Rural Voices: Place-Conscious Education and the Teaching of Writing (Practitioner Inquiry, 25)

Featuring lively essays from rural elementary and secondary school teachers, this volume describes the theory and practice of place-conscious education -- using one's local place to build real, lasting connections to learning. The teachers describe the development and implementation of rich classroom writing programs that link learners with their rural communities and can serve as models for both public engagement and pedagogy. The outgrowth of research led by the National Writing Project and funded in part by the Annenberg Rural Challenge.\ Written for writing teachers by writing teachers, this book celebrates local knowledge and the engagement of teachers and students with their communities through writing. Ten members of the Nebraska Writing Project invite readers into their rural classrooms and communities to explore the rich writing and active citizenship that emerge when writing teachers embrace place-consciousness as a principle. Following the introduction, "Place-Conscious Education, Rural Schools, and the Nebraska Writing Project's Rural Voices, Country Schools Team" (Robert E. Brooke), the chapters are: (1) "Inviting Children into Community: Growing Readers and Writers in Elementary School" (Sandy Bangert, Robert E. Brooke); (2) "A Geography of Stories: Helping Secondary Students Come to Voice through Readings, People, and Place" (Phip Ross); (3) "A Sense of Place" (Sharon Bishop); (4) "'Common Threads': A Writing Curriculum Centered in Our Place" (Bev Wilhelm); (5) "Being an Adult in Rural America: Projects Connecting High School Students with Community Members" (Judith K. Schafer); (6) "What To Preserve in Rising City?: A Community Confronts the Economics of School Change" (Amy Hottovy); (7) "Career Education: Creating Personal and Civic Futures through Career Discernment" (Robyn A. Dalton); and (8) "Developing School/Community Connections: The Nebraska Writing Project's Rural Institute Program" (Carol MacDaniels, Robert E. Brooke). An afterword is "Mentoring: Learning about Place-Conscious Teaching" (Marian Matthews). (Contains 111 references and an index) (SV) Inviting children into community: growing readers and writers in elementary school / Sandy Bangert with Robert E. Brooke A geography of stories: helping secondary students come to voice through readings, people, and place / Phip Ross A sense of place / Sharon Bishop "Common threads": a writing curriculum centered in our place / Bev Wilhelm Being an adult in rural America: projects connecting high school students with community members / Judith K. Schafer What to preserve in rising city?: a community confronts the economics of school change / Amy Hottovy Career education: creating personal and civic futures through career discernment / Robyn A. Dalton Developing school/community connections: the Nebraska writing project's rural institute program / Carol MacDaniels with Robert E. Brooke Afterword: mentoring: learning about place-conscious teaching / Marian Matthews.