Background: Studies in the United States show that school students from some ethnic backgrounds are susceptible to stereotype threat, that this undermines their academic performance, and that a series of virtually zero-cost self-affirmation writing exercises can reduce these adverse effects. In England, however, socioeconomic status (SES) is a…

Richard Kerridge writes here about his efforts to help students to overcome an experience that was once his own: of being labelled low-ability, with all the attendant lowering of expectations that this entails. He recognises the merits of rigorously ensuring that all students should be able to access their entitlement in terms of what they are…

Describes a writing activity in which children in England wrote letters to various children's authors. Discusses the content of both the children's letters and the author's replies. (MM)

A study of college students' (n=98) writing strategies and instructors' essay evaluation strategies revealed that time spent on the essay, number of books used, number of references cited, and proportion of research-based content in the essays influenced grading. However, students emphasized content and instructors emphasized argument. (Author/MSE)

Addressed to classroom teachers, this booklet illustrates ways student enterprise projects offer uncommon opportunities for students to write and ultimately produce materials having social value. It is suggested that, for elementary school students, teachers can structure enterprise projects involving play. For example, one teacher invited…

A method of teaching English syntax to non-native speakers concentrates on the use of visuals and other audiovisual materials. Traditional methods of English instruction have not been successful with immigrant children and examples of alternative approaches are suggested. (RL)