English Updates. April 18, 2007. Archives.

Archives
Curriculum….. Research….. How begin the process of action research? Begin action research with a question. Read background information. Then plan the study. Review of Taking Action with Teacher Research. E Meyers & F Rust (Eds.), 2003. Book consists of reports of action research. JAAL (May 05), 717-718.

Curriculum….. Schools….. What do most Americans want in their schools? “Americans seem to want schools to be more or less like the schools they attended." Yagelski. EngEd (July 05), 267.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. What is the definition of “praxis”? Praxis: intersections between theory and practice. H. Roskelly. EngEd (July 05), 288.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. How should teachers reflect on their teaching? Encourage teachers to journal about, take notes on and ask themselves questions about their own learning experiences.” G Brent. EngEd (July 05), 300.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. How do students learn best? “Students learn best when they find their own experience useful to their learning.” H Roskelly. EngEd (July 05), p. 289. “Students learn best when they feel confident and when they find a reason to learn.” H Roskelly. EngEd (July 05), p. 289. Students learn best when they discover the relationship between personal experience and public knowledge.” H Roskelly. EngEd (July 05), p. 289.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. What should teachers’ attitude be toward their students? “We are not gatekeepers; we are gate openers” Yagelski. EngEd (July 05), 268.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. How help students summarize the class at the end of each period? Creates “exit slips.” With 10 minutes before the end of class asks students to respond to a prompt related to the objective for the class period. Students turn their “exit slips” in to the teacher as they exit the classroom. B Wagner. CN+ (Aug. 05), 1-3.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. How should teachers work with the published programs they are required to use in their classrooms? Modify them according to their strengths and shortcomings to meet the needs of your particular group of students. Dudley-Marling, C. RTE (Aug. 05), 129.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. How are teachers responding to the emphasis on high-stakes testing? What we received were articles about the strategies teachers are using to resist the priorities of high-stakes testing and the loss of their professional autonomy.” Editors. LA (Jan. 05), 167

Curriculum….. Teaching….. What are the roles that teachers must play with their students? “Instead of being a coach, a trusted elder, who would guide my young students into the world of reading, I became their examiner and their judge.” K Bomer. LA (Jan. 05), 171. [The fact is, teachers need to be both “coach” and judge. Can’t get around it. Ray.]

Cur Teaching In what way should students never be identified? “A child should never be known by a number or a test score….” K Bomer. LA (Jan. 05), 168-176.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. How would you characterize a world without art, music and literature? When the teacher raised the issue of dropping art and music from the curriculum because of budgetary reasons, one student said that would be OK, he could enjoy them on his own, he didn’t need classes in art and music. Students debated with him. The question came up, “What would the world be like without art, music and literature?” The teacher proceeded to take down all of the posters in the room, dropping them on the floor, leaving the classroom bare. The students recognized his point: “…you are showing us what the world would be like without music, art and writing. It would be a hospital.” The author is dramatizing the art of the teachable moment.” KF Carter. EJ (Jan. 05), 15-16.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. What is teaching all about? “It’s about loving to teach and loving to learn.” L J Rodriguez. EJ (Jan. 05), 45.

Curriculum….. Teaching….. What are the effects of the inquiry approach to teaching? Article on “realistic math” as taught in Holland. Based on selected problems that deal with real situations. But “teaching” means turning the students loose to figure out how to solve the problems themselves. RW Case. MathTchr (Feb. 05), 374-382.

MathTchr = Mathematics Teacher. EJ = English Journal. LA = Language Arts. RTE = Research in the Teaching of English. CN+ = Classroom Notes Plus. EngEd = English Education. JAAL = Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy.