English language arts : a critical introduction / Julie Gorlewski.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

What does it mean to teach English language arts? -- Who are learners and teachers, really? -- Curriculum in English classrooms : who should decide? -- How can we teach texts in context? -- Writing : who can be an author? -- The politics of teaching : are teachers agents of the state or agents of change?

"English Language Arts offers both undergraduates and starting-graduate students in education an introduction to the connections that exist between language arts and a critical orientation to education. Language, as a component of culture, influences all aspects of education. English teachers have a unique responsibility, and a real obligation, to create opportunities for learners to cultivate literacy practices that will empower them to reach their potential. Applying critical and theoretical perspectives to teaching English language arts, Julie Gorlewski considers how meanings are made in intersecting spaces of learners, teachers, and texts. This book reveals both the inherently political nature of teaching and the essential possibilities of transformation that exist in the praxis of theory and practice. Also included are extension questions to further learning, and a glossary of key terms"-- Provided by publisher.