Explores how teachers can focus their investigation on materials separate from the school environment and then use what they find to help their students learn in the classroom. Describes a program in which teachers do research on literary manuscripts to address the problem of the counterproductive fragmentation of the English curriculum into…

Discusses the problems associated with teaching a literature survey course. Outlines a team teaching concept and provides details about an experimental course in which faculty specializing in particular areas serve as guest lecturers. (PRA)

Considers the benefits for kindergarten through college teachers of a two-week interdisciplinary institute called the "Truckee River Community Project." Outlines the objectives and methods of this project, which focused on an intensive study of the Truckee River of the High Sierras in Nevada. Argues for the value of the personal…

Details a program designed to encourage research projects aimed at promoting "higher literacy" carried out by middle and high school teachers of one Colorado school district. Argues for the value of individual and collaborative action-research projects by teachers. Describes the experience of the program. (HB)

Provides the responses of five practicing English teachers to the question, "What has been the most significant impact of computer technology on your teaching?" (HB)

Argues that any curriculum of peace must have at its core the teaching (not preaching) of empathy. Recommends ecphrastic poetry (poetic response to works of art) as a teaching tool for empathy, and discusses how the author uses one particular poem written in response to a World War II photograph to stimulate student writing response and…

Looks at the missions and goals of the International Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, a global multicultural network promoting communication and cooperation for international exchange of teaching practices, literature, literacy, curriculum development, and research in English. Suggests some criteria to look at when…

In forming a new curriculum for the English Department at Louisiana State University, the Literature Concentration Subcommittee faced a daunting array of competing demands. How can students gain a perspective on the terrain of literary studies, including canonical and non-canonical texts? How can they experience the rich diversity of the…

The English program at DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana) has undergone many changes. Today, English majors at DePauw may choose from either a literature or a composition course of study. The capstone course in the 70-year-old composition program is the seminar, in which students write whatever they choose and distribute copies to the other…

The present study is a replication of the initial use of the Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT) technique in the primary grades. TGT is a classroom management technique in which (1) students are placed on four member teams; (2) the student teams compete in regularly scheduled tournaments; and (3) the tournaments are structured around instructional…

Despite the proliferation of subject matters in the English curriculum, formal education continues to concede a priority to literature and the linguistic arts. In the past, the English curriculum has been shaped largely by essentialistic forces with an emphasis on skills. This position has been challenged by a strong existential trend in the last…

A teacher describes his experiences with gifted-accelerated ninth grade English students who designed games instead of writing term papers, thereby enhancing analysis, synthesis, and evaluation skills. A list of questions and suggestions to guide young game designers is included and covers overall design procedures, mechanics, and self-evaluation…

Describes the development and benefits of an inservice program to improve poetry teaching in middle school and high school English classes. (EL)

Presents the curriculum development work with which the English department at John Therry High School (New South Wales) has been involved, exploring five aspects of the project: (1) why the project was undertaken, (2) what the project is, (3) how the project worked, (4) the reality of the project, and (5) implications of the project. (HOD)

Recommends teaching journalism as an English course or in combination with an English course to ensure the continuation of journalism education in the face of more stringent graduate requirements. Describes such a course, which includes literature, a research paper, and regular composition assignments. (HTH)