Recent research has invited critiques of the authoritative descriptions of composing found in many rhetoric textbooks. The concept of "convention" may be especially useful in rethinking the teleological basis of these textbook descriptions. Conventions found in composition textbooks need to be unmasked as arbitrary concepts which serve…

"Cognoter(tm)" and "CB" software, two new computer-based writing tools that rely on shared texts and real-time communication among participants and support collaborative invention, have implications for invention pedagogy and research. Cognoter improves on current invention aids by combining a brainstorming tool, a graphical…

The theoretical and empirical work of J. Britton and his followers is reviewed. The uses of Britton's discourse system in writing research and studies of school writing are considered. Topics addressed include Britton's conceptualization of heuristics, written discourse, pedagogy, function system, learning processes, teaching methods, and text…

Reviews the use of computers in the teaching and practice of writing in university courses. Highlights include hardware considerations; software options for grammar, punctuation, stylistic analysis, and prewriting (or invention) skills; artificial intelligence, composition, and literature; collaborative learning; and faculty development. (LRW)

Contemporary findings of brain research and language function can be analyzed and related to the teaching of creative and critical thinking and active learning through writing. A great deal of work has been carried out concerning the integration of the cerebral hemispheres for heuristic procedures in writing invention. In the integrated brain, the…