English 6920, Fall 2026
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 MA teacher certification program. The seminar will work closely with the intern teaching placement and draw on the interests and knowledge of the students.
I am honestly really interested in learning from each other. Since we are all placed in different grades and schools, I am really looking forward to hearing how everyone's mentor teachers work, what succeeds and what fails, and ideas on how to navigate difficult challenges. I hope to have open dialogue about our experience and reading, where the focus is on actually learning something and not just finishing an assignment. - Janine
This semester our seminar content also emerges from recent books in the field of English education, books that the students helped the professor select. A common theme in these texts is critical pedagogy.
Critical pedagogy breaks down the separation between the world and the classrom and rethinks the relationship between teachers and students. Drawing on a wide range of cultural materials, including traditional literary works, multicultural and young adult literature, and visual, digital, and media texts. We can examine how texts and writing can help student more critically understand and shape the world.
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 find ways to develop the freedom they need to prepare their students as global citizens in an unfinished democracy threatened by demogoguery, inequality, and global warming.
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.
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 "Writing/Righting Our Place" and held on Friday, October 16 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing (Parking $2/hour). Register before Sept 18 and the cost for students is $75; after Sept 19 the cost is $85. (Teachers pay $160 or $180.) 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 19-22 in Philadelphia, PA. 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
Since the seminar is discussion-based, attendance and preparation are essential to your own learning and to the learning of your classmates. Missing any seminars will impact your learning. Missing more two seminar meetings may lower your grade and missing more than three may lead to failing. Study my philosophy regarding discussion, preparation, participation, attendance, grading, and learning -- and consider your own philosophy!
Your final course grade will be an average of grades for the major assignments, listed and weighted below.
This course will follow WMU policies regarding academic honesty.
The WMU Student Success Hub has many resources to support students including counseling resources.
At WMU, one out of every ten students were born in another country. More than 94 countries are represented on the WMU campus. Wherever you or your family are from, WMU affirms that you are welcome here. I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure that every student, regardless of immigration status, is safe in this classroom. I will not create or maintain records that could be used by federal agencies to implicate members of our community as undocumented. I will not allow ICE or other groups into the classroom without an official signed judicial warrant and consult with campus safety. WMU provides links to Know Your Rights and legal support. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Coalition also offers a preparation guide in many languages to individuals and families who may face threats of arrest, detention, and deportation.
My office is 723 Sprau Tower. Office hours are before and after class and by appointment. You can always reach me via email.
Reading
White, Shelbie, Ed. Writing Can Change Everything: Middle Level Kids Writing Themselves into the World. NCTE Press(2020).
Spinner, Beth. Encouraging Activism in Secondary English: Reading and Writing for Social Justice. Bloomsbury Press (2025).
Steelman, Sheridan. Walking in Shakespeare's Shoes: Connecting His World and Ours Using Primary Sources. NCTE Press (2022).
Kist, William & Mary Christel, Eds. Bringing Critical Media Literacy into ELA Classrooms. NCTE Press (2022).
Major Assignments
Class Participation - Attendance, reading, preparation, and joining class discussion. (20%)
Written Homework Assignments (30%)
Google Slide Presentations (20%)
Attending a Professional Teacher Conference. (10%)
Final Essay (20%)
Syllabus
Sep 3: Introductions
1. Introductions & join our class Group Me.
3. In Class Read: Melissa Reid Case Study & This Is the Solution to America's Literacy Crisis.
Sep 10: Introduction to Critical Pedagogy
1. Bring any questions about the syllabus and assignments to class.
2. Join NCTE and subscribe to the English Journal.
3. Sign up and put on your calendar the MCTE Fall Conference in Lansing Friday, 7:30-3:30, October 16 and/or the NCTE National Conference in Philadelphia, November 16 to 19.4. Read: Carefully read Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Chapter 2 (1968).
5. Write a 1-2 page summary of Freire's argument (at least mostly) in your own words.
Sep 17: Writing Can Change Everything
Sep 24: Writing Can Change Everything III'm really interested in teaching middle school and have my internship in sixth grade. A book about engaging middle schoolers in writing through a creative lens would be really beneficial. - Ella1. Read: Writing Can Change Everything, Chapters 1-3 (Just glance at the Introduction, perhaps after reading the chapters).
