ERIC Number: ED029039
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1968
Reference Count: N/A
Ideal Designs for English Programs. Educational Comment/1968.
Zimmerman, Howard C., Ed.
The nine essays in this document are concerned with "what, ideally, should make well-balanced, efficient programs in English for students in grades 9-12 in the comprehensive secondary schools of the future." James Sledd maintains that leaving teachers free to guide students in reading good books and in writing is more important to a successful curriculum than any "mechanical junk about cumulation and integration and sequentiality." Neil Postman states that a curriculum should produce good learners, i.e., people good at asking questions and solving problems. William W. West suggests principles around which to organize the curriculum. A rotating unit approach is proposed by R. Baird Shuman and a modular English program by J. N. Hook. Joseph Mersand presents a thematic organization in which language, literature, and composition can be unified. These three aspects of English are then treated individually by Donald F. Sattler. Herbert H. Sandberg stresses articulation between elementary and secondary curriculums. Finally, conceptions of the discipline of English, typical approaches of conceptions of the discipline of English, typical approaches to English curriculums, and guidelines for evaluating curriculum designs. (JS)
Descriptors: English Curriculum, English Departments, English Instruction, Language, Literature, Problem Solving, Reading, Secondary Education, Units of Study, Writing (Composition), Writing Skills
Editor, Educational Comment, College of Education, The University of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft Street, Toledo, Ohio 43606 (Free single copy; $1.00 per copy for class set)
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: Toledo Univ., OH. Coll. of Education.