Literacy is the foundation for success in school and society. An essential goal of every school is to help every student read, write and think critically. Dedicated teachers are the catalyst for reaching this goal. The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) developed a literacy professional learning model to better support these dedicated…

This article reviews insights from place-based education and ecological models of writing to show how these theories can work together to shape locally focused composition pedagogies. From place-based education, the researcher takes an emphasis on physical specificity, and from ecological models of writing, the researcher takes an emphasis on…

The emphasis on STEM education should not be interpreted as an omen of the death of humanities; art, literature, history, and philosophy can inform and enlighten STEM studies if the walls of academic silos are broken down and taught in combination. Where the physical universe collides with the fanciful and flawed human experience of life, there is…

We shall structure this rejoinder around two main sections. In the first, we address three underlying assumptions of our work that Osborne has identified. We indicate points of agreement, disagreement, and clarification. In the second section, we discuss briefly and add our clarifications to three understandings of his that Osborne introduces into…

How novice lecturers learn to be successful in their role is relatively under-researched, although the assumption may be made that the newcomer has learned the fundamentals how to engage in academic practice--at least in terms of research and scholarship--via the PhD process. However, although many lecturers now enter from a professional or…

In an October 2008 "JAAL" Commentary, Moje took issue with the teaching of generic reading strategies in the middle and high school content areas. She argued for teachers to provide "disciplinary literacy" instruction, focusing on the specific kinds of reading and writing that go on in content areas. The present article concurs with that argument…

Using a science lesson on lunar phases as a basis for discussion, the author suggests ways that teachers can provide literacy instruction on multimodal texts in science. The author asserts that multiple representations are central to the discipline of science, and that students require explicit instruction on how to critically read, evaluate, and…

Students often attain memorable experiences from cadaver dissections through reflective writing. For many, facing a dissection for the first time elicits a wide range of emotions. These may include thoughts of their own mortality to the sheer admiration of knowing that someone cared enough to help others learn about the body, even in death. Poems…

The article explores writing-centered pedagogies that deepen student learning in literature survey courses. More broadly, the article also responds to Richard Fulkerson and Maureen Daly Goggin, who challenge professors of English studies to find disciplinary unity within the diverse epistemologies of rhetoric. (Contains 5 notes.)

Describes the author's postmodernist approach to teaching legal writing. Discusses how, in their examination and critique of contradictory models, students discover that good legal writing depends on the context: the writer/purpose/audience matrix. (SR)

Asserts that traditional composition is only one pattern among many for creating and communicating knowledge and that different kinds of writing are specific to different fields. Argues that for people to communicate and understand one another in the world around them, they must have a clearer understanding of the various ways writing occurs. (PRA)

Discusses the similarities and differences between the kind of writing that is commonly taught in English courses (composition, creative writing) and that taught in technical education classes (technical report writing, technical communications); and between creative and technical writers. (DMM)

Argues that sociology, as a discipline, has much to offer and much to gain from participation in the writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) movement. Suggests a modified version of WAC principles which minimizes the amount of grading required and allows students to discover the sociological perspective as they apply writing to their course…

Argues that instructors need to think more systematically about how to prepare students to write good essay examinations. Demonstrates that higher levels of learning involving integration, synthesis, evaluation, and application are essential for this type of testing. Concludes that the significance of efficient writing skills is as important as…

Advocates the use of "journalogs," a combination of a learning log and journal, to aid students in meeting the academic challenges of advanced history classes. Includes a list of questions which will help structure student journalogs and provides an example of a student's entries. (JDH)