Suggest some ways in which computer assisted instruction can be designed to help freshman college students learn the conventions and grammatical forms of standard written English. Some specific instructional design considerations are discussed and the advantages of computer assisted instruction are outlined. Six figures and a reference list are…

Presents methods to stimulate students to use their background knowledge in reading content area texts. Offers a technique to teach students common text structures by having them write to a model. (FL)

Provides suggestions for literature instructors who find themselves teaching composition or technical writing. Discusses bookwork, legwork, and headwork for such instructors that will encourage good attitudes toward their "new" profession. (HTH)

Describes several diagnostic tools used to determine specific problems of students referred to a writing lab, including structured interviews, protocols (asking a student to compose aloud for 15 to 20 minutes on a short topic), and back-pedaling (questioning what a student already knows about a given topic). (AEA)

Discusses several advantages to using a tape recorder in composition instruction, including helping students hear sentence fragments, saving teachers' time, and building student morale. (AEA)

Examines three basic approaches for teaching argument in a composition class--logical/analytic, content/problem solving, and rhetorical/generative. Discusses the problems of each and defends the rhetorical/generative approach as the one that reaches its goal most directly and most reliably. (HTH)

Examines the trend toward "scientism" or applying a quantifiable methodology for its own sake to research on sentence combining. Argues that sentence combining is only a tool and not a suitable curriculum for composition instruction and cautions against using social scientific methodologies in essentially humanistic disciplines. (HTH)

Word processors save time and effort in learning to write. Benefits for students include learning to type and time for thinking and editing. Word processing also allows instructors to be more demanding of students because revising and correcting take less time. (RW)

Discusses the design and scoring of the writing proficiency exam conducted at San Francisco State University. Explains the program's counseling system for those students who do not pass the proficiency exam. (HTH)

Outlines recommendations for programs for the preparation and continuing education of teachers of English and language arts at all levels. Lists those writing, reading, and responding opportunities that such a program should provide, as well as guidelines for developing practical and theoretical knowledge. Developed by CCCC Task Force on the…

Contends that writing skills and literacy have economic values to employers of college graduates. Argues against the vocationalization of composition and maintains that writing should not be taught as a mechanical skill but as a human activity which provides humanistic perspectives for vocationally oriented students. (CAM)

Discusses results of a two-phase survey of the writing problems of people with technical, legal, and scientific degrees. The results indicated that most respondents lacked knowledge of the value of preparation in advance of writing, and that many who ranked their writing ability highly suffered from negative writing attitudes. (HTH)

Explores the writing needs of probation officers and how this kind of writing can best be taught to college students specializing in criminal justice. Discusses how to gather information and prepare presentence reports and how to remain objective in corrections writing. Compares corrections reporting with traditional technical writing. (HTH)

Compares three types of vicarious participation counseling analogues: transcript, audiotaped, videotaped. Results showed that men had lower mean ratings on all dependent variables. Subjects in transcript conditions rated counselors less expert, and men in transcript rated counselors less trustworthy. Suggests no differences between using audio and…

Examines 25 years of research on the effects of teachers' comments on and responses to student writing. Expresses the need for emphasizing writing as process, for using multiple-draft assignments, and for developing student appreciation and skill for revising their works. (RL)