English Education - Volume 47, Issue 2, 2015

This article discusses the published work and career of James Moffett (1929–96), focusing in particular on Kanawha County, West Virginia, in the 1970s, when his innovative textbook series,—Interaction, after adoption by the county, was opposed by local and national conservative activists. The series was ultimately dropped by the district following a highly publicized, protracted, and at-times violent conflict, after which other districts around the country followed suit, shutting down the series. The article examines Moffett’s response to the censorship battle, explores his later interestin spirituality and literacy, and considers the implications of his work and his career trajectory for the teaching of English today.

It is sometimes assumed that “digital natives” will more easily integrate new literacies into their classrooms once they begin their careers. This study followed preservice teachers at the junior level—who were taking part in a year-long field experience set in an urban high school. This field experience was set in the context of an English education methods course focusing on integrating new—literacies into the English classroom. Interviews, blog posts, and survey responses suggest that many of the preservice teachers (born around 1990) expressed some of the same traditional views about—using technology as teachers of an older generation. With some exceptions, most of the preservice teachers saw new literacies as best used to motivate students to learn traditional content.

This article proposes that staging dramatic activities and collaborative reflection in English education courses accelerates preservice student learning about their subject matter, themselves, and their’future students. The elastic nature of dramatics matches the pressing demand for excellence in preservice teacher preparation for 21st century ELA classrooms.