English Journal, Vol. 102, No. 3, January 2013

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Mentoring and Teacher Development

• Call for Manuscripts [FREE ACCESS]

• From the Editor [FREE ACCESS]

  Ken Lindblom

• High School Matters: “Juggling 400 Oranges”: Calling All Mentor Teachers

  Christian Z. Goering

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  Abstract: Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.

• EJ in Focus: Webs of Support for Learning to Teach English Together [FREE ACCESS]

  Thomas M. McCann, Guest Editor

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  Abstract: While the journey to becoming an English teacher can be a haphazard and trying experience, a lot of people can help along the way, and beginners can do much to helpthemselves.

• Strengthening New Teacher Agency through Holistic Mentoring

  Deborah Bieler

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  Abstract: If emerging teachers are going to be something more than technicians, they need to reflect on their instructional worldviews, the mission of schools, and their role as autonomousprofessionals.

• The Wish List: Articulating and Responding to New Teachers’ Concerns

  Erinn Bentley with Allison Morway and Tammie Short

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  Abstract: Although it is possible to cite general trends about the concerns of beginning teachers, each beginner will have specific needs and questions.

• Questioning and Inquiry in Mentoring New Teachers of English: A Focus on Learners

  Steven Z. Athanases

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  Abstract: An important developmental shift for new teachers moves them away from a focus on self and toward a focus on learners.

• Collaborative Co-Mentoring for the Novice and the Experienced English Teacher

  Steven T. Bickmore

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  Abstract: If the experience of teaching is going to keep newly minted teachers committed to the profession, they will have to find ways to break away from the traditional isolationof teaching.

• Give Them Something to Talk About: The Role of Dialogue in Mentoring Relationships [FREE ACCESS]

  Dawan Coombs and Kate Goodwin

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  Abstract: An effective mentor/protégé relationship is essentially dialogical.

• Forming University and Teacher Partnerships in an Effort to Reframe and Rethink Mentoring Programs

  Megan Guise

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  Abstract: Instead of thinking about teacher development as a series of discrete stages, mentors in schools and universities might re-conceptualize the process as a continuum, with thefaculty involved in the preparation continuing a partnership to support the development of beginners in the schools.

• Distributed Mentoring: Designing Contexts for Collective Support of Teacher Learning

  Debi Khasnabis, Catherine H. Reischl, Melissa Stull, and Timothy Boerst

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  Abstract: In contrast to a conventional conception of mentoring as a one-to-one relationship, a model of distributed mentoring taps into the combined knowledge and wisdom of a teamto focus attention on the quality of instructional practices and the processes involved in problem solving.

• “Working with my mentor is like having a second brain/hands/feet/eyes”: Perceptions of Novice Teachers

  Carol Gilles, Lina Trigos Carrillo, Yang Wang, Jenny Stegall, and Barri Bumgarner

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  Abstract: If new teachers are going to do more than endure a rocky start, they need to develop a deep understanding about learners and about teaching their own discipline effectively.

• With a Little Help from Their Friends: Making the Transition from Student to Teacher [FREE ACCESS]

  Susan Spangler

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  Abstract: A university’s seminar model suggests the design of a collaborative structure that promotes team sharing and problem solving.

• Creating a Breathing Space: An Online Teachers’ Writing Group

  Christine M. Dawson, Eleanor Liu Robinson, Kelly Hanson, Jillian VanRiper, and Christina Ponzio

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  Abstract: A mentoring relationship that began as part of teacher preparation can evolve into a professional community that stays connected through several means of communication.

• Why Do New Teachers Leave? How Could They Stay?

  Elaine Simos

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  Abstract: An effective mentor program matters a great deal. Such a program must focus consistently on professional development, extend the work begun at the university, andconnect newcomers to a professional learning community.

• Poem: Robot Max

  Michael Milburn

• Poem: Dying in the Wine Dark Sea

  Richard Roundy

• Poem: Questions

  Greg Overman

• Poem: They Never Called Home

  Scott Hebenstreit

• Mentoring Matters: Preparing Beginning Teachers for Hard Conversations

  Anne Elrod Whitney and Nicole Olcese

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  Abstract: "Mentoring Matters" focuses on effective ways to support new English teachers and student teachers.

• Off the Shelves: “History with Feelings”: Nonfiction Titles for Teens [FREE ACCESS]

  Mark Letcher

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  Abstract: "Off the Shelves" discusses new young adult literature and explores ways of teaching YA texts in middle and high school English classes.

• Research for the Classroom: Mini Vocabulary Lessons for Maximum Recall

  Deanne Sovereen

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  Abstract: "Research for the Classroom" publishes mini-studies of ELA classroom practices and suggests ways in which high school and middle school English teachers may study the effectiveness of their pedagogy.

• Teaching Young Adult Literature: “Change” as an Interdisciplinary Theme: YA Literature in the Content Areas

  Kelly Byrne Bull, Margaret Dulaney, Cheryl North-Coleman, Jeffrey Kaplan, and Lois Stover

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  Abstract: "Teaching Young Adult Literature" describes innovative methods for engaging students in reading, writing, and discussing contemporary and classic literary texts written for adolescents.

• Success with ELLs: Assessing ELL Students in Mainstream Classes: A New Dilemma for the Teachers

  Nilufer Guler

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  Abstract: "Success with ELLs" suggests effective approaches to teaching English language learners in ways that can be of benefit to all students in  mainstream middle and high school English classes.

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