Since students enter college with a basic knowledge of the mechanics of writing, including grammar, spelling, and punctuation, most student writing mistakes amount to a failure to see what they have actually written. Thus, instructors must help students to apply knowledge they already have and to see their own errors through careful proofreading.…

A discussion of the need to teach revision as part of the writing process begins with an analysis of the revision process and presents results of experiments in teaching revision. Some specific classroom techniques for teaching error detection and revision are then outlined. (20 references) (Author/MSE)

The study, with 26 junior high learning-disabled students, found that students' predominant conception and application of revision to written work was correction of errors. Fewer than half of all revisions were rated as improvements. The only type of revision that positively affected overall quality was addition of T-units. (Author/DB)

Drawing from a review of the literature on feedback in two fields, English education and social psychology, this paper sets forth a set of theoretical conclusions and practical suggestions for developmental English instructors and others to use in providing feedback to composition students. First, the research on written feedback in English…

When it comes to teaching students how to correct errors in mechanics and usage, English composition teachers have a problem in determining what and how to teach. An approach is developing overseas which comes from a type of linguistics called "functional," because it describes how languages work rather than only its forms. A branch that…

A discussion of the use of feedback in process-oriented second language writing instruction focuses on students' need for feedback, the most effective ways of providing it, appropriate timing for feedback, and how students use this information. Literature on feedback in process-oriented writing instruction is reviewed in light of each of these…

A study compared the influences of rhetorical and sentence-level features on holistic essay scores assigned by raters who are experienced writing instructors but not trained in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. In scoring six university-level essays, these raters placed emphasis on ESL sentence-level errors far more than on essays'…

Middle school students with learning disabilities were successfully taught the COPS monitoring strategy to revise and correct writing mistakes. Steps in the strategy include capitalization of appropriate letters, overall appearance of paper, punctuation used correctly, and spelling accuracy. (JDD)

A coding system expediting grading of student reports in a marketing class is described. The system uses twelve codes corresponding to constructive criticisms of content and form, allowing the teacher to comment while reading and to read more efficiently. A brief summary can also be included. Most frequent codes are recorded in the gradebook to…

This monograph provides an historical overview of handwriting assessment, followed by suggestions for informally assessing student handwriting errors and implementing improvement strategies. The monograph specifically addresses: (1) research on handwriting; (2) a rationale for remediation of handwriting errors; (3) techniques for evaluating…

A technique used in an advanced French writing class to encourage student self-correction is described. The technique focused on correction of verbs and their tenses; reduction of repetition; appropriate use of "on" and "nous;" and verification of possessive adjectives, negatives, personal pronouns, spelling, and punctuation.…

Supports the use of the applied linguistics technique of error analysis (i.e., charting and analyzing patterns in language errors) in developmental writing instruction. Argues that error enables teachers to diagnose the cognitive strategies and processes used by students in writing. Discusses teaching strategies and the approach's limitations.…

Techniques for helping college-level non-native English speaking students understand the process of editing include individual and small-group conferencing, peer editing, and follow-up on errors. Teachers should give students the pencil, have them read the draft aloud, look for patterns of both good and erroneous usage, and focus on the positive.…

Offers suggestions for the college teacher with limited opportunity for individual writing conferences with non-native English-speaking students: tolerating some more complex errors; focusing on content; soliciting student ideas for correction; addressing only one or two error types; providing vocabulary choices; and highlighting correct usage.…

A study investigated the use of specific error correction and writing instruction techniques in a composition course designed for foreign graduate students. Weekly in-class student essays on assigned topics were returned to them ungraded but containing explanations of grammar points, confusing vocabulary, content, and organization. A conscious…