In this article, the author examines Louise Rosenblatt's "Literature as Exploration," a popular textbook used since 1938 (in five successive editions) in high school English classrooms across America. He discusses how the one-time college roommate of Margaret Mead managed to transform teaching literature into a form of student therapy that…

Describes discussion practices recommended in 15 postprimary reading methods textbooks published before and after 1970. Focuses analysis on (1) function of textbook in discussion; (2) questioning-discussion relationship; and (3) teacher-student relationship in discussions. Finds that earlier authors granted texts more status as arbiters of ideas…

Intended to help teachers both improve students' text comprehension and better understand the teaching-learning process involved, this book focuses on comprehension and concept development as the central core of an effective educational program. The book's five sections deal with teaching explicit comprehension skills, precomprehension and…