Peter Smagorinsky just posted this to the xmca list, and I thought CASLL folks might be interested in it -- both because they may be interested in submitting work, and also because it's news to see _RTE_ going in this direction. Good news, I think. -- Russ ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- From: Peter Smagorinsky <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Call for Manuscripts Date sent: Wed, 31 Jul 96 07:25:26 -0500 Call for Manuscripts by the New Editors of Research in the Teaching of English Peter Smagorinsky (University of Oklahoma) and Michael W. Smith (Rutgers University) are happy to announce that effective immediately we will be co-editors of Research in the Teaching of English (RTE) for the remaining two years of the present editorial term. RTE is published by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), an organization of roughly 90,000 teachers of English, Language Arts, ESL/EFL, and related fields. Our vision of what "research in the teaching of English" means is broad and inclusive. As teachers (each of us taught high school English for over ten years before we began teaching in universities), we have been influenced by a broad spectrum of research. As researchers, we have considered a range of questions and have used a number of different approaches in our attempts to answer those questions. As editors, we are committed to publishing manuscripts that maintain RTE's tradition of excellence while reflecting the diversity of sites, methodological perspectives, and ontological orientations that have newly enriched literacy studies in recent years. We invite manuscripts that will help us to fulfill this commitment. Research in the Teaching of English A Definition of Terms Research: In the last ten years, conceptions of what constitutes research have changed. Bruner, Wells, and others, for instance, have argued that narrative should be regarded on equal footing with traditional analytic approaches as a way of understanding and relating human experience. This belief has become institutionally embedded in NCTE, with such memoirs as Mike Rose's Lives on the Boundary and Victor Villanueva's Bootstraps being awarded the Council's highest research awards. Teacher-research is gaining in stature, with Cochran-Smith and Lytle among others arguing that its emic (insider's) orientation provides important insights into situated classroom practices. These two movements are indicative of the reconsideration taking place in the field of education about the nature of what we call research and how we conduct and write about it. In our own editing of RTE, we wish to embrace multiple approaches to conducting research. In addition to traditional analytic approaches, we wish to consider teacher-research, historical articles, narratives, and other modes and genres through which researchers are now conducting inquiries. We also would like to publish data-driven conceptual articles, review articles that use prior research to gain new perspectives on important issues, and articles that make theoretical arguments about research methodology. in: Discussions of the name of RTE often overlook this preposition. Research in the Teaching of English suggests that the research reported in RTE should be something that takes place in English classes. With so much research pointing to the importance of understanding literacy practices in many contexts, we question whether we should limit the research published in this journal to that which is conducted exclusively in English classes. Heath's Ways with Words exemplifies a research tradition that identifies the ways in which students' community literacy experiences affect their success in performing according to school standards. This tradition suggests the need to look outside schools to understand the processes that take place within them. Additionally, there is a growing body of research on professional development--including research on preservice and inservice (e.g., National Writing Project) programs--that is critical to an understanding of the ways in which disciplinary knowledge is constructed and classroom practices are ultimately carried out. Our conception of RTE would encompass research that informs the teaching of English, thus including any investigation in any site that helps to account for literacy development. This new focus could conceivably include investigations of literacy practices that take place in disciplines other than English, in communities of practice that include out-of-school adults, or in other venues that are not "in" conventional sites for studying "English." the Teaching: These terms evoke the image of the certified teacher at work in the classroom. And we anticipate that studies set in classrooms will remain central in RTE's contributions to literacy research. Yet many people serve as teachers. Vygotsky, in his conception of the zone of proximal development, puts teachers and more capable peers in the same category in providing assistance to learners. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Early Adolescent English/Language Arts document requires that their certification candidates specify the ways in which they learn from their students, thus blurring the distinction between a teacher and a learner. Wertsch and others have discussed the importance of "distant teachers," those who write books and otherwise provide learning tools for those with whom they are not in immediate contact. Furthermore, a focus on Teaching suggests a top-down instructional process, an imbalance in the relationship between the actions of teachers and learners. A reconception of the idea of teaching would include attention to the diverse people and resources that can serve instructional roles, whether in schools or out, whether adult or child. Such a reconception would emphasize the experiences of learners in a teaching relationship. of English: The terms "of English" are problematic to many for the ways in which they imply an emphasis on secondary and college English classes--that is, distinct classes that focus exclusively on the three traditional strands of literature, composition, and language. One problem with this designation is the apparent exclusion of Language Arts instruction in elementary school, which attends to the same areas yet is not segregated in a discrete class or identified by a specific language. Although RTE has traditionally published articles that focus on elementary school Language Arts, the journal's title does not invite them. A related problem is the apparent exclusion of the development of literacy skills in community life, the work force, and other arenas relevant to understanding processes that take place in schools. Additionally, the designation of "English" appears to exclude research in language development more broadly construed, particularly ESL/EFL instruction--and, from an international perspective, language arts studies in tongues other than English. In our editing of the journal we will welcome articles that inquire into literacy issues regardless of the language spoken, the nation of investigation, the site of teaching and learning, or the discipline that grounds the problem. Call for Manuscripts We welcome any manuscript that meets the vision we have outlined here. If you are uncertain about the fit of your work, please contact Peter Smagorinsky ([log in to unmask], or 405-325-3533) or Michael Smith ([log in to unmask], or 908-932-7496, ext. 120) and discuss your questions with one of us. Although we edit the journal as a partnership, we have decided to channel all manuscripts through a single institution to facilitate the efficiency of our record-keeping. Please submit all articles to the University of Oklahoma, following which your work will be assigned to an editor who will oversee the review of the manuscript. Follow the APA Publication Manual's guidelines for the format of conventional research reports. For articles written in other genres, use the APA citation format and explain in a cover letter what you are trying to achieve through the structure you've chosen. To have your article reviewed for publication in RTE, send to the following address: six copies of your manuscript printed back-to-back; sufficient postage for mailing manuscripts to four reviewers; and a self-addressed, stamped manilla envelope if you wish to have a copy of your manuscript returned to you. Peter Smagorinsky Co-Editor, Research in the Teaching of English University of Oklahoma College of Education Department of Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum 820 Van Vleet Oval Norman, OK 73019-0260 [log in to unmask]