THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: LEVEL: College. AUTHOR'S COMMENT: When I first began as a college composition instructor, I gave a standard explanation that definition was necessary if students wished to argue logically or to explain an unfamiliar subject. I showed examples of definitions, discussed ones in the text, and then sent…

The diagnostic testing component of the Critical Thinking Project of the Pittsburgh schools is described and a rationale for the project's particular choice of testing procedures is provided. The purpose of the project was to help students develop skills for thinking critically and communicating critical thought through reading, discussion, and…

Because students can express orally what they find difficult to communicate on paper, Davis worked out a system employing the language lab as a way of directing verbal communication to written for his writing course. Tape recorders aided students in compositon, organization, revision, and proofreading. (SC)

Elly Williams is an adjunct instructor at Johns Hopkins where she received her M.A. in writing. She is a faculty member for the Sewanee Young Writers' Conference, and the author of the novel "This Never Happened." The article she presents here is divided into three parts: (1) Tales of a Grandmother's Commonplace Memoir; (2) Assignment:…

This journal issue focuses on Appalachian veterans and on the premise that Appalachians and Americans in general are still fighting the battles and dealing with the psychic aftermath of the Civil War and all wars fought since then. One article notes that Appalachian soldiers were 20 to 25% more likely to be killed in Vietnam than other soldiers.…

Composition teachers need to pluralize their notions of what constitutes viable discourse to enrich their own rhetoric and to "listen" more effectively to students' writing, so that their notions of written discourse may come to reflect the rainbow of international influences that exist in the United States. A good first step would be to…

Combining the study of archetypal patterns and literature study with assignments based on archetypal schema engages students intellectually as they relate their personal experiences to texts outside of themselves. This approach is grounded in the theory that engagement in a topic, whether reading or writing, is essential for the learner to make…

Seventeen essays direct attention to the lives and achievements of outstanding women in Nebraska history. Most of the women described in the essays did their major work in literature, the arts, education, or some other related human service. Only two essays are not focused on specific women--"Union Maids in Omaha Labor History,…

Participation in genealogy projects can be beneficial to older adults. Such projects combine reminiscing about family histories with the creation of a product which can be shared with relatives. The result is improved self-esteem and a feeling of accomplishment. Genealogy projects can also provide a means by which younger people can interact with…

The purpose of the essay portion of the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test is to identify students whose English language skills are not sufficiently strong to ensure that they can successfully manage the writing required in regular freshman classes. Students are given 20 minutes to read and respond to the essay topic. The essays…

Revision, based on a grasp of intertextuality (the relation of texts to one another and the writer's locus relative to her own text and the text of others) and the social nature of all discourse, is a larger process that can be observed in any single piece of writing. This larger conception of revision is a natural outgrowth of…

Among Mexico's most original traditions is the holiday dedicated to honoring the dead, Dia de los Muertos, November 2. This tradition combines aspects that define the national spirit. At the same time that it is a solemn festivity to remember the dead, it becomes a fiesta in its own right. Death, more than a thing to be feared, becomes the motif…

Do choice-type tests (multiple-choice, true-false, etc.) measure the same abilities or traits as free response (essay, recall, completion, etc.) tests? A large number of studies conducted with several different methodologies and spanning a long period of time have addressed this question. In this review, attention will be focused almost…

The aim of our investigation was to see whether the previous findings of consistent social class differences in language usage held good when writing and not speech was the mode of communication and a more rigorous control was exercised over the influence of essay topic upon language. (Author)

Presents part of the winning entry in the competition organized by Stirling University (England). The extract presented forms the conclusion to a wide ranging essay which covered the various forms of pollution. (EB)