2. Write: A couple of paragraphs about each chapter.
I really want to focus on writing. I feel like it is the area I feel the least prepared to address with students and this book could help to rectify that! It seems to have lots of resources and focuses on the joy and justice we have talked a lot about already! It could be a nice addition to the foundation we have built in our past education courses! - Janine1. Read: Writing Can Change Everything, Chapters 4-6 and Conclusion.
2. Write: A couple of paragraphs about each chapter.
Oct 1: Responding to Student Writing
1. Read The Process Theory of Composition
2. Read summary of Sharing and Responding (Elbow & Belanoff).
3. Find a sample of student writing from your internship, remove the name. Drawing on Elbow and Beleanoff, and your own thinking, respond to that piece, give it a grade, and then also write about how you responded and why. Prepare to share with the class, perhaps as a Google Slide.
Oct 8: Encouraging Activism
This book seems awesome! I feel very passionate about social justice, and plan to have that ingrained within my classroom. I also really like how this text provides books, and tools on how to engage students on social justice issues. -Abigail1. Read: Encouraging Activism, Chapters 1 & 2.
2. Write a couple of pages about these chapters.
Oct 15: Encouraging Activism II
I would love to read this for class!! So many of the students in Fires in Our Lives by Cushman emphasized how important it is to them to have opportunities to get involved in important issues and have their voices heard. I would love to center ways that students can engage with activism in the context of an ELA classroom. - Ella1. Study one of the remaining Chapters (3-5). Create Google Slides to present about the chapter in detail.
Oct 16 MCTE Conference, 7:30-3:00 Lansing
Oct 21-23 Fall Break
Oct 29: Teaching Shakespeare
I am very passionate about making Shakespeare accessible and exciting to students, as I feel like a lot of the reason they don't like it is because they struggle to understand and feel disconnected from the text. This book seems to offer ways to incorporate Shakespeare into the classroom so that it is interesting and engaging for students. Shakespeare is also a requirement in almost all high schools so it would be nice to have some base knowledge about how to go about teaching it! - Janine1. Read. Walking in Shakespeare's Shoes Introduction, Chapter 1, Appendix B, and study the website: ShakespeareDocuments.info
2. Write at a couple of paragraphs about your experiences with Shakespare in school - draw on on the different approaches Steelman describes. Then write at least a page about the other approaches you have not yet experienced and what you might gain from them. Lastly, a paragrah about the website.
3. Read: Letter to First-Year Teacher.
Nov 5:Shakespeare II
I have never actually put a focus on teaching Shakespeare in my methods courses. I have always known that to be a missing piece. Shakespeare is the most taught author in the high school curriculum. Yet Shakespeare is hard to teach! Many give up and just show films or parts of films. It is past time for one of my methods classes to finally put Shakespeare on the table. - Allen1: Read: Walking in Shakespeare's Shoes Appendix C. and a chapter of choice.
2. Prepare a careful Google slide presentation on your chapter for the class.
Nov 12: Critical Media Literacy
I think teaching media literacy to youth is a huge part of teaching English. We are teaching students how to analyze and critically think about literature, which in turn can be transferred to media. Although I think this book would give me more insights on practical tools of how to implement that. - Abigail1. Read: From Critical Media Literacy, pp 11-18, 33-39, 46-52, 53-59, 60-67, 67-72.
2. Write a couple of pages of your thoughts and analysis of these chapters.
Nov 19: The Writing Workshop?
Nov 19-22 NCTE Conference, Philadelphia, PA
Nov 25: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Dec 3: Critical Media Literacy II
This book's focus on teaching civic literacy is crucial for us as educators to be knowledgeable about. I also appreciate how the author includes a focus on getting the community involved in the classroom. There is no better way to get students civically engaged then through their own community! -Abby1. Read: A chapter about your genre of choice,: social media, music, video, movies, digital games, fan dom.
2. Create some Goodle slides to both describe this approach and put forward a lesson or lessons you would like to try based on the chapter.
Dec 10: Prepare Final Essay
1. Bring to class ideas and matrials for the Final Project
Dec 14-15: Finals Week
Dec 16 Wed 1:15-2:30 Intern Panel 3045 Brown
Dec 17 12:30-2:30 Final Exam (Instead attend Intern Panel) Final Essay Due