Video is an effective educational tool in English Literature classes when the teacher is creative in its application. Video has five specific properties which make it an effective instructional device: (1) condensing or expanding an experience; (2) making the invisible visible; (3) taking the viewers where they could not go; (4) eliciting…

This sourcebook presents reading guides for 22 literary works frequently used by secondary school English teachers. The guides contain an overview of the work, a pool of instructional objectives for each work, a variety of activities, a series of discussion options, suggestions for evaluation, and annotated lists of related works. Included are:…

Ways that computer assisted instruction (CAI) can be useful in teaching English at upperclass and graduate levels are considered, with illustrations from PLATO lessons that have been composed and programmed. One lesson takes advantage of PLATO's graphic design capabilities, which enabled the teacher to design the runic figures and to show them in…

Descriptions of six junior college English programs focus primarily on the teaching of composition skills and literature. Course offerings, textbooks, student evaluation procedures, faculty and student body profiles, and enrollment trends are also discussed. (RL)

In a period of expanding enrollments and shrinking budgets, this article criticizes the curriculum design of college English programs and current teaching practices. The author feels that fragmentation of the curriculum into highly specialized areas of study has prevented the development of new courses in interdisciplinary studies, film criticism,…

This book provides a comprehensive review of the major areas of applied linguistics with original contributions by fourteen scholars. The following chapters are included: (1) "What is Applied Linguistics?" by H. Douglas Brown; (2) "Language Development," by Lois Bloom; (3) "First Language Teaching," by Jean Malmstrom (discusses the teaching of…

The central activity of literary criticism, the understanding of literature, is related to the process of establishing a context for the works of literature being studied. Choosing not to discuss the factual elements of literary criticism, the author clarifies and concentrates on the "lower" and "upper" limits of criticism. While the "lower" limit…

A CONTINUATION OF "TEACHING LITERATURE IN GRADES 7 THROUGH 9" (SEE ED 013 804.), THIS BOOK OFFERS A TEACHING APPROACH WHICH EMPHASIZES THE CLOSE READING OF LITERARY WORKS IN A SEQUENTIAL ORDER OF INCREASING COMPLEXITY. EACH OF THE FIRST THREE SECTIONS ("POETRY,""SHORT STORY," AND "DRAMA", PRESENTS A PROGRAM…

Spontaneity and personal freedom are seen as the fundamental requisites to creative teaching. Unseen pressures leading to increasing conformity in classroom procedures and methods are revealed and constrasted with unique examples of teaching Thoreau, Kafka, and Donne. Teachers are urged to rely upon their own creative impulses. (RL)

A course in advanced composition and analytical reading designed for elementary school teachers is proposed. Stressing the importance of literary appreciation of works of exceptional merit, the author returns to the systematic study of English composition using literature as the basis of the composition course. Some of the authors mentioned are…

Focuses on the need for improved teaching at the secondary and college levels of the English curriculum, emphasizing the view of learning that also includes the development of thinking abilities capable of helping students use information to create their own insights. Reviews recent pedagogical guides that follow this approach. (NKA)

Multimedia hypertext materials have instructional advantages when used as adjuncts in traditional classes and as the primary means of instruction, as illustrated in this case study of college-level Shakespeare classes. Plays become more accessible through use of audio and video resources, including video clips from play productions. Student work…

This book debates the values being taught in American public schools. The book considers whether moral, ethical, social, and religious values of any kind should be taught or inculcated in the public school setting--specifically, should the values embodied in the literature typically read in English literature classrooms be advocated by the…

Compares inferences about story characters' behavior, perceptions, and goals made by eighth graders, eleventh graders, college freshmen, and college seniors. Concludes that from early adolescence to young adulthood, readers shift from conceptions of characters in terms of immediate surface feelings and behaviors to conceptions in terms of…

In 1994-95, all Illinois public colleges and universities and some Illinois private colleges and universities are required to submit reviews of their baccalaureate programs in education (primarily teacher preparation programs) and academic programs at all levels in the fields of English language/literature and mathematics. This package of…