A probing and absorbing look at teaching of high school English…
Guttridge’s latest book is an astute collection of eight scholarly essays in the teaching of high school English. With his decades of experience in teaching English literature, Gutteridge demonstrates a strong grasp of what works or doesn’t in the classroom. “The View from Darien: The Drama of Literature in the High School Classroom – Part 1 The English Quarterly XV, 1(Spring 1982)” addresses the most significant question—how does a successful teacher consistently and systematically achieve the highest cognitive and affective goals—goals which often prove to be elusive for many teachers who care but find it hard to cope. Because even if all the variables (the teacher’s personality, style, the methodology, the course of study, the school atmosphere among others) are favorable, the possibility of failure is still there to rule it out completely. In “The Subject-Centred Curriculum: Last Chance or Lost Cause? English Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 4 (Fall, 1971),” Gutteridge makes an argument in favour of a subject-centred school curriculum, insisting teachers must breathe new life into their methods and procedures and adapt to change where necessary without losing sight of the worthwhile goals implicit in a discipline-centered form of education. In “The Process of Reading Fiction: A Modest Hypothesis Indirections I6, 3, September 1991,” he ponders the question of ‘what goes on in the mind of a reader as he or she is ‘reading’ an aesthetic text for the first time: moment-by-moment and unencumbered by explicit pedagogical constraint?’ Though many articles are decade-old, the book makes for a valuable guidebook for teachers at any stage of their career, from beginners to experienced. Filled with eye-opening insights, practical tips, and handy examples, the book will engage new teachers to think and grow as a professional.
The View from Darien
Essays in the Teaching of High School English: Motive and Method
Professor Don Gutteridge
Coming soon
