As more classrooms return to in-person instruction, many teachers are longing for lessons built around student discussion. Student discourse frequently floundered over the past year amidst inconsistent camera usage, weak microphones, internet lags, and the overall awkwardness of virtual classrooms. The Socratic seminar is a particularly seductive…

Teachers of world literature have the opportunity to help students explore the more complex reality behind the stereotypes that they often see in the media. If we don't encourage students to challenge one-dimensional "single stories" that characterize an entire people--whether Muslims, Russians, Mexicans, African Americans, Chinese,…

How can the best of mathematical problem-based learning be applied toward literature classes? Daniel Sussman, an English teacher at Moorestown Friends School in New Jersey, discusses how he uses problem solving tactics to encourage close, critical reading of fiction texts in his Jewish literature and poetry classes. He explores the challenges of…

In this essay, veteran high school teacher Cherish R. Skinker recounts how she connected with hard-to-reach, struggling students in her 9th grade English classes. In a supportive classroom environment, Skinker's students explored the year-long theme of "a hero's journey" through texts like "The Odyssey" and "Romeo and…

Does the Common Core State Standards' focus on informational text mean that teachers must teach fiberglass installation manuals and the minutes of National Reserve Board meetings? No, responds literacy expert Timothy Shanahan. "I've pored over the lists of exemplary texts suggested by the standards, and I've not been able to…

To create the kinds of school-family partnerships that raise student achievement, improve local communities, and increase public support, schools need to understand the difference between family involvement and family engagement. Schools that emphasize the latter tend toward doing with families, rather than doing to families. These schools do more…

The "elephant in the room" when we talk about preparing critical thinkers for the 21st century, Gallagher believes, is U.S. students' lack of reading proficiency and their general disinclination to read. Gallagher's provocative argument is that a significant factor behind the decline of reading in young people is a set of practices…

Frustrated by her ninth graders' misbehavior with a substitute teacher, a high school English teacher shelved her recriminations and engaged miscreants in a problem-solving exercise examining the incident. Establishing a protocol to talk about problems openly, without fear of retribution, made a big difference. Boys admitted to some poor choices;…

As this story about a mischievous, underachieving 10th grader shows, meeting standards and showing caring, compassion, and respect are not mutually exclusive. Unless students experience a positive, supportive climate, some may never achieve minimal standards or realize their full potential. The author later discovered she had inspired Eugene to…

A new teacher conducted a study of the short story through dialectical journals, linking her New York University expository writing students with inmate/students at Eastern Correctional Facility. Her experiences inspired the Goals 2000 Design for Differentiation Project and Socratic seminars for eighth-graders. (MLH)

Making classroom materials relevant to students is paramount for one Missouri high school English teacher. Since a relevant curriculum needs more than short stories and essays, she has incorporated books like Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's "Weep Not, Child," Kamala Markandaya's "Nectar in a Sieve," and Charles Dickens's "Tale of Two…

A high school teacher outlines 11 nontraditional expectations for new teachers. Teachers should empathize with students; create partnerships with school community members; account to others; embrace adversity; take the long view; demonstrate competency and interest in others; keep believing in students; maintain high performance goals; share…

Positive rites of passage are sorely lacking in today's society. In our culture, teenagers experience several passages: the major transformation at puberty, a challenging transition from middle to high school, and completion of high school. Two programs show how educators can guide students from adolescence to responsible adulthood. (MLH)

Describes how an English teacher and a special-education teacher cooperated to teach a "mixed" ninth-grade class of regular students, special-education students, and others who found English difficult. For special-education students, being part of a large class meant making new friends and encountering numerous challenges. The special-education…

Offers a few suggestions on how to implement a school or district content-area reading and writing program. (PKP)