A broad liberal arts curriculum coupled with basic and advanced journalism writing, editing, and theory (including law and ethics) courses is the best insurance for excellence in journalism education. A University of Kentucky plan includes establishing an exchange program with other disciplines, and requiring paired, cross-disciplinary courses.…

Describes a course in critical thinking, or practical logic, that was developed at Athabasca University for distance education students. The course emphasis on critical writing is explained, students' problems are discussed, a four-step method for analyzing and evaluating arguments and theories is described, and future course revisions are…

Describes ways in which teachers can use word processing software, including print utilities and desktop publishing programs. The production of parent letters, personalized form letters, worksheets, newsletters, awards, and certificates are described; improvements in communications and in teacher generated student materials are discussed; and…

Informal criterion-referenced techniques can be used to assess the writing skills of students with disabilities. Teachers can analyze student writing samples with regard to fluency, sentence types, vocabulary, structure, and ideation. A form is presented for collecting and analyzing data from writing samples, and use of the form is illustrated.…

Gives strategies middle school teachers can use to promote student writing. Includes brief discussions of authentic writing; freedom of topic choice; free time to write; and the process of review, revision, feedback, and reinforcement. (ET)

Suggestions are offered for parents who wish to support their gifted children's writing. Parents should write themselves and share their writing with their children. Parents should encourage children to write abundantly to promote children's interest and confidence. Parents should not correct or comment on their children's writing unless asked for…

In 2 experiments involving 271 elementary and middle-school students with greater and lesser writing skills, components of the writing-translating process were examined. Skilled writers showed more fluent sentence-generation processes and were faster on lexical decision-making tasks. Fluent translating may help reduce the working-memory load…

Four-year olds (n=167) in Head Start were assigned to an intervention condition involving an add-on emergent literacy curriculum or the regular Head Start program. Intervention effects were large for writing and print domains and were noted for language when primary caregivers were actively involved in the intervention. (SLD)

The effect of extended text writing on the writing proficiency of urban elementary school students was investigated with 39 fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. Both quality of writing and use of writing conventions was better for students with extended writing practice, a result consistent for minority and European American students. (SLD)

Researchers agree that academic self-efficacy beliefs are strongly predictive of academic performance. This study investigates four students' perceptions of the evolution of their efficacy beliefs about writing and of the relationship between these beliefs and their writing competence. (JPS)

Argues for three levels of solutions to today's problems with violence in the schools: (1) crisis management, including surveillance and close supervision; (2) mediation, through which third parties referee disputes; and (3) the English curriculum, which cultivates many different ways of questioning, valuing, seeing. (TB)

Presents a critique of the common practice of writing instruction advocated by the well-known theorist Peter Elbow. Focuses on the paradox of pedagogical authority in writing classrooms. Reviews Elbow's writings in light of the problem of pedagogical authority. (HB)

A study of 110 graduate students in social science research found their writing experiences and habits were distinct from those of novice undergraduate writers; however, a minority of students reported writing difficulties which might hinder their academic achievement. Issues and problems related to research writing are examined. (GLR)

Two English composition classes of community college students followed the same syllabus, but students in one class were required to use a word processor. Data were gathered at the beginning and end of the semester through an attitude questionnaire and student writing samples. Results indicated improved writing skills and attitudes toward writing…

An interactive, multimedia program designed to teach writing in Spanish as a second language is described and its instructional features are discussed. In it, students must interpret ambiguous scenes and communicative interactions in Spanish to create a fictional account. An oral component also requires students to speak the language. (MSE)