NYSEC Record Call for Papers
Tim Fredrick
Spring/Summer 2006 Deadline for submissions: 6/1/06
Testing, Testing, 1... 2…3: High Stakes Testing and the ELA Classrooms of the 21st Century
High stakes testing seems to have become
the bane of the English teacher's existence. Can we work with
the tests and use them to enrich our classrooms. Or, has the inclusion
of such behemoths destroyed our curriculum and the potential joy of
teaching/learning English altogether? What are the ramifications
of such assessments beyond the English classroom?
How are the current tests and standards affecting students in Special
Education or those students who are English Language Learners? Is there
life beyond testing?
October 2006 Conference Issue: Deadline for submissions 9/1/06
Words – Purveyors of Hope
Consider words, those we speak to our students and those read in the books we teach. Do these words carry a message of hope? Do our words give students the confidence to rise above the difficulties life presents to them? Whether one is a man or a woman, a person of color, of a faith not ours, a level of income more or less than ours, a sexual persuasion that is different, challenged or brilliant, each of these differences can become obstacles between people. The words we choose to speak and teach must carry a message of hope that the problems encountered in life can be overcome. Because the world is difficult to navigate alone, we must work to encourage hopefulness in our students. Please submit your research, poems, stories, lessons, and artwork on the message of hope in the classroom.
Winter 2006: Deadline for submissions 12/20/06
Gender in the Classroom
The ever changing dynamics of gender roles in our society must certainly be reflected in not only the ways our students approach literature, but also in the ways genders are represented in modern literature and the manner in which educators plan their presentations. As times have changed, how can teachers help students to understand women such as Lady Macbeth or Blanche, from A Streetcar Named Desire? Are women authors represented and valued as integral parts of our curricula? Consider the challenges in teaching a novel dominated by male characters to a mixed gender classroom. How do we ensure that all students are involved and feel included in the exploration of such a text? What are effective ways of introducing and exploring literature centered around or told from the point of view of a female character? What happens when such a book is presented to an entirely male class? In addition to tackling the gender issues within literature and in presenting gender specific texts, what role does gender play in the classroom? Do boys and girls respond differently to texts? to teachers? to each other? Please share experiences, techniques, effective lesson plans, and research on related subjects.