Describes a collaborative writing assignment which serves as a reassuring and illuminating practice piece for the research paper. (RAE)

Describes in detail the functions and applications of a computer software program called "ClassWriter" that sets up networked electronic space in which computer conversations can take place. Outlines ways of using the program in the writing classroom. (HB)

The problem of the relation of theory to practice in teaching and teacher training has been a major issue of debate for a long time. Well over a century ago, Dewey (1904) discussed the tensions between the role of theoretical insight as a preparation for the teaching profession versus the need for more practical, how-to-do-it courses in which one…

Describes a process for evaluating technical writing students who are working in groups. Discusses task sheets, progress reports, evaluation forms, and the final individual evaluation. (PRA)

Questions the effectiveness of incorporating collaboration into classrooms and expecting instant results. Discusses the highly individualistic pedagogy that students have already been steeped in. Calls for practical measures and instruction in collaborative skills which will foster collaborative learning. (HB)

Argues that students need invention strategies as well as introspection to collect information and make sense of it, but they also need instruction in discriminating among invention strategies and help in choosing the best strategy for a given writing task. Three overlooked strategies are research, collaboration, and form. (RS)

Students can benefit from collaboration long before they are ready for draft feedback. By analyzing writing assignments, anticipating and diagnosing student problems, and introducing necessary skills through appropriate exercises, students can be provided with cognitive and social supports that help them address the challenges of academic writing.…

Investigating the common perception that collaborative writing in composition classes is being used primarily with finished products, an informal survey was conducted in which writing instructors who used collaborative learning estimated the amount of time they allowed for each stage of the writing process (Prewriting/Invention, Focusing/Thesis,…

Students must reconsider the nature of composing and their identities as writers when working on a jointly authored piece of writing, such as a two-page report on a particular area in a university library. Looking at the ways workshop groups interact to produce a piece of collaborative writing and a joint oral presentation offers insight into the…

Explores the concept of peer writing groups by reviewing research and offering a plan for preparing, training, monitoring, and evaluating the peer writing group. (SD)

Outlines a technical writing course in which the students collaborate in writing a technical writing handbook. The course includes traditional lectures as well as small and large group work on various aspects of writing the handbook. (TJ)

Describes how to conduct a collaborative group story-writing session with preschool children and encourage the creativity of the group. (MM)

Describes how a class of 13 academically average high school students, inspired by an earlier article in this journal, collaboratively wrote a story. Notes that the students continued to revise their story even after it came back from the printers. (RS)

Presents several activities for an "interactive" classroom, including improvisation, role-playing, and informal discussions of literature. Notes that all suggested activities provide a context for language use and use students' talk as a vehicle for learning in a wide variety of communication situations, including reading and writing.…

Describes a collaborative learning activity that can be used in a composition classroom. Suggests ways of planning collaborative activities. (RAE)