George Hillocks, Jr.

George Hillocks, Jr. (June 15, 1934 - November 12, 2014)^[1] was an emeritus professor in the Department of Education, with a joint appointment in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. His teaching career included the preparation of English teachers in the Master of Arts in Teaching program, and the mentoring of Ph.D. students in the doctoral program, at the University of Chicago. After retiring from the University he continued to present seminars and workshops for writing teachers across the US. His primary research interests centered on the teaching of writing, literature, and language in middle and high school English classes, and on large-scale writing assessment. When not teaching and writing, he was an accomplished bagpipe player, performing frequently for Chicago audiences and in international competitions.

George Hillocks as a youth

Education

He received his B.A. in English, College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, 1956, M.A. in English, Case Western Reserve University, 1958, Diploma in English Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 1959. He attended Harvard University, Graduate School of Education, summer, 1961. Ph.D. in English, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, 1970--Dissertation: The Synthesis of Art and Ethic in Tom Jones

Teaching career

Professor, Departments of Education and English Language and Literature, University of Chicago, 1985–2003

Director, MAT Program in English, Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1971–2002

Member, Special Field of Curriculum and Instruction, Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1977–1992

Member, Special Field of Educational Psychology, Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1987–1992

Chair, Special Field of Curriculum and Instruction, Department of Education, 1980–86

Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, University of Chicago, 1980-85

Associate Professor, Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1974–85

Assistant Professor, Department of Education, University of Chicago, 1971–74

Assistant Professor, Department of English, Bowling Green State University, 1970–71

Director of Freshman English Programs, Bowling Green State University, 1969–71

Field Reader and Consultant, Bureau of Cooperative Research, USOE, 1965–69

Director, NDEA English Institute, Bowling Green State University, 1967 and 1968

Associate Director, NDEA English Institute, San Fernando Valley State College, Los Angeles, California, Summers of 1965 and 1966

Co-Director, USOE sponsored Constructing Achievement Tests in a Summer Workshop for Partial Evaluation of a Project English Demonstration Center, Western Reserve University, 1964

Director, USOE, Cooperative Research Project D-067 (Project English Demonstration Center), 1963-65

Teacher and English Department Chair, grades 7, 8, and 9, Euclid, Ohio Board of Education, September 1959-June 1965

English Teacher, grades 7-10, and 12, Euclid, Ohio Board of Education, September 1956-June 1958

Publications

Hillocks has never been a researcher removed from the gritty realities of teaching, but rather one deeply dedicated to the classroom, its students, and its teachers. His many publications illustrate this commitment to the classroom. His landmark publications include the very first NCTE Theory into Practice book, Observing and Writing. Using this model, his students have written a total of 7 additional books in the TIP/TRIP series. His review of research from 1963–1983, Research on Written Composition remains one of the most oft-referenced publications in the history of composition studies, having been cited over 600 times. His very personal Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice won the Russell Award for Distinguished Research presented by NCTE and remains one of the most inviting and relevant books based on research to reach a teaching audience. The Testing Trap provides a devastating critique of large-scale writing assessments.. More recently, Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching won NCTE's Richard Meade award for excellence in writing in the field of English Education.

Books

• Hillocks, G. (2011). Teaching argument writing, grades 6-12: Supporting claims with relevant evidence and clear reasoning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
• Hillocks, G. (2007). Narrative writing: Learning a new model for teaching. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
• Hillocks, G. (2002). The testing trap: How state writing assessments control learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Hillocks, G. (1999). Ways of thinking, ways of teaching. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Hillocks, G. (1995). Teaching writing as reflective practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Hillocks, G. (1986). Research on written composition: New directions for teaching. Urbana, IL: National Conference on Research in English and Educational Resources Information Center.
• Hillocks, G. (1972). Alternatives in English: A critical analysis of elective programs. Urbana,IN: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills and National Council of Teachers of English.
• Hillocks, G., McCabe, B., & McCampbell, J. F. (1970). The dynamics of English instruction. New York: Random House, 1971.

Monographs

Hillocks, G., Smith, W. L., et al. (1986). Class size and English in the secondary school. Urbana: NCTE and ERIC.

Hillocks, G. (1975). Observing and writing. Urbana: ERIC and NCTE.

Hillocks, G. (1971). An evaluation of Project Apex: A nongraded phase-elective English program. Trenton (Michigan) Public Schools, [Study conducted and published under the auspices of USOE].

Hillocks, G., Kinnick, B. J., et al. (1966). The school literary magazine. Champaign: National Council of Teachers of English.

Hillocks, G. (1965).Cooperative research project no. D-067: A comprehensive program in English for the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. United States Office of Education.

Honors and awards

Fellowships

Fellow, American Educational Research Association 2009

Elected to National Academy of Education, 2000

Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, CA, 2000–2001

Fellow, National Conference on Research in English (now NCRLL), 1987

Research and service awards

The Richard Meade Award for distinguished research in English education for the book Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching November 2008.^[2]

Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Teachers of English 2004^[2]

Outstanding Academic Work Award from Choice for The Testing Trap, 2003

Thomas R. Watson Visiting Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Composition, Spring Semester, 2000, University of Louisville

David H. Russell Award from NCTE for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English for the book, Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice, 1997

National Education Association Pacemaker Award for Euclid Central English Curriculum, 1965

Biographical listings

Listed in Who’s Who in the World, 2001 edition

Listed in Who’s Who in America, 2002- 2009 editions

Listed in Who’s Who in American Education, 2007 edition

Leadership of national organizations

President, National Conference on Research on Language and Literacy, 2000–2001

Vice-president of National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy, 1999–2000

Chair, NCTE Standing Committee on Research

Students

At the University of Chicago, Hillocks directed the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program in English education from 1971-2002. His students went on to distinguished teaching careers in middle and secondary schools. While some left the classroom for doctoral programs and university positions, others moved into careers that built on their teaching experience, and others raised families, for the most part his students remained in schools.

References

External links

• Warranting Argument Across the Curriculum: A Conversation with George Hillocks, Jr.
• George Hillocks, University of Chicago: Procedural Knowledge and Writing Instruction
• Hillocks finds that standardized writing assessments may be harmful to children’s learning
• Research-Based Instructional Strategies in Writing Instruction - A summary of the work of George Hillocks, Writing as Reflective Practice

Personal Memorial Site: http://beautifultribute.com/george-hillocks/