As the humanities approach to education expands, the high school English chairman can aid his teachers in developing this approach by suggesting useful teaching methods, praising successful teaching techniques, and permitting teachers to pursue independent methods of instruction. One method is an in-depth study of an historical period (such as the Middle Ages) through an examination of its literature, music, art, architecture, and daily life. Another approach is the study of great themes, such as "Man as a Creature with Potential for Growth." A third approach (multimedia) concerns itself with the manner and method of an artist; for example, the letters and journals of Van Gogh can be studied together with an examination of the artist's completed works. A fourth variety of humanistic studies is the Great Books course. One of the major goals of any humanities course is to nourish the student's curiosity and teach him to examine the surrounding world. If the teacher uses ingenuity, the common things of life can offer material for examination and new concepts to be learned. (Specific materials useful to the humanities teacher are noted throughout the essay.) (LH)