Looks at English departments, English curricula, and the activities of professional organizations in the field, and concludes that bureaucracies, with their vested interest in the status quo, prevent effective action against a range of major problems faced by English teachers. (RBW)

Based on analysis of discussions of fiction using Dedalus Interchange in literary analysis classes, it was found that synchronous electronic conferencing exposed students to more viewpoints, deemphasized traditional authority, increased metalinguistic awareness, decreased inhibition and gender barriers, and facilitated increased social…

In this article, the authors discuss how Louise Rosenblatt's work influenced many teachers' teaching and learning practices. Rosenblatt was known for helping readers find their rightful place in the act of reading. Louise argued in the 1930s (and steadfastly maintained until her recent death) that the act of reading was a dynamic transaction…

Literary texts are cultural artifacts revealing a society's values and attitudes; reading literature about elders and old age can change readers' ageist attitudes. Beginning with these assumptions, I discuss ways of teaching cross-cultural aging in undergraduate literature courses, using Chilean texts paired with American texts. Students learn how…

Concerned with redefining instructional theory related to the teaching and learning processes in literature, this paper concentrates on articulating principles underlying literature instruction that can be taught in methods courses and that can become the framework that teachers internalize and use to make daily decisions about their teaching and…

A study examined whether dramatization exercises generated more interpretive and evaluative thought among students regarding theme and characterization within a short story than traditional methods of answering questions or writing an essay regarding the story. Subjects, 35 junior English students at a suburban southern California high school,…

This book is a collection of class activities and lesson plans from "NOTES Plus." The book focuses on three special columns from "NOTES Plus": "Classic of the Month,""Literature Assignment of the Month," and "Writing Assignment of the Month," that contain longer and more involved strategies for…

This special journal issue contains nine articles on the subject of using popular literature in the classroom. Subjects covered in the articles include (1) using vernacular supernatural literature to teach the skills of literary analysis, (2) teaching Agatha Christie's "Curtain," (3) pairing the classics with detective fiction, (4) using fantasy…

In contrast to a teacher-dominated literature classroom where authority rests with the one who has the power to grade, a classroom dedicated to cultivating the creative process breaks down the traditional hierarchies (such as theory and practice, text and reader, and organization and improvisation) and concentrates on the needs of the individual…

THE NARRATIVE MODE CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD THROUGH A STUDY OF THE CONVENTIONS WHICH SHAPE A STORY'S FORM AND SUBSTANCE. OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE IN PERCEIVING THE INTENTION OF THE NARRATIVE IS TO LOOK AT THE CONVENTION OF POINT OF VIEW--THE…

UNITS IN THE TEACHER PACKET FOR THE 11TH-GRADE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM ARE ORGANIZED AROUND THREE MAJOR THEMES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE--MAN AND NATURE, MAN AND MORAL LAW, AND MAN AND SOCIETY. THE MAN AND NATURE THEME IS EXAMINED IN TWO UNITS--"INDIVIDUALISM AND IDEALISM, SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY" AND "THE SEARCH FOR FORM."…

THIS LITERATURE GUIDE FOR TEACHING HONORS STUDENTS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT GIFTED STUDENTS ARE DIFFERENT IN KIND AS WELL AS DEGREE FROM AVERAGE STUDENTS AND THAT AN HONORS CURRICULUM SHOULD BE ORGANIZED AROUND THEIR SPECIAL NEEDS. A DISCUSSION OF THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE GIFTED CHILD IS PRESENTED TO SUGGEST THAT A CHILD'S…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 33 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) storytelling; (2) the short story; (3) metaphor and simile; (4) fairy tales; (5) American science fiction; (6) contemporary American fiction; (7) objective and…

These reprints from the "English Journal's" department, "Poetry in the Classroom," present successful approaches to teaching 22 poems. The poems are grouped under seven headings: "Poems from the Tradition,""The Creation,""The Carpe Diem Theme,""Where Shall Man Journey?""Symbolic Settings,""Poems for the Junior High School," and "Poems of our…

All literature teachers agree that students should read with perception, enjoy reading, and continue reading after classes have ended. Because perception promotes the pleasure that leads to continued reading, the basic step toward improved reading is to increase perception. The "index-card" system, which focuses attention on textual explication,…