Teaching Literacy for Love and Wisdom

This powerful book lays out an inspiring new vision for the teaching of English, building on themes central to Wilhelm’s influential "You Gotta BE The Book." With this new work, Wilhelm and Novak challenge business as usual in the language arts. They call for nothing short of a revolution in our understanding of the aims and methods of the English classroom, showing what English can do for democratic life, inside and outside of classrooms. With moving portraits of teachers and students, as well as practical strategies and advice, they provide a roadmap to educational transformation far beyond the field of English that will be of interest to a wide audience of teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and educational leaders. Videos and written materials from the conference launching this book, along with ongoing discussion and commentary can be found at www.aepl.org/2011conference.

Essential questions explored by Teaching Literacy for Love and Wisdom:

• Why is what English teachers do so often underestimated?
• How can we teach literature in a way that fully taps into its transformative power?
• How can we artfully teach all subjects, at all levels, for personal wisdom, democratic community, and social and ecological justice?

Jeffrey D. Wilhelm is an internationally known teacher, author, presenter, National Writing Project director, and distinguished professor of English Education at Boise State University. He is the coauthor of Teaching Literacy for Love and Wisdom: Being the Book and Being the Change and The Activist Learner: Inquiry, Literacy, and Service to Make Learning Matter.

“If you yearn, as I do, for an education that encourages students to come alive to themselves, to others, and to the world, you must read this book.”
—Parker J. Palmer, bestselling author

“Reminds me as nothing else has lately what it means to be an English teacher.”
—Jim Burke, founder, English Companion Ning

“The authors not only describe the future of English Studies, but its best current practices and its deep historical legacy. This book is more than prophetic: It’s necessary.”
—Robert Inchausti, California Polytechnic State University