Describes a study on peer evaluation of students' writing. Indicates that teacher evaluation of students' writing is valuable, though results do not favor teacher evaluation over peer evaluation. (JD)

Describes the classroom experiences, observations, and successes of one writer when he went back to teaching. (JD)

Contains recollections of one teacher's experiences with and observations of teacher J. C. Tressler. Praises Tressler's contribution to the teaching of English. (JD)

Discusses the common beliefs that (1) understanding poetry is an individual act, (2) each person's understanding of a poem is equally valid, and (3) observers must superimpose meaning over nonmeaning. Argues that, unlike science and mathematics, there are any number of "right" answers in the interpretation of poetry. (JD)

Describes the following features of the Cutler Playwrights Festival: (1) the contest, which involves publicity and choosing a play; (2) the workshop, in which the play's content, expert, release time, size, and follow-up are decided; and (3) the production, which determines the cast and crew and the final performance. (JD)

Relates the story of a classroom experience that serves to show what is meant by both primary and secondary acts of reading. Argues that teaching the poem at the point of utterance makes it clear that the poem is not simply an occasion for a set of questions to which students must supply answers. (JD)

Relates a question-and-answer interview with British educator John Dixon that addressed such issues as Dixon's motivations for his book "Growth through English," his personal growth model of English instruction, his idea of a learning community, and his view of the school system in America. (JD)

Presents one teacher's tongue-in-check suggestions for how to behave on an accrediting team. (JD)

Discusses how words function with regard to the reality they represent. Claims that, generally, people substitute descriptions of reality for reality. (JD)

Discusses a variety of lessons that one teacher learned from reading the story John Wain's "A Message from Pig-Man." Describes the central importance of story or anecdote as a means of groping toward a recognition of oneself and one's experiences. (JD)

Discusses the great role that nonfiction plays in the leisure reading habits of today's teenagers and suggests that teachers should provide recommendations of this material. Describes several works of contemporary nonfiction appropriate for the young adult audience. (JD)

Discusses one of the perennial challenges of teaching English literature--finding ways to relate it to modern problems and issues and thus make the study accessible to students. Includes an example that relates the themes of "Morte D'Arthur" and "Chariots of Fire" and focuses on the sea imagery in both pieces. (JD)

Indicated that students have definite ideas about which commenting strategies on their written compositions help and which do not. Found that students wanted reasons and written comments from teachers as opposed to circles and abbreviations they cannot understand. Showed that high school and college subjects differed significantly on some survey…

Four contributors discuss methods of integrating speech communication instruction with English and writing instruction. (SRT)

Criticizes the Department of Education's publication, "What Works: Research about Teaching and Learning," which claims to summarize accurate and reliable research about teaching and learning. Concludes that the booklet lacks credibility because it fails to recognize the complexity of the real educational process. (SRT)