Student-Centered Language Arts, K-12
by James Moffett, Betty Jane Wagner
Category: Language Arts & Disciplines

This is the fourth edition of James Moffett's seminal text, first published in 1968, which set forth the rationale and practices for the kind of individualized, interactive, integrative language learning environment that only today is coming into its own. It proposed whole language, collaborative learning, active learning, writing workshops, the process approach, student empowerment, portfolio assessment, and the substitution of children's literature for basal readers many years before these cornerstones of enlightened English language arts teaching became fashionable. The book is the centerpiece of life work devoted to curricular innovation and constitutes a truly original approach to the nature of discourse. It is cross-referenced to an equally original collection of anthologies that illustrate with both professional and student writing the reading, writing, talking, dramatizing repertories it stakes out--and to Moffett's other works that build on and extend this one. From the second edition on, the book has profited from the input of Betty Jane Wagner, a master teacher of teachers. Student-centered Language Art, K-12 is arguably the most comprehensive, practically detailed, and original textbook/resource book on English education. It covers theory and practice, elementary and secondary, drama, oral-language activities, and initial literacy as well as general reading and writing. Furthermore, verbal learning is placed in a social context and in the context of nonverbal media and arts that compete with and complement language. The authors have made this edition more compact by shifting some material to a new edition of Active Voice and by abridging matters that no longer need to bedealt with at length because the profession is catching up with the book. They have recast some matters to tie in with current vocabulary and understanding, and some practices have been updated to utilize current technology. In this fourth edition, the book is shorter in length but broader in perspective as it continues to break new ground to integrate language arts with other learning.