To engage in critical readings of literary texts, in ways that are also ethical and compassionate, requires readers to enter emotionally and imaginatively into the complex, textual worlds of others as they are portrayed in stories. Such stories have the potential to create new worlds that make visible our collective being in ways that allow us to…

This essay uses the metaphor of "savvy travelling" to discuss the limitations and problems associated with three current "best practice" approaches to the reading of literature in upper grade levels, particularly in the United States: close reading, response-based reading, and disciplinary literacy. A "savvy" approach…

This paper considers how an increased awareness of translation in the language classroom might impact the instruction of Comparative Literature, and literary studies more broadly. Despite the arguments for translation's centrality to the study Comparative Literature (Apter, 2006; Bassnett, 2006; Newman 2017) translation pedagogy is still…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of prospective teachers of Turkish language and literature on the "text analysis methods" course. In this study, which used the qualitative research approach, the case study design was used. 13 teacher candidates who are enrolled in the Turkish language and literature teaching program…

An inservice training session triggered a crisis of confidence for the author, a veteran teacher, but it also inspired the author to rethink their approach to teaching reading and writing. While the author attended a conference, the state presenter explained that the new curriculum represents "shifts" in philosophy about teaching…

In teaching canonical literature, presuming a text's merit and infallibility can inhibit the development of critical thought and may transmit values that are not socially and politically just. The author describes how educators can promote academic literacy and critical consciousness in their students through pedagogy that helps students…

This paper explores how English teachers are currently using comics in their classrooms, and how they describe the problems and benefits of working with this curious textual form. As an educational researcher, I am interested in how the experimental ethos of comics can influence classroom practice in a similarly experimental fashion, and it was…

We argue in this paper that the experience of reading is an intricate and dynamic weaving of connections much like the tentative construction of a spider's web. We also use the metaphor of the web to examine a professional learning experience for Australian secondary school English teachers who over the course of a year, and by working in…

AP Literature students participated in a series of real-time online discussions to complement the in-class conversations they were having about "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." Thus, the front channel was comprised of the students who were discussing the class text aloud, and the backchannel was the online conversation the rest of the…

Multicultural literature can be found all across classrooms in the United States. I argue it is more important what you do with the literature than just having it in the classroom. Multicultural literature should be seen as a tool. In this article, I will share how I used multicultural literature as a tool to (a) promote or develop an appreciation…

Problem Statement: Critical reading refers to individuals' thinking about what they read, assessing what they have read, and using their own judgment about what they have read. In order to teach critical reading skills to students, a teacher is expected to have knowledge about text selection, use of appropriate methods, preparation of functional…

Reading and discussing literary texts in a second language (L2) is a significant component of intermediate and advanced level collegiate language education. However, in spite of more attention to the role of literary texts in L2 instruction, the function of reading strategy instruction to teaching literary reading in the L2 has remained…

The theme for this year's annual Graduate Student Conference of the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature (LLL) was "In a Word," which captured a basic component that runs through the College of LLL since words are essential to the work students do in each of the departments that form the College. The conference opened with a…

As teachers and leaders move forward in implementing the Common Core State Standards within classrooms across 46 states, it is essential to consider the question of what knowledge is included in the English Language Arts Standards, and what knowledge is not present. The authors of the Common Core delineate an increasingly complex body of knowledge…

According to Johnson and Freedman (2006, p. 16), "when teachers decide to embrace a critical pedagogy, they are deciding to bring a questioning stance into their classroom". Critical pedagogy advances the belief that all students should be taught the skills and strategies needed to acquire a critical/questioning attitude towards the texts and the…