According to a recent article by Richard Fulkerson, there is some consensus among those who teach writing about what makes writing good. Apparently, a growing number of writing instructors' aims constitute what Fulkerson calls "rhetorical axiology." Rhetorical axiology is a belief system in which teachers value highly "overall…

Of poor academic skills, perhaps the most prevalent among at-risk students is the lack of ability to compose--to develop ideas in print. Providing opportunities to learn that skill opens a whole new world for young people who believe they are incapable of learning. This paper describes writing instruction that was provided over a 4-year period in…

By blending elements of inquiry with the components of portfolios, learning and thinking in teacher preparation courses can be extended and possible tensions between "covering content" and allowing "open-ended investigation" can be mitigated. Over the years, the author mused about how she might nudge graduate students in her…

The English Department and the composition class are mired in the trappings of Romanticism. Romanticism ingratiates itself, mostly in infatuation with the writing process, but with some other fetishes as well. The "whitecentric" character of that Romanticism imbues instruction; it is not just innocuous and "old hat," but really damaging. Students…

Society at present is a sophistic society, a rhetorically negotiated and mediated consensus reality. The 20th century has been a brilliant and bloody transition from "idealism" to the "sophistic." Perhaps the tools of the Sophistic--rhetorical tropes, social construction of meaning, a pragmatic linguistics of consensus making…

This paper addresses civic educators on the left, who "babble" about liberation and empowerment by transformative intellectuals. The paper argues that many of those "leftists" belong to the group that could be called "boss" compositionists, comfortable lower managers of a corrupt system, who never tire of denouncing…

A study investigated the roles of particular cultural exemplars and more abstract cultural schemata in the acquisition of genre knowledge. Subjects, 16 kindergarten children, 20 first-grade children, and 18 second-grade children from one intact classroom at each grade level, were interviewed about their knowledge of various textual and structural…

The current practice and theory of preparing college teachers of writing can benefit greatly by considering the history of writing teacher education as practiced in this country since at least 1894. Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) offered the first course for new teachers of writing in 1912, and in the early years of this century,…

A recent article in the "Assemby for Computers in English (ACE) Newsletter" explains what most instructors of English already know--that students in most writing classes produce papers for which the primary purpose is the teacher. As the Internet becomes more widely available, students will have more access to what Howard Rheingold calls…

The process paradigm for teaching writing has been the dominant curricular model for the past 20 years, but by anatomizing various dimensions of this paradigm, it becomes clear why it, like any other paradigmatic model, will not last forever. To be adopted and become normative, any new paradigm has to appeal to salient features of the prevailing…

English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and their American peers, teachers, and community leaders can appreciate cultural differences at a school International Day. Guided by their teachers, students can benefit from improving their communication, organizational, and research skills as they plan the event. Compositions help students organize…

Promising practices in the adult English-as-a-Second-Language literacy field that were observed by researchers during site visits are described in this digest. These innovative programs provide a social context for literacy, allow learning through hands on experience, and use learner-generated materials. Some programs may use the native language…

This book presents 23 essays, research studies, and personal narratives on topics that reflect the neglect and frustration experienced by the "silent majority" in the field of composition within academia. The essays and their authors are as follows: "Tosca Was a Woman" (Susan Pepper Robbins); "Invisible Diversity: Gay and Lesbian Students Writing…

Despite the burgeoning use of authentic assessment, few studies have examined effects on students. In this study, 148 students in 15 grade 4-6 classrooms were taught over an 8-week period how to evaluate their work. Their self-reflections were later compared with those of 148 control group students. Treatment group students became more accurate in…

This second issue of a new journal presents six essays all on the theme of the imagination. New programming at the Touchstone Center has begun to focus on the importance of finding new forums for reflecting upon the place of the imagination in people's lives. The essays in this issue come from presenters in recent public lectures and workshops…