Teaching with Harry Potter: Essays on Classroom Wizardry from Elementary School to College
Valerie Estelle Frankel2013

Harry Potter created a reading phenomenon beyond any imagined, one with a lasting effect on all areas of culture, especially education. Today, teachers across the world are harnessing the power of the series, using it to reach out to students young and old as a gateway to more challenging literature. In fact, Rowling’s books can educate with a scope far beyond English classes. They’ve been used to teach history, gender studies, chemistry, religion, philosophy, sociology, architecture, Latin, medieval studies, astronomy, SAT skills, and much more. Teachers of younger students use Harry and Hermione to encourage kids with disabilities or show girls the power of being brainy scientists. Enterprising instructors have their students harness the power of the new internet age by reading fanfiction, splicing video clips, or exploring Rowling’s new website, Pottermore. With new scholarship, new academic conferences, and new Potter material appearing each day, one thing is certain – this series is far from over.