English Journal - Volume 89, Issue 6, 2000

Describes how a high school English teacher set up a project to help students who made frequent conventional errors become more aware of them, choose goals based on their own writing weaknesses, collect data, work toward improvement, and assess their success. Argues that, while not all students are reached, the climate of the classroom is energized through this process.

Notes research findings showing that student-selected topics do not result in better student writing. Discusses the importance of knowledge for writers, the three sources of knowledge, and avoiding unworkable topics. Argues that the teacher’s active involvement in the process of topic selection and development ensures good research writing. Discusses some useful ideas and frameworks for topics.

Describes the author’s experiences teaching a contextualized (content-driven) English curriculum in a vocational school, surmising that if students write about things that truly interest them (their trade areas), then writing instruction will be contextual and therefore meaningful and effective. Discusses difficulties and rewards, the variety of attitudes taken by vocational teachers, and some successful team-teaching that has resulted.

Describes a two-day interdisciplinary field trip for a group of 63 ninth graders that was followed up in the classroom with related units in history, art, biology, English, and drama. Describes how the students were challenged to use nature to discover who they were, observing closely and then letting go in order to think and connect.

Describes how a new English teacher invited students to negotiate with him their course of study. Discusses setting the stage for negotiated learning, establishing ownership and building ensemble, clarifying expectations and rehearsing together, planning ahead and assessing the performance, helping students take on additional roles, and allowing students to give direction. Notes students’ reflections on this successful experience.

Presents the rationale and basic concepts for teaching about World Englishes. Describes a sample instructional unit based on the pilot project the authors conducted in a public high school in North Carolina, in which they provided instruction in linguistic diversity once a week for seven weeks. Includes activities and resources for these seven one-hour sessions.

Describes what the author (a former high school English teacher) learned about teaching spelling to secondary students through a collaborative research project with a group of elementary school teachers. Analyzes four kinds of classroom-based data from that instruction, resulting in eight recommended teaching practices. Argues that well-targeted instruction can help high school students become accurate and independent spellers.

Argues that literature provides a vehicle for inquiry-based teaching that can encourage reflective thinking and help students to learn to make informed decisions by carefully thinking through ill-structured, realistic dilemmas that have no right or wrong answer. Describes strategies that promote carefully structured investigation of such dilemmas, and offers a dilemma worksheet based on Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.”

Offers a close look at how three eighth-grade students used their writer’s notebooks, examining what they thought of their writer’s notebooks, what purposes they used them for, and how their responses changed over the course of the school year. Notes that the authors learned that their involvement in the writer’s notebook was vital. Includes students’ reflections on their notebooks.

Reflects on the author’s 30 years as an English teacher. Ponders how and when the job turned into a professional career, and what it means to be a professional. Notes mentors along the way who promoted the enrichment of his teaching career. Encourages new teachers to take the step into professional opportunities and to stretch into new arenas of engagement.

Presents two educators’ views on elective courses. Argues that single-subject high school English courses teach the same skills that are taught in traditional English courses, offer students the opportunity to choose, can meet students’ particular interest or needs, and should fulfill an English requirement. Offers a perspective on the history of the secondary English elective curriculum.

Offers perspectives from a first-year English teacher and from a veteran English teacher on how to deal with the extraordinary amount of paper and paperwork heaped upon teachers and on the importance of the topic of curriculum and curriculum strategies. Argues that teacher preparation programs need to implement courses to train teachers to work with curriculum and provide organizational strategies.

Offers eight short essays written by English teachers recommending nonfiction books that they use successfully in their high-school classrooms to grab students’ interest, to provoke lively discussions, and to offer refreshing models for student writing.

Examines issues and topics of interest to teachers of English around the world. Discusses what English teachers’ associations can do to help each other in the new millennium. Argues that the Web can assist them in thinking through fundamental issues of curriculum, evaluation, and teacher development, and that greater influence in negotiations with state and federal governments might result.

Offers observations and comments on what makes a good mentor at the middle school level from several experienced and novice English language arts teachers.