Discusses drama in English in light of what actually happens in the classroom. Claims drama is valuable when discussed as a separate, autonomous subject in the school curriculum as opposed to one subsumed within English. Emphasizes the primacy of performance in drama education. (NH)

Considers the current debates regarding the teaching of reading. Outlines the general failure to understand the nature of literacy, the complexity of educational issues, and the lack of public language for discussing such issues. Provides an accessible explanation of current reading methods for parents. (HB)

Article attempts to show that consultation with pupils will be of positive help to the English Department, offering an immediate stimulus for the periodical reconsideration of the syllabus. (Author)

Three educators--F. C. Stork, Peter Doughty, and Tony Burgess--continue the debate begun in a previous issue of this journal (see EJ 221 441 and EJ 221 442) regarding the place of language study in the secondary English curriculum. (GT)

Explores how Laura Ingalls Wilder in her "Little House on the Prairie" book series idealizes the life of settlers in the western American states and intersperses this version with reality. Shows how the cozy family circle provides security in the face of historical and autobiographical opposition. (HB)

Rethinks the definitions by which English studies are framed, particularly reading instruction. Critiques securely embedded approaches focused on comprehension exercises and simple testing. Argues instead for a more social value for reading. (HB)

Calls for a recasting of English in tune with changes that new digital technologies are heralding. Argues that it will be essential for children to acquire skills such as selecting, sequencing, manipulating and re-forming texts and to co-ordinate different layers of meaning. (NH)

Aims to conceptualize issues of text selection and censorship in different terms from those in which it has been constructed by Australian media. Asks how texts get used in classrooms and about the nature of classrooms as sites for negotiating issues of meaning and value. Argues for a culturally inclusive curriculum that is responsive to students'…

Overview of the approach and detailed discussion of a specific theme used in a course for full-time secretarial students. (AA)

Compares the British and American university systems with regard to continued formal education in language. Discusses undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered in language, linguistic studies and English in all schools of study ranging from Architecture and Environmental Studies to Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Wales…

Provides an account of the recent right-wing backlash in the United States against trends in higher education. Traces the continuing "crisis in English" to historical origins of humanities as a sequestered enclave. Suggests that this conflict will largely determine the future of English instruction. (HB)

Outlines the contradictions inherent in the conservative agenda supporting both the traditional literary canon of instruction and an aggressive promotion of vocationalist modernization. Discusses the connections between these two initiatives and offers an example of a practical alternative to both. (HB)

Discusses the novel "Web of Dreams" by Virginia Andrews, a favorite among many secondary students. Considers the book as subject for secondary English study. Claims that the novel defies most teacherly prejudices about formula writing. Provides detailed criticism of the novel. (HB)

Discusses the issue of the use of nonfiction reading in the primary classroom. Looks at the way a group of children progress from asking questions, to knowing the facts, to becoming reasoning beings. Outlines the experiences of one teacher's attempt to help children take steps to discover information on pigs. (HB)

Considers the proper definition and function of essays as topic of English instruction and as preferred mode in which students are assigned writing tasks. Tries to "denaturalize" the essay by thinking about how it has come to occupy such an esteemed position and the meaning of such esteem. (HB)