Gives advice for the beginning teacher by narrating the experiences of one teacher's childhood and explaining how these experiences shaped the teacher's professional outlook. Concentrates on one of the teacher's memories of her childhood vacation cottage and her father. (HB)

Urges English teachers to become more involved in curriculum development. (RL)

Describes one teacher's theory of the use of argument in the English curriculum, particularly its importance in developing democratic classrooms. Defines the multiple functions of argument in society. Advocates developing argumentative skills among students, particularly in a wide variety of forms and discourses. (HB)

Argues for the consideration of food and gastronomy in the teaching of English in high schools. Provides methods of teaching writing in conjunction with student response to eating. (HB)

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)

Offers a defense of teaching science fiction as an elective in the high-school English curriculum. (RL)

Describes one teacher's insights into the fictional works, and especially the characters, created by the British novelist Jane Austen. (HB)

Describes how teachers might invite their students to become more creative and riskier in their own poetry by examining cartoons in Gary Larsen's series, "The Far Side." Claims that the finished products were often authentic and daring. Includes eight examples of students' poems. (HB)

Gives an overview of how curriculum design might best be undertaken. Provides unconventional suggestions for developing curriculum. (HB)

Gives suggestions for fostering critical thinking skills among English students. Summarizes the views and theories of several educators, all of whom participated in a critical thinking conference in Boston in the summer of 1994. (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)

Edith Graybill, English instructor at the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan, speaks about her school's English language arts curriculum, the influence of the school on the role of English language arts, the theories of teaching and learning used at the Academy, and other related topics. She believes that most of the students appreciate…

Details the concept of transactional writing and clarifies why it belongs in the high school English curriculum. Defines transactional writing, relates it to expressive writing, and shows how it might be used by English teachers. (HB)

Describes the reasons that companies frequently misspell words that are part of product names. Provides many examples of such misspellings, along with an analysis of why the words were misspelled. (HB)

Details the various question about the place of literature in the modern high school English curriculum. Questions the ability of educators to formulate a literature pedagogy without reaching a consensus about the place of literature in the curriculum. (HB)