Considers the rewards and sufferings of English department heads. Offers advice aimed particularly at those who have newly been appointed as department chairs. Describes the major challenges faced by department chairs. Provides a list of "dos and don'ts" for new department heads. (HB)

Considers the ways by which English departments might begin the process of revitalization. Provides suggestions in eight areas of concern: record keeping, teaching, scheduling, advertising, handling workloads, revising the curriculum, funding, and hiring. (HB)

Describes the way one English teacher designed a course by asking students to compare articles on the same topic from different newspapers. Claims that teaching such forms of textual analysis is highly motivating and pedagogically useful. (HB)

Compares the competing claims of students' nonschool literacies with the academic literacy as prescribed by schools. Uses two case studies to suggest ways to attend to both kinds of literacy, public and private. (HB)

Presents strategies and methods by which writing teachers can openly address the potential problem of plagiarism. Details specific methods used by one teacher to train students how to quote and cite materials without plagiarizing. (HB)

Describes various group discussion activities for fostering discussion skills in the English classroom. Discusses "fishbowls" and "creative controversies." Outlines the five basic elements of any cooperative lesson plan. Shows how teachers can successfully implement cooperative learning in the classroom. (HB)

Describes the use of the "fishbowl" strategy for fostering class discussion of literary works. Argues that this method, which places one small group of discussants within a larger circle of observers, is an effective means of developing discussion and listening skills. (HB)

Reflects on the statement, "Literature should be removed from the center of the English curriculum and become part of the study of language that should be at the center." Tries to "clear the way" for students to write passionately about their lives and feelings and encourages students to explore their thinking through reading…

Argues that the current electronic environment forces English studies into competition and combination with extra-verbal codes and languages. Describes a specific approach to reading, composing, and teaching the problematic combination of verbal and nonverbal features in texts conceived for or in electronic environments. Describes continuities…

Proposes a curricular framework that provides an alternative view of "balance" in guided reading and literature discussion groups. Suggests several possible scenarios for the future of literature in classroom instruction. Presents a curricular model for a literature-rich classroom. (NH)

Designed to tap the rich collection of instructional techniques in the ERIC database, this compilation of lesson plans focuses on teaching values using literature as an alternative to textbooks. The 41 lesson plans in this book cover: (1) setting up an English curriculum in values; (2) ways to help students find out about their values; (3)…

Many teachers note the importance of student ability to analyze and understand intricate uses of figurative language in reading. Research in recent years has focused on the prevalence of figures of speech in textbooks and other reading, suggesting that the fostering of figurative language skills should become a more common feature of language…

Although it is satisfying and fulfilling to be part of the professional conversation on English teaching, and to have had one's writing published in journals, two difficulties should be noted. First, the notion still persists that it is publication alone that validates the writing experience. Second, it is wrong to encourage teachers only to write…

A teacher's search for a coherent explanation for the resistance of students to high school literature programs, vitally important since student attitudes influence learning, resulted in a discovery of both external and internal causal factors. Externally, an increasing emphasis on competency testing hinders the fostering of lifelong literacy.…

Frank Aydelotte is best remembered for developing in the 1930s and 1940s the nation's most innovative and influential honors program, based on the education he received as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. As coordinator of freshman English at Indiana University, Aydelotte attacked the dominant Harvard model of instruction while promoting a method…