ABSTRACT
In this introductory chapter, the authors outline two major learning theories at play in North American schools that influence teaching. Then how approaches to teaching literature map on to these theories is shown. Then what the authors call a critical inquiry approach to teaching literature—an approach that regards learning as dialogic; literacy as multiple, socially embedded practices; and teaching as a process of exploring texts alongside students—is introduced. Rooted in critical literacy and sociocultural learning theories, the instructional practices the authors recommend involve taking an inquiry stance—raising and exploring questions about texts in connection to relationships, communities, and social and political contexts.
