In this article, the author talks about Bakhtin's ethical concerns on the teaching of novels. In his writings on ethics, Bakhtin outlined numerous ways in which thinkers can avoid engaging with the world. They can live "representatively" by allowing the ideology or religion to which they subscribe make their moral decisions for them. Intellectual…

This teacher-research study examines the roles of talk and metaphorical representation in the construction of personal and social literary interpretation. Over three years, the investigator collected data from fourth-grade children's sketched interpretations about literature, their written commentaries, and conversations that occurred before,…

Examines three English teachers' conceptions of their students' literary understandings. Explores how the three case-study teachers framed reading in generalized terms separated from the concerns of literature as a discipline, and how the teachers' own experienced ways of reading literature played a role in directing attention away from learner…

Describes a year-long process in which a group of fourth- and fifth-grade students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds learned to participate in reading, writing, and talking about books in a literature-based instructional program. Reveals a gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to students as they developed the knowledge…

Examines the concept of presentism as it relates to historical fiction written for young people. Argues that in order to understand more fully the complexities of any era, one must resist the commonsense acceptance of a hegemonic interpretation of the past and investigate the possibilities of the multiple beliefs, values, and awarenesses…

Studies how experienced teachers of literature created a sense of continuity and coherence in a curriculum over relatively long periods of time. Finds that although the classrooms created a stable set of domain conventions, similarity in broad topics and goals within the curriculum masked great diversity at the level of classroom practice. (NH)

Problematizes the word "experience" as it is currently being used by researchers and teachers who want to reform literature instruction in schools and colleges. Discusses how a fresh look at Dewey and Rosenblatt can reconstruct the courtroom and marketplace metaphors as sound alternatives to theories that perpetuate dualistic assumptions about…

Presents 29 brief descriptions of research in the teaching of English (published July through December, 1999) in the areas of: bilingual/foreign language education; classroom discourse; discourse processes; literature; professional development; reading; research methodology; technology and literacy; and writing. (SR)

Explores differences in adolescents' styles of responding to poetry and relates these differences to contrasts in the way students narrate stories of personal experience. Finds contrasts between working-class and middle-class students in styles of responding to poetry which show parallels with their contrasting styles of narrating stories of…

Studies five preschoolers' response to four genres of picture books: fantasy, realistic, poetic, and information. Finds (1) distinct patterns of response for each genre; and (2) personal associations to the characters, events, images, and topics seemed to form the basis for interpretation. (NH)

Investigates how students and professor negotiated different ideas about teaching and reading in a preservice course on teaching secondary school literature. Finds that students' acceptance or rejection of unfamiliar ideas was closely tied to three major factors: prior experiences with literature, ideas about culturally sanctioned conceptions of…

Presents a 48-item selected annotated bibliography of recent research in the teaching of English (most published in scholarly journals between July and December, 1997). Organizes the annotations into sections on assessment; bilingual education and foreign language education; discourse processes; family/workplace literacy; professional development;…

Describes 99 research studies and reviews of research. (DD)