English Education - Volume 52, Issue 1, 2019

In this conceptual essay, the author argues that computational methods and computer science more broadly should be embedded into English education programs. Positing that computational methods can deepen and expand the way literature is already taught in many English education programs and secondary English classrooms, the author first makes a theoretical case for English educators to embrace computational methods, then shares a prototypical assignment called a mixed literary analysis. The essay concludes with a series of concrete recommendations for English educators who wish to explore further how to embed computational methods into their professional pursuits and programs.

Recent decades show increased scholarship in literacy education considering LGBTQ-themed texts and LGBTQ people in English language arts classrooms. Building on studies exploring choice in school-based reading, I focus on the experiences of youth navigating their visibility when they interacted with other people about their queer reading choices in the context of required independent reading for their ELA course. I examine how varying configurations of literacy sponsorship affected students’ actions. The findings help illuminate the complex relationships among LGBTQ-inclusive curricula and youth experiences.

In this piece, I draw on Erica McWilliam’s model of Meddler in the Middle to disrupt familiar notions of teaching. The Meddler in the Middle provides an alternative to existing teaching models—the Sage on the Stage and the Guide on the Side—and foregrounds twenty-first-century skills such as problem solving, collaboration, and critical thinking. I explore possibilities for meddling in the context of high school English classrooms and teacher education courses through my teaching experiences; then I contemplate how the Meddler might function in our current standards-based environment.