such as Paul Diederich, who have cautioned…

The National Visual Arts Standards (NVAS) present ways for students in the United States to create, present, respond, and connect to the world of art and artmaking. This article focuses on the practices of one visual arts educator, Educator A, who taught in a state-sponsored specialist music high school, guided by the following question: "How…

This paper shows how literary criticism can enrich the high school English classroom. Specifically, the paper focuses on how an Internet teaching tool called the WebQuest helped one educator's students learn about literary criticism and apply it to "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. The WebQuest homepage defines a WebQuest as "an…

This pioneering book, by one of the founders of the media literacy field, provides evidence of the impact of media literacy on the academic achievement of adolescents. Read about the practice of high school teachers who prepared their students to critically analyze all aspects of contemporary media culture. These teachers incorporated popular and…

Over the last quarter century, the American high school, like the larger educational industry in which it is embedded, has been subjected to a good deal of critical analysis. Using a longer lens provided by historical research on the development and growth of the American high school as well as an especially robust theory of organizational change…

Discusses feminist literary theory and describes challenges the experience of feminist literary theory presented to high school English students and their teacher. Students found that feminist theory threatened heterosexuality, agency, the good girl image, and the feminist haven. Makes recommendations to teachers who choose to utilize feminist…

In the current climate of high-stakes tests and teacher accountability, how do teachers avoid teaching to the test? With respect to high school social studies and English teachers, the answer lies with critically analyzing items in current events. By carefully reading news stories, students can determine an author's bias through his or her use of…

Shows how one teacher answered student questions about how a particular piece of literature came to be regarded as worthy of in-depth examination. Proposes that students be taught about various critical approaches, including Jungian/archetypal criticism, formalism, reader-response criticism, socio-historical and biographical criticism, and…

Relates changing student reaction to George Orwell's "1984" over 20 years of teaching. Finds present high school students' acceptance of Orwell's bleak world vision both a sign of student honesty and a frightening indication of the growing reality of the book. (MM)

Explains how to use the novels of Toni Morrison to teach high school students about life and literature. (JL)

Illustrates use of the vocabulary-in-context and the question-and-answer exercises to enhance reading and understanding of literary texts for advanced high school second language classes. Suggests these exercises prepare students to progress from written exercises to the teacher's oral presentations to classroom discussions. (Author/BK)

This paper chronicles the evolution of a metaphorical graphical user interface (MGUI) at Lehigh University (Pennsylvania). From its inception, "The Funeral of Edgar" has been a guided exploration of Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Raven," aimed at modeling high school students' critical and analytical reading skills. This product…

Argues for the value of reading and interpreting autobiographical writing in a high school literature class. Explains a teaching method whereby students are asked to choose a special passage and respond to it in their journals from a personal viewpoint. Suggests that the sharing of these passages in class builds class chemistry. (TB)

Describes a nine-week, secondary-school, language arts unit on the American dream with an emphasis on multicultural issues, particularly as they concern those students who are apathetic about or resistant to the multicultural program. Reviews specific lesson approaches to "The Great Gatsby,""Baseball in April,""Justin and…

Establishes the value of teachers attending writers' workshops and indicates how teachers can stimulate student writing by having them respond to thematically selected readings from literature. (CRH)