College for All approaches to secondary education have gained prominence over recent decades. This trend has resulted in scholarly criticism. College is inappropriate for many students, and insisting that all students attend ensures failure, frustration and debt. The College for All policy, intended to enhance democratic equality and undermine…

Describes the usefulness of helping students use varied critical stances (including feminism, new historicism, psychoanalytic criticism, and deconstruction) in the teaching of literature. Demonstrates with the "The Odyssey." (SR)

Considers how the recent rise of "theory"--literary, cultural, feminist, poststructuralist, postcolonialist, and critical--has shaped the way teachers teach literature in the secondary school classroom. Reviews teacher perspectives through citations of studies and through interviews. (TB)

Reflects on a research project conducted by two professionals in language arts instruction investigating the curriculum decisions and book selection among classroom teachers. Recounts the researchers' own attempt to make sense of new ideas in the field and the application and relevance of those ideas to classroom practice. (TB)

Describes four ways (and several class activities) to make the meanings of media texts more visible to students while teaching the basics of critical theory. Analyzes (1) codes and conventions of language; (2) personal pleasure, understandings, and experience; (3) cultural, ideological meanings; and (4) commercial overtones and economic…

This class activity sought to help English methods teachers in training to gain a better understanding about the spectrum of beliefs concerning of teaching English literature in secondary schools. The activity in this study asks the student as an intending secondary English language arts teacher to watch two video recordings of the "Once more…

Written by teacher-participants during 3 summer institutes in literary criticism and the teaching of literature, the 11 resource guides presented in this book deal with literary texts by American authors--texts which are commonly taught in secondary English classrooms. Each resource guide in the book includes critical commentary and information…