Teaching at Essex Community College in Maryland has offered several English instructors endless possibilities for program development. Two such public programs developed by one instructor are "The Why of Sports" and the Creative Writing Forum. The former involved six programs and an art exhibit showing the connections between sports and…

This paper describes two prospective English teachers' beliefs and understandings regarding literature and the teaching of literature. Through extensive interviews that included context-specific tasks, the study explored the subjects' prior experiences with literature, their conceptions regarding the nature of literature, and their perceptions of…

An English teacher at Hokkaido International School, Japan, guided his students through the writing process of thinking up ideas for writing topics and developing and revising those ideas into competent works. The class was composed of seven non-native speakers (in grades nine through twelve) who tried to achieve fluency in English within the…

This paper examines a four-way conference involving a student teacher in high school English, the cooperating teacher, a generalist student teaching supervisor, and an English specialist supervisor. The paper reflects on the interactions in the conference and the impact of having two supervisors with differing priorities for discussion. The…

One of a series of documents produced by a collaborative curriculum development project in Australia, this book is designed to assist in the improvement of teaching and learning English and to provide a common language for reporting student achievement. The book begins with a chart presenting curricular outcomes. The book is then divided into…

In the past 5 years, the University of Hawaii (UH) English Department has undergone significant changes in curriculum, staff, and students. Freshman English was formerly taught by lecturers, but is now the shared responsibility of all professors on the English faculty. The maximum class enrollment has been decreased from 25 students to 20.…

Information on current trends and issues in English instruction, compiled by the directors of six National Council of Teachers of English commissions, is presented in this report, the sixth annual trends and issues report by the commissions. The commissions and their directors are as follows: (1) Commission on Language (Jesse Perry); (2)…

Noting the recent massive effort on the part of the State University System in Florida to improve instruction in English and the Classics, this document reviews that system's Letters Program. Following a brief introduction, the first section offers information on how the report was compiled, and summarizes findings on the following: (1) the…

Although it does not express the official position of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) or of the NCTE Committee on Instructional Technology, this annual report of the NCTE Committee on Instructional Technology discusses the impact of technological advances on classroom instruction. The first section of the report documents a…

Intended to promote insights into the composing process as a way of communicating with words, this book proposes ways to increase language sensitivity through a three-stage communication program: evoking visions through speech, fashioning revisions in writing, and sharing visions by reading. The first two chapters explain the stages of the program…

The 18 articles in the first section of this journal issue provide information about the National Writing Project, while the 22 articles in the second section discuss classroom writing projects. Among the topics discussed in the first section are the National Writing Projects in Arizona, Northeast Texas, and Boston; teacher behavior during…

Addressing the issue of testing and evaluation in English at the university level, this paper focuses on the development and use of the English Placement Test developed by the California State University system. The discussion of this testing program is placed within a framework of four testing principles: testing is an essential part of learning…

The final report of the year long Interdisciplinary Support Classes Project at Banks High School, Banks, Oregon, is presented. Six cluster and noncluster staff members were involved in jointly developing and improving student instruction through interdisciplinary approaches. Outcomes for the 300-310 students in grades 9-12 included the development…

Presents model for developing localized district computer software targeted to Native American students from particular language communities. Describes process through which Yukon/Koyukuk School District developed computer software for Athabaskan students. Emphasizes software as one tool in teacher-directed language arts program, not replacement…

Describes goals and development of an instructional resource center, the development of a writing skills assessment test, the collection and dissemination of basic skills instruction and progress, and the establishment of a national testing network in writing. (EL)