Readers of most literary works usually find themselves in the role of witness, where their very act of reading initiates a process in which students or apprentices and teachers or educators take part in a "narrative" of imparting knowledge. An intertextual reading of literary works on the one hand and of current educational texts (e.g., programs,…

Students' views on history inspired the author to reflect on her own teaching and to explore historical thinking. She decided to research the impact of a three-step approach to reading primary documents on ninth grade world history students, she was curious as to whether developing and using a consistent series of strategies with various primary…

Finding practical applications for critical literacy in preservice teacher education coursework is a challenging pursuit for educators. In this study, the author investigates the possibilities of drawing on critical literacy theories within the context of a content area literacy class designed for secondary level postbaccalaureate students.…

The 1993 publication of findings from the first National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) drew the attention of the nation. Among health researchers, the realization that almost half of U.S. adults have difficulty using common texts to complete everyday tasks spurred interest in health-related consequences, and improving health literacy was listed…

The children's self-image is affected by the ways in which they see themselves in texts both verbal and visual which plays an important role in building self-image and the belief-system of the children. The development of critical literacy skills in children and teachers and the importance of exposing the children to transcultural literature are…

This book explores the question of how students become thoughtful, independent readers who deeply understand what they read by examining the thought processes of proficient readers. The book then uses these processes as models for the strategies it offers--strategies intended to help children become more flexible, adaptive, independent, and…

Developing students' ability to use multicultural perspectives and knowledge to think about literature, history, and society is emerging as an important part of a pluralistic approach to education. In New York State, an ethnographic study was conducted over 2 school years by a pair of English and social studies teachers with pluralistic goals for…

In her literature and composition classes, an educator encourages students to correlate their memory and imagination to the rhetorical elements of logos, pathos, and ethos and construct regenerative structures of knowledge through a comprehensive and objective understanding of a contextualized problem. She employs Bakhtin's dialogic method of…

Designed to help practitioners become more familiar with the underpinnings, currents, pros and cons, and research studies produced by the critical-thinking movement in the United States, this special collection offers eight digests and three FAST (Focused Access to Selected Topics) annotated bibliographies concerning critical thinking at all…

Articles that are concerned with ethnographic studies of schooling and learning in order to discuss the contribution of ethnographic inquiry to teacher education are reviewed. The first section of the paper divides the literature on the ethnography of schooling and learning into three types: (1) articles that address theoretical and methodological…

The research methodology of the National Assessment of Educational Progress reports on Literature Achievement is critiqued. Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Procedures (Exercise Development).

The author describes a course in which undergraduate political science majors are taught to read international relations literature critically. Seven specific objectives in judging the literature are included. (DE)

Arguing that writers must be able to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the texts they produce, this paper begins by isolating some of the persistent questions raised by people in education, business, and government who want to judge how well their texts are working. The paper then compares the cognitive processes involved in "reading…

The reading and writing abilities of children work together from the inception of thought to produce literacy. Children can read and write for learning and enjoyment. Each activity enhances the other's development at all levels, thus, writing should not be held back until reading is accomplished at a set level. Children come to school rich in…

To add a foundation to the growing excitement among educators about the central role they play in helping learners become strategic readers, the articles in this thematic journal provide insight into current reading theory and practice. Richard Telfer's article reviews research on strategic reading and clarifies what is meant by the phrase…