Acknowledging that students are civic actors and that teaching and learning is always relevant to civic lives, this article addresses how imaginative spaces can be political and if the ways that educators dream and speculate with youth have civic implications. The author first considers how communities and nations are shaped by sociopolitical…

Reflection and revision are the result of knowledge, experience, and the willingness to risk; they are essential, says Wilhelm, to "play[ing] out the big possibilities" in "something as complex and intensely human as teaching." Even as a contributor to the national standards project, various literature anthologies, and reading and composition…

Recognizing the challenge of individualizing instruction, Wilhelm reminds us of some specific areas teachers must focus on: developing apprenticeship and inquiry settings in which student difference is a resource; connecting students to their reading and writing; honoring and using students' first languages; situating instruction in real or…

Literacy educators are troubled by the isolated nature of many contemporary reading programs. Too often in middle school classrooms, students read alone, take computerized tests, and do not engage in authentic dialogue with peers. In this article, the authors argue that reading texts individually, while necessary, is not sufficient, and through…

To those who would claim that the study of literature is impractical, Probst would respond vehemently, "No, it is essential." The habit of thoughtful reading, insightful questioning, and critical evaluation are learned in English language arts classes where a variety of genres, characters, and situations push students to analyze and debate and…