Investigates to what extent children were given opportunities to engage in process writing. Finds a textbook orientation to language instruction, small amounts of time spent in prewriting or writing activities, and a preference for teacher-controlled writing processes. (SR)

Describes the context and background of portfolio use in the English and Language Arts classroom. Defines "portfolio" and outlines its essential elements. Describes the environment that is necessary for portfolios to succeed. Outlines how to develop a model for portfolios. Demonstrates the benefits to students of self-evaluation. (PRA)

Reviews the evolution of foreign language teaching methods from the audiovisual methods of the 60s through the notional-functional and communicative approaches of the 70s and 80s. It is recommended that the role of oral language be reviewed and that the value of writing in second language learning be recognized. (JLR)

States that, if writing teachers are to do a better job in teaching writing, they must create a writing community in their classrooms that motivates students instrumentally and integratively in the writing process. (MG)

This article discusses several ways that Web sites and e-mail motivate students to write. When students know someone other than their teacher will see their writing, it becomes easy to help them with process and mechanics. They take pride in their work, and they make it look good. The author found that students were more receptive to a revision…

Learning diaries--as we employ them--are students' written reflections of their learning experiences and outcomes over the course of university seminars. The writing of such diaries is 'tutored' by a computer program: eHELp supports the writing of sophisticated learning diaries through a modelling and scaffolding of the phases of planning,…

We examined writing instruction in the middle school context from the perspectives of special and general education teachers via focus groups and rating scales. We found that special and general educators alike valued a balanced approach to teaching writing, that both groups held a positive view of their teaching efficacy, and that both groups…

There is considerable concern that the majority of adolescents do not develop the competence in writing they need to be successful in school, the workplace, or their personal lives. A common explanation for why youngsters do not write well is that schools do not do a good job of teaching this complex skill. In an effort to identify effective…

Writing is frequently neglected in American schools. Writing-to-learn approaches can develop writing skills and help learners form connections between scientific and mathematical concepts. Teachers often avoid writing in their classes because of a lack of class time and the demands of grading student writing. The Write Now Approach uses the…

The English Department and the composition class are mired in the trappings of Romanticism. Romanticism ingratiates itself, mostly in infatuation with the writing process, but with some other fetishes as well. The "whitecentric" character of that Romanticism imbues instruction; it is not just innocuous and "old hat," but really damaging. Students…

In the "real" world of writing, people make writing decisions based in part on their analyses of audience expectations and their own purposes. Yet, composition teachers at all levels assign general or abstract topics for essays rather than create writing tasks that require students to reflect on target audiences. Even students are aware…

The process of getting a thought out of the mind and onto paper can be divided into five major categories: (1) discovering the word, (2) excavating the mythic word from the subconscious, (3) perceiving the word in the conscious, (4) verbalizing the expressed word, and (5) comprehending the unsaid word. When humans experience anything, their minds…

This study investigated how writing coaching, which is based on the writing process concept, can be applied to the teaching of magazine writing. In the first part of the study, a purposeful sample of 10 members of the Magazine Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication responded to a questionnaire. The sample…

Classroom teachers and administrators often see the writing lab as a simple extension of the classroom experience, rather than as the tutorial practice that it should be with interactive one-to-one teaching. Students should be acting participants, spending at least 50% of lab time talking, questioning, trying out, practicing, and composing. Tutors…

To determine whether basic writers revise more successfully using word processors as opposed to pen and paper, a study investigated the quality of revision of approximately 100 college basic writers in three classes at a southern university. In the fall semester, word processors were used in each of the three classes once every two weeks. In the…