Summarizes the history of, and theory and research in, reader response approaches to teaching literature. Proposes an instructional process employing response-based teaching. (MM)

Discusses the role of ideology in discourse theory. Suggests that an informed self-consciousness about the complex sources of thinking and writing can inspire involvement and willingness to share discursive power in the English department's conversation. (MS)

Suggests that if educators had a framework for understanding discussion, they might shape discussion in ways that engage students. Describes a study that provides a framework for examining class discussion so they can understand better how discussions shift from teacher-centered (monologic) to teacher/student-centered (dialogic). (SG)

Describes general characteristics of edited collections and then offers a brief history of the genre in composition studies based in part on the existing data in CompPile, an online and ongoing bibliography. Explores several explanations for the proliferation of edited collections in the field. Makes note of what these explanations can say about…

Describes how a teacher educator uses an apprentice reading project to teach new teachers about the ways they read in the content areas. Hopes that asking preservice teachers to read across the curriculum will allow them to pay more attention not only to what, but also to how and why they read in their discipline. (SG)

Language teachers who turn their backs on grade-level designations, readability formulas, and highly controlled curriculum guides unlock the entire range of literature for exploration. These teachers teach strategies, not skills; they give time, not assignments; they illuminate experience instead of ignoring it; they encourage active participation…

Examines HyperCard materials (computer software used to build structures that create patterns and connections) specifically designed for English and language arts classes. (MM)

Considers how the recent rise of "theory"--literary, cultural, feminist, poststructuralist, postcolonialist, and critical--has shaped the way teachers teach literature in the secondary school classroom. Reviews teacher perspectives through citations of studies and through interviews. (TB)

Considers the way two teachers have adopted storytelling as an instructional practice in English teacher preparation courses. Discusses how the "other" is represented in stories and questions the ethics of doing such storytelling. (HB)

Describes and analyzes the composition textbooks, or first books of compositions, all written between 1838 and 1855, which were all markedly different from the best-known writing texts of the period. Provides a broader account of how writing was taught in the mid-nineteenth century in America. (HB)

Considers three of the primary ways that scholars of English studies have theorized the concept of culture as it relates to the English discipline, and analyzes why these positions have produced mostly ambiguity about the connection between English studies and the social project to acculturate students. Addresses what the role of classroom writing…

Reads and highlights all text-level differences between the first (1938) and fifth (1995) editions of Louise Rosenblatt's "Literature as Exploration." Categorizes each type of revision and traces a sample of each to the edition in which the change was made. Concludes with a consideration of the implications of Rosenblatt's legacy for…

Determines whether the textbook "Elements of Writing" is an improvement over "Warriner's" which it replaces. Considers how in determining whether a textbook promotes the curriculum and daily activities that lead to a rich perspective of writing, teachers need to consider what it means for a textbook to focus on writing and what teachers mean by…

Describes some of the tensions and challenges that nine student teachers faced as they attempted to apply theoretical tools or principles for teaching middle and secondary school English to the realities of practice. Suggests the importance of understanding the kind of relationships that student teachers develop within each setting and how social…

Addresses theoretical underpinning of using genre reflections with student teachers. Shares examples of the student teachers' work to illustrate types of reflection (and action) the multi-genre writing over a year and a half facilitated. Concludes genre reflections alone are not sufficiently grounded in classroom practice, and that tangible…