This paper presents a pedagogical intervention project conducted in secondary English classrooms in Singapore, entitled "Building Communities of Readers among Teachers." The project is positioned against the dominant instrumentalism of Singaporean approaches to creativity and promotes a socio-cultural stance to creativity and criticality…

A study of reader response to stylistically poor prose indicated that the negative effects were greater if the topic was familiar to the readers. The readers were not measuring the stylistic quality of the text, but rather, the texts were measuring the cultural information of the readers. It is not possible to separate reading skills from the…

A survey of what English department chairpersons look for from reading specialists. (RB)

Forty freshmen at Dillard University (New Orleans, Louisiana) completed the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, an original criterion-referenced test of specific reading skills, and an in-class theme on an assigned topic. Results of the analysis of reading and writing skills established a high relationship between the two skill areas: the better writers…

Proposes that English teachers have a preeminent right of leadership in the development of reading in the secondary school. (TO)

Contains representative selections from issues of "The Elementary English Review," a precursor to "Language Arts," during its first decade of publication. Includes articles, editorials, and ads reflecting contemporary educational concerns still relevant today, such as the reading and writing relationship and teaching children…

Contends that rhetorical study is the key to the integration of reading and writing in the college English department and discusses problems created by pigeonholing literature by periods and genres. (DD)

Suggests several ways to motivate adolescents in selecting books for individual reading in the English classroom; stresses the importance of positive attitudes toward reading. (MAI)

Presents different ways of teaching literature, in an effort to find the best way to position students in relation to a text, as practiced by a student teacher. Describes how past instruction shaped student response to texts and how one teacher exerted authority over student interpretation. (HB)

Focuses on the homoerotic elements of Herman Melville's novel, "Billy Budd." Describes how these controversial elements were taught in a college literature course. (HB)

Focuses on a technique called "Early Recollection of Reading and Writing" (ERRW) that provides teachers with the knowledge needed to help unlock and develop a student's potential in reading and writing. Presents the technique's theoretical basis and practical application and illustrates the critical role that this technique can play in…

Considers what factors and circumstances empower readers to give a text life, value, and validity. Argues that empowered readers are situated readers, are focused on their concerns, and strive to be self-aware and other-aware. (HB)

Discusses the issue of the use of nonfiction reading in the primary classroom. Describes the demands that nonfiction books make on children. Examines how the genre can be made more accessible to children. (HB)

Considers the difficulties inherent in developing a system of assessment through examination of student learning in Great Britain's A-level English literature instruction. Outlines the process of developing such a system as undertaken by the two appointed cochief examiners in 1986. (HB)

Considers the benefits and impact that come from reading texts aloud with other persons. Provides a plan by which partners can read books together aloud. Claims that this is a vital and habit-forming activity. (HB)