The authors explored five in-service teachers' experiences of professional development (PD) in Studies in Writing (30 ECTS programme at a Finnish open university) they participated in during their leisure time. Data consist of the teachers' creative writings and semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to holistically…

For over 30 years I have been committed to theorizing, interrogating, and practicing life writing as an academic, pedagogical, and curricular discipline. In my life writing I often write what one reviewer called "clichés of the heart." I wonder what is wrong with clichés. Why are so many people so ready to criticize others for clichés?…

In this article the author combines Chinese literary theory and new materialism with her ongoing research into creative writing. In the opening section, the author discusses how language and writing can be approached using new materialist theories. She then enters into a creative non-fiction "research-creation" piece that explores how…

Details a study that investigated incremental effects of intensive instruction in creative writing on 10 indicators of writing performance of seventh-grade students: vocabulary, morphology, sentence openings, sentence lengths, sentence types, organization, clarity, end punctuation, general clarity, and spelling. (FL)

A story told about soliciting comments and criticisms from students during a class one day reveals a number of disturbing techniques used in academic story-telling. Such story telling, which has become increasingly common in academic teaching/writing journals of late, creates the deceptive impression of sincerity and intimacy. In this case, the…

Reviews materials in the ERIC system that level criticisms at creative writing in the schools and that present suggestions for activities that promote good writing that is also creative. (HTH)

Examines how four teachers respond to their students' creative writing. Describes how they shape their comments. Analyzes what those comments suggest about their teaching styles and classroom goals. (TB)

Investigates effects of a structured procedure for collaborative writing (in 2 formats) on the quality of creative writing and attitudes to writing in 8-year-old children. Finds that both formats of collaborative creative writing could be effective; however, ensuring short term gains for the more able helpers in cross-ability pairs could be…

Describes observations of one student's writing process and the ease with which the student transformed prose into poetry. Discusses what the teacher learned from the observations about the sensitivity and energy of eighth-grade writing students. (HTH)

The data gathered for this study does not support the hypothesis that second grade students, when they write, do not borrow characters, settings, elements of a story, authors' styles and information from nonfictional literature. Students writings were studied to determine the extent of the borrowing, and to answer the questions: (1) Did the…

Debates as to the critical element in the writing process have usually taken sides as to either the preeminence of the writer or the essential nature of the text. Throughout two separate studies into the instruction of creative writing genres, the key element in every teaching situation is, instead of writer or text, the creation of a tangible…

A study investigated whether there would be any significant difference in test scores between students instructed in the use of graphic organizers during their creative writings and those students not instructed in their use. Graphic organizers can help writers keep to the topic by having their ideas in front of them as they are writing. They also…

A semi-annual refereed publication of research and instructional practices in English/language arts and allied fields, preschool through adult levels, this volume of "Maryland English Journal" presents articles on a variety of subjects and showcases the work of young writers. Articles in volume 28, number 1 focus on ethnographic studies…

What first graders chose to put in their journals when given no direct suggestions for topics was studied during the 1985-86 school year in a suburban Birmingham, Alabama, classroom. Journal writing was scheduled for 30 minutes daily throughout the school year, but not all children chose to write every day. At the end of the year, all of the…

The six chapters in the book comment upon writing and writing instruction. The first chapter describes the major research of the past 15 years and the ways it has altered how teachers regard the teaching of writing. The chapter compares the American research tradition, with its emphasis on system, sequence, and order, and the British tradition,…