Includes practical suggestions submitted by teachers concerning the use of student autobiographies in the reading lab, a sensible approach to inservice, critical reading instruction, and the development of a unit on planning a vacation. (MKM)

Excerpted from the second volume of his three-part autobiography, this essay describes B. F. Skinner's first year as a graduate student at Harvard University. Although he focuses on his study of psychology, particularly behaviorism, Skinner also discusses his interest in physiology. (JMD)

Discusses, from the perspective of the co-editor of the National Council of Teachers of English's annotated yearly booklist for high school students, new young adult literature and trends. Presents annotations of adolescent literature on hot topics (AIDS, abuse, death), choices and transitions, poetry, nonfiction, diversity issues, and historical…

Provides an annotated bibliography of autobiographical books (K-12) by children's authors and illustrators providing insight into the way writers and artists draw on their own lives for stories. Describes classroom activities in language arts for young and older students, highlights notable autobiographical collections and series, and lists 12…

The effects of an author, writing in the first person, on adolescents reading history textbooks were studied with six high school sophomores. Data from think-aloud protocols and semi-structured interviews show that students interacted with the "visible" author and engaged in mental conversations. (SLD)

Details the act of writing and publishing a literacy autobiography on the World Wide Web for an English course at a college located on a small island in the Bahamas. Notes that this activity gave geographically isolated writers an opportunity to consider the intricate powers of language and their space in the larger social and cultural influences…

Contends social workers can help elderly people, especially those over age 85, to deal with the struggle for integration and avoidance of despair by using autobiographical writing in group settings. Describes process of client selection, group process of writing, and outcomes. (ABL)

Uses an autobiographical account to draw attention to some of the traditions, histories, and cultures that position women primary teachers and their work in society. Makes a case for engaging teachers, particularly student teachers, in detailed autobiographical reflection to help them to make sense of their professional lives and to further their…

Describes how one English teacher used exciting and stimulating reading materials about the "old West," including excerpts from Davy Crockett's diary. Describes a series of interdisciplinary activities in which students examined Crockett's life in their English class and history class. (HB)

Increasingly, academic scholars are turning to personal and autobiographical writing as a more fulfilling form of self-expression, as illustrated by the career changes of nine women and one man. One critic finds the personal tone an evasion of politics and lacking in rigorous analysis. (MSE)

Finds that students understand reading and writing as demonstrations of what they know, with the purpose of giving teachers what they want, and the hope of getting an "A." Shows that they begin to believe themselves so incompetent that they no longer enjoy reading and writing; indeed, they read and write as little as possible. (SR)

Describes the confusion and sense of dislocation felt by one Chinese woman who entered the United States to begin graduate studies in English. Narrates how this feeling of dislocation motivated the woman to undertake a search for her "self," a process that shaped her as an individual and as a teacher. (HB)

Outlines the function of the "signifying monkey" in African American oral traditions. Focuses on vernacular discourse and African American personal narratives to discover linguistic and cultural features of African American students. Argues that these identity features be placed at the center of writing instruction for African Americans.…

Describes the Nebraska Literacy Project, a 5-week workshop for K-12 teachers modeled after the Nebraska Writing Project. Shows how teachers can encourage students to look closely at their own literacy histories and their daily practices as readers and writers. Presents the literacy histories as recorded by some participants. (HB)

Suggests that personal writing poses both opportunities and risks in writing classrooms. Discusses the experiences of two children in a fifth/sixth-grade writing process classroom. Notes that benefits of personal writing are opportunities for authenticity, finding voice, and a therapeutic value; whereas risks include coercion of students who are…