Surveys 40 middle-school language-arts teachers in 3 local public school districts. Finds that (1) most teachers believed it was important for their students to master grammar; and (2) teachers spend considerable time teaching grammar. Argues that grammar deserves a prominent place in the middle school curriculum. (RS)

Draws on a report produced by the Suffolk schools concerning the factors that seem to underlie success at "A" level English literature at six schools. Suggests that the factors of greatest significance were the subject expertise and commitment of staff; the balance of teaching methods used; and the pupil's experience of a challenging…

Reviews the literature indicating that most classroom communication is of the "teacher question-student response-teacher reaction" cycle, either oral or written. Argues that this dominant pattern of classroom dialogue is ill-adapted to real learning and presents an alternative model that values exploratory talk and writing. (HTH)

Teachers, parents, policymakers, and others interested in researching what is best for teaching children literacy skills will find literally thousands of resources purporting to be "best practices." This book suggests examining real classrooms--teachers and students actively involved in literacy learning--to determine what works in…

The current national focus on critical thinking is unnecessarily narrow in its scope, and this mitigates against essential changes being made in the thinking and reasoning activities experienced by students. Two shortcomings, however, restrict the possibilities for change: the first results from taking a generic (versus discipline-based) view of…

Reports on a survey that investigated significant differences within the English teacher community in terms of the beliefs and practices on key issues. Makes a contribution to a larger National Council of Teachers of English project to foster communication among disparate groups of English educators. (TB)

This book aims to reorient thinking about how younger adolescents and their teachers, talking together, compose shared understandings that contribute to individual students' learning. Presenting a new conceptual framework that was derived from a study, the book argues that people learn not merely by being spoken (or written) to, but by…

This analysis of 22 of the 29 most popular books selected through the 1978 Books for Young Adults Poll shows the books to have considerable career content and largely to present characters with positive attitudes toward work. The 29 books are listed and the 22 career-oriented books are discussed in terms of the kinds of work represented in the…

A recent study suggests that the broad idealistic educational objectives voiced by states and districts are a far cry from what is really being taught in classrooms. The question that now must be faced is what we want schools to teach. (JM)

Presents results of a survey that suggests that high school journalism courses help students gain language arts skills better than required or elective English courses. (JC)

Looks into the functions of children's writing to determine what children can meaningfully write about. Discusses research on the functions of writing and then suggests assignments where children write letters to different audiences, such as to themselves and to their future children. These assignments help children learn about themselves. (SKC)

Finds that college freshmen's opinions on vocabulary acquisition agree with the results of recent research, which states that free reading is the most efficient and effective means of acquiring vocabulary in a first language. Results contrast with a study of university foreign language students, most of whom did not value reading as a means of…

Discusses the benefits of a source of guidance for teachers: language arts research. Explores an authentic classroom experience using a socio-psycholinguistic theoretical orientation and an ethnographic approach to research. (EL)

Presents results of a study of six kinds of linguistic education software. Discusses treatment of language as an object rather than as a means of communication. Reports that the software promotes reflection on language and metalanguage awareness in a social and educational context by stimulating children's interest in playing with language. (DK)

Journal writing has been used for a long time in the classroom as a part of an integrated approach to teaching literature. There are several different types of journals: (1) reading response journals, in which students react to what they have read; (2) lifebooks, which are similar to diaries or personal journals; and (3) dialog journals, in which…