ABSTRACT
Elliot Eisner has been a champion of progressive education reform since the 1970s. Tear apart an inquiry unit and inside the people would discover the different parts that teachers need to fit together to create that dynamic experience. Seventh graders walk into their language arts or reading classroom on the first day of a new literature unit. Mini-lessons are five- to fifteen-minute teacher lectures or demonstrations and among the best ways to integrate literacy skills and the specific content of social responsibility. Using literature and inquiry to teach for social responsibility is essential to cultivating the kind of thinkers and citizens and caring communities the people need. But it is also a way for teachers to bring greater purpose and creativity to their work, own vital elements of their teaching, and allow them to hold on to their souls.
