Responds to Bruce Kimball's article, "Professions of Language and Reason," in which he reviews Booth's book, "The Vocation of a Teacher: Rhetorical Occasions." Explains how Kimball missed the point of his book, which was to celebrate teaching, a vocation too often denigrated or twisted to serve the ends of other vocations. Corrects other…

Examines the effectiveness of a conflict-resolution program in raising the academic achievement of a suburban Canadian high school English class. Argues that the conflict-resolution training raised academic performance at the same time that it taught conflict-resolution techniques. Suggests incorporating conflict-resolution training into core high…

This article discusses integrating communication skills and the use of real object "props" with the teaching of literature to students with severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties. The novel "Oliver Twist" is used to illustrate how objects of reference can be used to teach literature and promote communication skills. (Contains…

For many people committed to strong academic standards, the "advanced" high school courses offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement program and, increasingly, the Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) represent the curricular gold standard for secondary education. Admissions directors and…

In this study, we investigated a variety of Reader effects that may influence the validity of ratings assigned to AP® English Literature and Composition essays. Specifically, we investigated whether Readers exhibit changes in their levels of severity and accuracy, and their use of individual scale categories over time. We refer to changes in these…

Shakespeare has brought alive Western society's shared history and culture in a way no other playwright has ever done, and it is his relevance that makes reading his works worthwhile. Community college educators can prepare the citizens of the future to assimilate population trends and technological advancements by giving their students the widest…

Twenty-eight prospective English teachers at a large midwestern state university participated in this study of what they believe literature to be and what criteria they apply in choosing texts they would teach. Although the prospective teachers reported that they had not been taught explicit criteria for evaluating texts, they had no difficulty…

Administrators can acquire a broader range of material drawn from Shakespeare and, by implication, from other great authors as sources for a fuller cognizance of life. The vast field of Shakespearean scholarship and criticism overshadows the works themselves. Nevertheless, adults can rediscover Shakespeare through performances and recreational…

Most studies of dialects in English-language literature have focused on works of the nineteenth century or earlier. However, modern literature can expand the scope of dialectological investigation. In John Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye," use of non-standard dialect forms occurs when the author uses an unusually informal register…

A course using English literature and urban geography to study the development and lifestyle of the city is described. (DE)

This course uses urban geography and literature to involve students in the urban environment. Six humanities units on the topics of individual identity in the city, history and growth, form and fiction, urban living, urban problems, and individual creativity in the city are described. (DE)

A pilot course in mastery learning in a survey course in English literature at the Beirut University College is described. The course was designed to increase the retention of knowledge and skills of students of another culture, utilizing the lecture-discussion method and the mastery learning concepts. (Author/RM)

Designed to make the study of Dickens'"Great Expectations" an appealing and worthwhile experience, this paper presents a unit of study intended to help students gain (1) an appreciation of Dickens' skill at creating realistic human characters; (2) an insight into the problems of a young man confused by false values and unreal ambitions…

All English teachers share an occasional uneasiness about whether English really matters. Three major sources for this uneasiness are: (1) English teachers are uncertain about their basic purpose. Historically, the emphasis in the English profession has shifted from sharing the best that has been thought and said, to literary history, to rigorous…

Based on the assumption that the content and symbolism of nursery rhymes reflect the particular needs of those who respond to them, this paper analyzes Mother Goose rhymes in relation to the psychological stages of child development. Each basic need of the child, as defined in Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment," is applied to…