Introduces a large, long-term project on the professional practice of eighteenth-century studies in America that seeks to contribute not only to the study of the period specialty but also to that emerging scholarly activity known as "professionalism." (EL)

Reviews a book entitled "Secret Writing: Keys to the Mysteries of Reading and Writing" and presents exercises from the book that are designed to improve students' reading and writing skills. (DF)

Argues that students should be encouraged to want to know more than is necessary merely to accumulate credit hours, pass tests, and hold jobs. Discusses how St. Petersburg Junior College has reworked its curriculum to emphasize the humanities. (SRT)

Four contributors discuss methods of integrating speech communication instruction with English and writing instruction. (SRT)

Discusses shifts in language/composition research over the past 20 years as they relate to an emerging consensus about English teaching. (SRT)

Provides a background of response theory, two Canadian perspectives on response theory, a description of transactional response theory and response-centered curriculum, a discussion of the concepts of participant and spectator roles in literature and of the idea of narration and storying as literature, and a discussion of analysis and criticism.…

Offers five axioms that express a philosophy of technical English and describe a perception of language use that is considerably different from that of literary English. Concludes that the study of English should include much more than just the study of literature. (SRT)

Describes one English teacher's search for the "scholarly artisan" among his technical students in a two-year college and how the search has changed the attitude with which he approaches his classes. (HTH)

Distinguishes between Stanley Fish's idea of interpretive communities and rhetorical communities and asserts that because language is the passport to these communities, schools should seek ways to help students enter the communities to which they seek access. Cites evidence from an international study of writing to support the idea of rhetorical…

This study of 15 comprehensive schools in Scotland showed that the higher the average ability level of a school, the higher was the achievement in English and arithmetic of individual pupils of different levels of ability, even after controlling for effects attributable to the pupils' individual characteristics. (Author/RM)

Describes assessment techniques for accommodating various facets of the process approach to teaching writing. Includes rating scales, self-evaluations, peer evaluations, holistic scoring, and team grading. (EL)

An Australian language curriculum development project is examined for insights into approaching future national curriculum development efforts, focusing on coordination and management needs and appropriate patterns for the involvement and development of teachers. (MSE)

Describes teaching a unit on Appalachia in a six-week winter elective. Describes studying the people, coal mining, crafts, music, religion, and folklore of the region. (EL)

Presents arguments to researching response to poetry that attempts to track the process as it occurs. Describes procedures designed to ensure that the responses that are recorded come close to representing the process by which adolescent readers go about making sense of a poem. (EL)

Comments on how language should be taught, language as an evolving medium, and the purpose of language to express meaning. Notes limitations of the Minimum Competency Test and mentions how adoption of Paideia Proposal suggestions might affect language study. (MH)