Theory and Practice of Teaching English

This graduate seminar provides a review of the theory and practice of teaching English to a cohort of future secondary English teachers in the WMU MAT teacher certification program. The seminar will interact with the intern teaching placement and draw on the rich and diverse backgrounds the MAT graduate students bring to the course.  

The seminar will be informed by a justice, inquiry, and action approach to teaching secondary English. In so doing we will address the range of responsbilities of a secondary language arts teacher, including theory and best practive of teaching, literature, writing, language, and speaking. We will learn about reform movements in the the teaching of English including reader response, the process theory of composition, digital literacy, critical pedagogy, and cultural studies.

(In this course the term "critical inquiry" is in the tradition of "critical theory," not the more abstracted, decontextualized, and superficial approach of "critical thinking skills." Likewise, the term "inquiry" is richer than the simpler, but also of value, expression "questioning strategies.")

In an era of anti-democratic governmentality, attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, efforts to ban books and limit curriculum, neoliberalism, standardized testing, the corporatization of curriculum, future teachers need to think critically, independently, and consider how to develop the freedom they need to prepare their students as global citizens in an unfinished democracy threatened by demogoguery, inequality, and global warming.

Justice, Inquiry, and Action

The starting point for a justice, inquiry, and action approach to teaching secondary English is engaging with critical issues in the world and in the lives of adolescents via relevant and meaningful thematic curriculum. In dialogue with student questions and interest, English language arts teachers should be able to bring together a wide range of cultural materials, including traditional works, multicultural and young adult literature, visual and media texts including film, and cultural and informational texts, and address what texts mean, as well as how they mean, in historical, cultural, political, and social contexts. A major assignment will be to create a unit plan with a justice, inquiry, and action approach.

In English 6920 teachers are considered to be transformative intellectuals, producers rather than transmitters of knowledge. More than simply being a reflective pracitioner who can rethink teaching practices in order to improve them, this course also aims to prepare you to be a critical practitioner, a teacher who leads inquiry into social, cultural, and ideological issues, and finds ways to support students acting upon what they learn. We will explore these skills in the real world context of the internships you are involved in.

Several areas of interest have already been identified in prior conversation, especially teaching in the era of artificial intelligence and tools like ChatGPT, and working with ELL students for whom English is a second language. Class time will be devoted to these topics and there will be assignments to develop creative and effective teaching in both areas.

Professional Involvement

Future English teachers should join NCTE, MCTE, and/or MRA and read regularly the English Journal or Voices from the Middle.

An important assignment in the class is to attend a professional teacher conference, and report on that to the rest of the class. This semester the ideal conference to attend is the Michigan Council of the Teachers of English (MCTE) Conference themed "Cultivating Voices in the English Classroom" and held on Friday, October 17 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing (Parking $2/hour). Register before Sept 13 and the cost for students is $60; after Sept 19 the cost is $75. (Teachers pay $155 or $175.) Must register by Oct 12. Attending the MCTE conference also gives you a 1-year membership in MCTE.

Students are also encouraged to attend the National Council of the Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference held this year Nov 20-23 in Denver, Colorado. If finances present a challenge, seek support and be creative, for example, the gofundme approach.

Especially in this era of increasing attacks on glbt students and teaching I recommend gay and straight future teachers join GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network.

Teachers need to be informed about the world. Students are expected to read regularly the New York Times and other sources. WMU provides a free NYT subscription. The Guardian is also a good news source, and can also be accessed for free.

Official information about the Michigan Teacher Certification test is available on the MTTC website.

Course Success