Surveys modern language and cognitive theories and their implications for the teaching of undergraduate composition. (JL)

Describes a writing exercise that requires students to solve a murder mystery and persuade their readers that their solution is the correct one. (FL)

Describes a "composing process paper" assignment designed to make students aware of their own writing processes and to teach important problem-solving skills. Provides a series of protocol questions students can discuss before writing descriptions of their individual writing processes. (HTH)

The article identifies five modes of thinking--defensive, productive, adaptive, elaborative, and developmental. Case studies of artistic, creative writing illustrate the modes. A writing program designed to identify and develop these thinking modes is described. (Author/DB)

Describes a technique, based on story grammar research, that merges the reading of a basal story with a writing lesson. (FL)

Presenting highlights from the past decade of East Central Writing Centers Association conferences, this book addresses the questions of how writing conferences foster the development of writing ability and how teachers can give students control of their own writing and of the writing conference and thus promote higher-order thinking. By providing…

The annotated titles in this bibliography are intended to introduce the novice to current or significant work on the application of cognitive psychology methodologies to the writing process. The bibliography is arranged in four sections: (1) an overview of the topic that includes anthologies, essays and papers; (2) relevant publications of Linda…

The article suggests ways to look at writing samples of reading disabled students to identify problem types, outlines cognitive processes needed in written language production, and gives an example of instructional intervention with a reading disabled high school student. (DB)

Describes an exercise using gravestone rubbings that help students organize data and think inductively. (AEA)

Argues that observations and an analysis of 245 letters written by elementary school students support the idea that writers and learners do know how to promote their own self-development. (JL)

Explains the microthemes technique, which involves students responding to assignments chosen to emphasize various forms of writing and thinking with written products no larger than 5 x 8 inch note cards. Reviews four types of microthemes used at Montana State University, explaining the activity and the writing and thinking skills developed. (DMM)

To do academic work, basic writers must know how to use the forms that express mature thinking. Accustomed to the demands of speech, basic writers often rely on unspecified context to relate ideas, thus failing to establish the connections evident in well-developed thought. While able to use certain cohesive ties such as repetitions,…

The theoretical bases of process-oriented approaches for teaching writing to mildly handicapped students are described. Instructional features of such approaches include opportunities for sustained writing, establishment of a writing community, student selection of topics, modeling of the writing process and strategic thinking, reflective thinking…

Explains how journal writing, taught with some direction, can guide students' writing and provide them with a sense of self-discovery. (HOD)

Argues that paragraph form congruent with the patterns and habits of thinking develops from the writer's sensitivity to the impact of visual images on the reader's mind. (MM)