Foxfire Grows Up

Abstract

For more than twenty years, students at Rabun Gap High School, a conservative, traditionally organized public school in Appalachian Georgia, have published Foxfire books and magazines. Conceived by students in Eliot Wigginton's English classes, the project's publication of oral history grew into what was called cultural journalism. The national recognition and financial success of the Foxfire books and magazines led to the adoption of the approach by teachers throughout the country. However, many who attempted such projects did not recognize that Foxfire is not really a magazine, but a philosophy of education firmly grounded in principles of democratic, experiential education. Using the magazine as a device without the principles upon which Foxfire had been based often resulted in methods as traditional and teacher centered as those they were meant to replace. Recognizing this, Wigginton and the Foxfire staff began to carefully define the ingredients that led to the success of the Foxfire approach in Rabun County, and to look for ways to assist other teachers in adopting the philosophy and the approach in their classrooms. In this article, Wigginton describes Foxfire's core educational practices and the major aspects of the Foxfire staffs current work with teachers.

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