Just when one thinks every topic has been covered to the fullest, somehow, talented writers, creative artists, and forward-thinking editors come up with new takes and fresh angles. This is particularly true of the books selected as the best of 2009. The hallmarks of the nonfiction this year include some unusual scientists, from two brothers who…

Children's literature comes from a number of different sources--folklore (folk- and fairy tales), books originally for adults and subsequently adapted for children, and material authored specifically for them--and its audience ranges from infants through middle graders to young adults (readers from about 12 to 18 years old). Its forms include…

This article includes some of the remarkable poems to be included in "Mandela, Manchester", an anthology of school students' work dedicated to the inspirational life of Nelson Mandela. (Contains 3 notes.)

The "Touchstones" series of poetry anthologies was first published in the UK between 1968 and 1972 in five volumes. Over a million copies and three revisions later, "Touchstones Now 11-14" appeared in the summer of 2008. Few, if any, books for the classroom can claim such longevity. In this article, the compilers of the…

Education in a free society requires that students are provided with a provocative and thoughtful curriculum and learning materials that will prepare them to function as productive adult citizens in a diverse and changing world. Textbooks and curricular materials that engage the rising generation in the study of social ideas, problems, and issues…

This article reports that "The Norton Anthology of English Literature" has new competition in a genre with an uncertain future. The first edition of the Norton appeared in 1962. Since then, the mighty tome has gone through eight editions and introduced generations of undergraduates to the joys (or sorrows) of Chaucer, Milton, and Keats. For many,…

In the nearly two decades since the 1990 MENC preconference symposium on Multicultural Approaches to Music Education in Washington, DC, music educators have come to recognize the need to include a variety of world musics in all music curricula, from elementary classrooms to advanced performing ensembles. Accordingly, a significant increase in…

Two educators and a classroom of fifth grade students integrated poetry writing into social studies curriculum focusing on World War II. Several strategies and approaches to writing poetry are highlighted including list poems, writing from photographs and artifacts, and two voice poems. The study culminated in a poetry reading and the creation of…

The term "Latino" in this paper adopts a U.S. definition to refer to those persons born/living in the United States who are of Latin American ancestry. U.S. Latino literature is defined as literature that is originally composed mostly in English, but not exclusively, by authors of U.S. Latino background. Selections of Latino literature…

This article augments the author's grounded theory study of student and teacher interactions in alternative education classrooms by presenting poetic transcription as a way to portray the essences and experiences of the participants. The author builds on the experimental writing traditions of other researchers to embrace her own experiences as a…

The Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project, a community centre run by the unemployed for the unemployed, unwaged and low-waged, has run periodic creative writing classes for 15 years. The centre's creative writing scheme, Salt and Vinegar, gives centre users an opportunity to write about their lives and to develop their writing skills. The…

Women have played an undeniable part in shaping the history of philosophy and philosophy of education for at least 1,000 years. Yet, current anthologies, encyclopedias, and textbooks in the field rarely recognize large numbers of women's works as consequential to our understanding of the development of educational topics and debates. This article,…

A compilation of research papers on theorists that affect the educational world are collected in this anthology. Twenty-one students, through the course of their education class, Social and Psychological Conditions of Learning--EDUC 320, researched and applied their knowledge in the elementary and secondary school environments. The contributing…

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…

Demonstrates the intersection of art and cognitive science in a complementary approach of mutual support in teaching. Describes the technique of using short stories and plays in teaching social work to expand and complement familiar didactic methods using creative literature in the examination of poverty and showing the applications of the…