The role of the English language, used around the world for international diplomacy, aviation, health, economics, technology, education, and research, cannot be overstated. In places where English is not the first nor an official language, the task for second language teachers in elementary schools through college to perfect students' language…

This article explores the ways in which the language of the hero's journey can serve as a heuristic for teachers at all stages of their professional experience. Teachers in Canada and the United States were interviewed via Skype about their experiences around writing and literacy. Four teachers are profiled here, two from Canada and two from the…

As part of the "Bridging the Language Gap" project undertaken with 86 State and Catholic schools across Queensland, the language competencies of Indigenous students have been found to be "invisible" in several key and self-reinforcing ways in school system data. A proliferation of inaccurate, illogical and incomplete data…

Language is the essence of humanity and the backbone of early childhood education. Academic content clusters on it. Math, science, and social studies, for instance, are best taught through "content area language." Critical thinking and other key math, listening, and reading comprehension skills are mirrored in language. Not surprisingly, spoken…

Christensen discusses why teachers need to teach students "voice" in its social and political context, to show the intersection of voice and power, to encourage students to ask, "Whose voices get heard? Whose are marginalized?" As Christensen writes, "Once students begin to understand that Standard English is one language among many, we can help…

Defines language awareness, examines shifts in meaning which words undergo, and discusses how this topic can be applied in education. (DD)

An examination of current educational theory regarding the functions of language, exploring the relationship of language and thought, various views of linguistic poverty, and language use and instruction in the school. (EH)

This document is a collection of questions and topics designed to assist the elementary teacher in understanding the importance and methods of instruction of language. The major premise of the document is as follows: There can be no separation of subject matter into tight compartments because in reality all teachers are teachers of English;…

Describes a language arts project which used students' own first names as the project theme. (DD)

This collection of essays is concerned with the relationships between language and education. It is intended to be used in an undergraduate course but may also be used by many others interested in language in an educational context. A variety of approaches to the subject are considered, including the philosophical, psychological, sociological,…

Discussion in this paper is given to some studies and texts devoted to the study of general semantics, which is defined as the study of language operations in real human contexts with emphasis on the human consequences of these operations. Mentioned are (1) books by S. I. Hayakawa, Wendell Johnson, Irving J. Lee, and Stuart Chase; (2) lesson plans…

A review of Language and Learning" (University of Miami Press), by James Britton, Reader in Education and Head of the Engligh Department at the University of London Institute of Education. (RY)

Describes a three-week "Introduction to Language" unit for seventh graders. Notes that students feel ownership of the unit because of the amount of choice and sharing involved. Describes the unit's mini-lessons: human language; origins and development of language; symbols and words; meaning in context; and growth and change in language. (RS)