Some teaching strategies grow out of the curricula educators inherit or develop through professional reading; others originate in the aromatic humus of their autobiographies. This article presents a proposal that has its origins in the latter. The author recognized that what delights her in prose or poetry is the figurative language a writer uses…

By drawing upon numerous real-world experiences with reluctant writers, the author illustrates how tapping their interests can lead to improved writing skills and attitudes toward writing. The critical link between identity and writing is emphasized. Though the experiences in this article are drawn from the author's work with basic writers at the…

Many basic writers, who are virtually unable to create a coherent paragraph, are nonetheless capable of presenting orally well-constructed narratives of depth and feeling. Thus, teachers must try to get students to harness the strength of their oral abilities to improve their writing skills, and Kenneth Burke's pentad may provide a key. Burke's…

Reviews an instructional strategy for remedial writers which consists of four steps: identifying a strategy worth teaching; introducing the strategy by modeling it; helping students to try it out with workshop-style teaching guidance; and then, helping students to work toward independent mastery. (TB)

Examines the composing processes of basic writers, examining their tendencies toward writer's block, low-level goals, and writer-based prose. Suggests that basic writers be taught that the purpose of writing is to communicate with other people and that errors, revisions, and general messiness are part of the complicated process. (PAA)

Describes the various "affective filters" that inhibit basic writers from learning to write. Suggests principles for avoiding such inhibitions among basic writers. Claims that such principles are an effective way of fostering writing development among basic writers. (HB)

While placement procedures and lack of writing skills are certainly perplexing, classroom practices and procedures remain the most fundamental of challenges for the developmental writing instructor for good reason: time-on-task methods are the most direct means by which students improve skill levels. One instructor found that this approach to…

Discusses the ways in which a high school basic writing teacher abandoned the advice about her students offered by her colleagues and chose instead to develop a student-centered writing workshop. Demonstrates the potential a workshop model has for creating a community of authors in a high school basic writing class. (RS)

Argues for teaching students to write leads that stress unusual story features and can be used as a peg to hang the rest of the story on. Recommends the use of student writing models, accounts by professional writers about lead writing, and instruction in the rhetorical strategy of contrast/dissonance. (PAA)

Advocates a basic writing approach that assesses potential language competence as it develops both in speech and writing, and redefines the notion of "error." Presents a pilot project in which the use of speech is found to assist basic writers in producing writing that is improved in its length, fluency, involvement, concrete detail, and…

Describes various types of writing across the curriculum (WAC) programs and issues in program implementation, examines the implications of WAC programs for teaching basic writers, and outlines some instructional strategies that can be used by teachers to prepare basic writing students for participation in WAC programs. (PAA)

Examines methods for improving developmental students' proofreading skills. Discusses several theories and analogies for understanding the activity of proofreading. Suggests that educators should utilize methods that encourage students to invest time and energy in the proofreading process as it provides a meaningful and complex educational…

Examines research on the causes of writing apprehension. Profiles high-apprehensive writers, characterizes their written products, and describes their writing processes. Suggests four procedures for dealing with writing apprehension: peer group workshops; positive reinforcement; teaching about writing process, and gradually increasing students'…

Describes an experimental six-week summer intensive course in basic writing in which the instructor assumes the identity of "Ms. Mystery" and exchanges weekly letters with each of the students. Provides excerpts as well as analysis of these letters and argues the efficacy of letter writing as a pedagogic tool. (KEH)

Discusses a study of the effects of first year composition students' use of a microcomputer as a word processor on the quality of their writing. Compares students who used the word processor with those who hand wrote their compositions, revealing greater improvement among the word processing group, regardless of initial skill levels. (PAA)