Suggests the bachelor's paper as an alternative to testing for sociology majors. Explains that the paper enables the student to use the discipline's theoretical and methodological tools to address an important topic. Explores the advantages and disadvantages of the paper. Suggests that the assignment promotes assessment both of the student and the…

The most used model for empirical research on the writing process is based on cognitive psychology and does not take into account affective phenomena, although it has long been recognized that affect (that is, the noncognitive aspects of mental activity) plays a large role in writing and learning to write. To understand the complete picture, it is…

A technique for starting college students on research paper projects is outlined. The approach, requiring students to begin with a five-minute writing exercise that can form the nucleus of a longer, more intellectually demanding paper involving library work, is felt to stimulate critical thinking and minimize plagiarism. Phased report development…

Examines whether writing activities promote learning and thinking in elementary and secondary social studies students. Describes writing activities that teachers have used to draw on existing student knowledge, consolidate and review new information, and reformulate and extend knowledge. Concludes that writing activities benefit student learning…

Described are experiences for incorporating writing assignments in mathematics and computer science courses. Reports survey results from students who participated in the courses. (YP)

While literature has often been ignored in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum, there are good reasons for including it at all educational levels of ESL instruction. There are universal reasons for exploring literature, including the pleasure and escape it provides. In addition, ESL experts have found that literature encapsulates…

Proposes methods of applying new social studies teaching techniques. Suggests making the social studies classroom more social through group discussion, research, and writing. Recommends using textbook journals to help students learn to think, read, and write more critically. Calls for the use of interpersonal and textual metadiscourse. (SG)

Five papers presented at a symposium during the 1991 annual conference of the National Council on Measurement in Education explore the design, development, and implementation of the Texas Master Teacher Examination (TMTE) Program. Educational policymakers have begun to maintain that the professionalization of teaching can be substantially…