Text linguistics, a recent development in the study of language, moves the focus of inquiry from the sentence to the text and examines texts as acts of communication rather than individual, static sentences. It investigates textuality rather than grammaticality, the relationships between sentences and between text and context that make text…

Following the lead of James Berlin, the trend in rhetoric and composition for the past two decades has been to develop pedagogies that not only affirm the social construction of knowledge, but also interrogate the ideological structures of power in which students are always and already embedded. Since Berlin and others of the "political…

Analyzes Thomas Farrell's discussion of the distinction between male and female modes of rhetoric. Discusses the linking of theory to experience and the creation of nonadversarial argument which suggests two pedagogical practices that can help overcome the dominance of current-traditional rhetoric in the writing classroom. (MG)

The general enthusiasm that governs composition studies is the result of more than 20 years of collective efforts to define central issues in theory and research, and to help refocus national attention on composition literacy. The optimistic vision of future challenge and direction in discourse studies is largely premised on Thomas Kuhn's…

This article is the second published case study using the method of reflective inquiry on practice developed by Stewart B. Shapiro. This approach integrates professional practice with personal concerns. Most of the article is excerpted from the transcript of a reflective interview with an instructor of writing at the University of California,…

Noting that handwriting is a subskill that often becomes an instructional end rather than a means to enhance written communication, this paper examines research on handwriting and its implications for instruction. Following an introduction on the current status of handwriting instruction, the paper summarizes research on handwriting legibility,…

Writing centers have to adapt their philosophies to meet challenges that are unique to individual institutions. Working with faculty in other disciplines inevitably brings changes in what writing centers do, creating a need for some adaptation in the way a center operates--on at least a practical, day-to-day level. The greatest challenge is to…

Defines critical thinking by means of its difference from formal logic and its compatibility with current theories of rhetoric. Offers a heuristic for the argumentative composition based on integrating critical thinking with insights from new rhetorical composing theories. (FL)

Examines the pedagogical applications of some of the major theories that support collaborative learning in composition, especially the assumptions, evidence, and relationships between theory and practice. Concludes that more needs to be known about the dynamics of groups and exactly what produces effective writing in collaborative pedagogies. (RS)

This paper reviews and summarizes research studies in writing and related language areas that help educators to understand how writing is socially based. The purpose of the paper is to cast classroom practice in the variously dim and gleaming lights of research and theory, linking practice, research, and theory by looking with a close-up lens at…

Argues that those who teach composition often feel like translators and that there are significant elements of the composing process that precisely parallel translation theory and practice. (FL)

Describes and discusses "Rhetoric 2001," the author's essay written in 1974 asserting that teachers of writing underestimate their role in the discursive construction and reconstruction of cultural structures and processes--and therefore underestimate the crucial, powerful role they can play. Notes that because of significant advances in theory…

Argues that, in their roles as responding audiences for student writers, teachers need to be clear as to whether they are taking the perspective of writer or reader. (FL)

Examines the relationship among writer, context, and text (1) by exploring the notion of context-independence as it pertains to writers and texts, and (2) by placing the issue of context and composition within a wider framework of context and language use. (FL)

Reviews research on effective writing instruction. Recommends ways to integrate that research with findings from research on struggling writers and effective teaching practices. Discusses a model of collaboration between researchers and curriculum developers aimed at helping publishers translate research into instructional practice. Illustrates…