Fresh Takes on Teaching Literary Elements

Dr. Jeffrey Wilhelm is an internationally-known teacher, author, and presenter. His interests include team teaching, co-constructing inquiry-driven curriculum with students, and pursuing teacher research. His recent research agenda includes studying how student reading, writing, and thinking can be supported through the use of art, drama, and technology. Most recently, he studied adolescent boys and their reading, attitudes, aspirations, and the school opportunities available to them for actualizing and performing different ways of being literate. He is particularly interested in supporting the learning of students who are often considered to be reluctant or resistant. 

Michael W. Smith, professor in the College of Education at Temple University and a former high school teacher for 11 years, has written a wide variety of articles and chapters as well as more than a dozen books, including Authorizing Readers: Resistance and Respect in the Teaching of Literature (with Peter Rabinowitz) and Understanding Unreliable Narrators.