The appeal of the novel "The Red Badge of Courage" is both historical and universal. It is historical in its Civil War setting and universal in its relating of the experiences of a young man who is thrust into a situation he does not understand and cannot cope with. This collection of historical documents, collateral readings, and…

Between the 1820s and 1950s, the ideology affecting education reform can be described in terms of morality (Protestantism), nationhood (republicanism), and productivity (capitalism). This paper traces the metamorphosis of the triad of values as it is reflected in the violence and teacher images portrayed in three novels: (1) "The Hoosier…

This curriculum project, a lesson plan for a thematic literary study of war and its effects, has five goals: (1) to have students read various selections of literature on the theme of war from both the Middle East and the West; (2) to teach students to analyze the differences and similarities between wars fought in the Middle East as compared to…

The first section of this two-part document, The Hermeneutic Struggle: A Teaching Method, explores the author's pedagogical explanation of a hermeneutic approach to teaching philosophy. According to the article, the teacher should come to the classroom and be able to approach the subject matter from the perspective of the beginner, yet, at the…

Suggests that the works of Willa Cather can be used to introduce students to the skills and outlooks needed to read literature. (JL)

Surveys the opportunities for research in lesbian literature. Notes the vast amount of basic work yet to be done in this field as a result of past neglect, the limited accessibility of biographical and resource materials on lesbian writers, and the negative effects of homophobia. (RL)

Notes the difficulties of getting students to respond to literature. Outlines an idealized conversation about a literary work, with some excerpts of the kinds of student-teacher exchanges that can occur. Offers a guide sheet for conducting such literary conversations. (RL)

Presents a potpourri of classroom techniques used by 28 teachers to develop skills in paragraph composition, public speaking, classroom discussion, the examination of specific literary works, and other language arts activities. (RL)

Questions some of the traditional assumptions regarding the necessity of objectivity and research in art education writing. Suggests a number of innovative approaches, including intentional ambiguity, determined analogy, myth, comic books, and intentional paradox. Maintains that art is subjective, and it should not try to imitate other…

Offers notes and anecdotes concerning an article on the "New York Times Book Review," marginally useful research, Denis Diderot and politics, peer review of journal articles, loss of valuable literary criticism manuscripts, social sciences education, great mathematician Paul Erdos, quality of political judgment, and creation education.…

Reviews "Quality Work with Young People" (John Huskins, 1996) and other writings of the 1990s concerned with outdoor adventure education, youth work, "risk," and risk management. Compares these works with those of the 1970s. Criticizes deterministic trends in adventure education "interventions" and the present-day…

Investigates how teaching and the teacher's role in elementary and secondary school writing classes have been conceptualized by leading workshop advocates. Uses M. Bakhtin's writing on F. Dostoevsky to develop a metaphor of the writing teacher as novelist. Argues that workshop visions of teaching and the teacher's role mystify meaning-making and…

Reviews some of the basic tenets of postmodernism's approach to art education and argues for a more tolerant and ubiquitous acceptance of these views. Postmodernists believe that art education should include cultural critique as well as aesthetic experience and that popular art measures culture in ways high art cannot. (MJP)

Features comments from Robert L. Hampel, William R. Johnson, Diane Ravitch, and David N. Plank on David Tyack and Larry Cuban's book, "Tinkering toward Utopia: A Century of Public School Reform." The book argues that educational reformers in the 20th century have attempted large-scale systemic reforms instituted from the top down. (MJP)

Presents a conceptual framework considered necessary for social scientists and policymakers in designing and implementing fair and effective affirmative action programs. It defines and contrasts affirmative action with equal opportunity and argues why affirmative action is necessary if organizations are to be fair. Supportive empirical literature…