New conceptions of reading and writing emphasize the active role of the reader or writer in constructing meaning and the inherently social nature of reading and writing. This suggests that classrooms can be viewed as literate communities using reading and writing to accomplish classroom community goals. (MT)

This article discusses theories about knowledge and schooling and describes democratic classrooms. Students need empowerment to have a voice in curriculum design and governance. Schools that foster student voice must establish conditions for democratic talk in class. Students must be taught to respect others; they cannot be allowed to denigrate…

This article connects the other-self relationship to the teacher-student relationship, focusing on how teachers listen, or do not listen, to the students they teach, and emphasizing the fact that in order for teachers to hear their students, they must first get themselves out of the way. (SM)

Examines circumstances under which teachers, as guardians of culture, might define themselves not as gatekeepers for the received wisdom of culture, but as keyholders who unmask authoritative knowledge and cultural domination. In this context, the article discusses the importance of student voice; mimetic, liberal, and critical teaching; and…