English Education - Volume 34, Issue 1, 2001

Two separate listserv conversations between English educators (EE) and university faculty prepared in rhetoric and composition (RC) revealed an obvious split between theory (research and philosophy), which was most associated with rhetoric and composition, and practice (teaching), associated more with the English Education field. This split has led to disciplinary prejudice between EE and RC professionals. In an effort to build bridges, Alsup analyzes the exchanges that occurred on the two listservs, describes the current nature of the EE/RC split as evidenced in these conversations, and suggests ways to narrow the gap to allow for more cooperative research, teaching, and writing.

Perhaps the most compelling pedagogical problem for both beginning and experienced teachers alike is the issue of how to respond to adolescent language and behavior that falls outside expected boundaries. In this essay, Philion suggests that oppositional adolescent language and behavior is result of adolescent attempts to challenge power systems in the classroom and to make the systems more livable, and notes that critical reading of this oppositional narrative can shift perspectives and have the potential to produce positive, substantial changes within the power system. While there are several strategies for working with oppositional discourse, narrative storytelling, he advocates, enhances not only an awareness of the roots of oppositionality, but also one’s own role in the creation of disadvantageous educational conditions. Samples from one of his student’s journals illustrate the reflective and transformative power of storytelling.

The rapidly increasing number of students of color in our nation’s schools has led educators to consider the relationship between cultural affiliation and the ways in which students learn as a part of determining how best to teach in response to all students’ needs and abilities. DeStigter reviews three texts that offer productive ways think about this issue.

Recent studies in classroom teacher research have begun to expand the definition of the teacher research to include preservice teachers. Five members of the CEE Commission on English Methods Teaching and Learning have been studying the viability of teacher research at the preservice level at their respective universities. In this article, they summarize their respective studies to date, and discuss common findings leading to a list of potential characteristics of effective preservice teacher-research preparation.