Provides college instructors with questioning strategies that encourage students' awareness of writing as decision making, and understanding of themselves as writers and as members of a broader writing community. Presents questions relating to topic selection, composition strategies, revision, critiques of other students' work, self-critiquing and…

This article describes a collaborative public school-university project that provided telecommunications training to elementary teachers and students. Project development, implementation, and evaluation are briefly discussed. The staff development model which was utilized is described, and recommendations are made for future telecommunications…

Describes a learning activity that helps children learn to combine the journalistic writing style found in newspaper headlines with the story structure of novels. (MG)

Contends that, when laypeople read history, they prefer to read biographies--stories about leaders and people--rather than about social forces and ideas. Argues that the most effective way of writing biography is to write chronologically, not to use flashbacks or flash forward writing. (CFR)

The influences of writing tasks and gender on the quality of student writing of black and white eighth graders were examined. Data from statewide writing assessments of 170,899 Georgia students indicated both writing tasks and student characteristics were significant predictors of writing quality. There were both racial and gender differences. (SM)

Third and fourth graders' talk during collaborative writing assignments with teachers and peers was transcribed and coded. Found that the students devoted a significant amount of peer and teacher interaction to the subject of spelling, and that the amount of talk about spelling did not vary with the spelling ability of the students. (MDM)

Discusses the IEA Written Composition Study in relation to other IEA studies, national cultural patterns, and research on writing in general. Describes research design problems, development of representative writing tasks, and a scoring scheme based on a system of writing competencies and preferences and their elements. Summarizes preliminary…

This study surveyed personal factors influencing reasoning of 61 adult citizens about federal budget deficit solutions. Reasoners were motivated to present a strong argument for their answers and generally did not offer counterargument unless prompted to do so. Education level was not significantly related to quality of argument. (SLD)

Discusses two field studies that observed the behavior of 11th-grade students as they used reference sources to write research papers. Topics include plagiarism, citing sources correctly, paraphrasing, and the intervention role of the teacher of information skills and composition. Examples of copying are appended. (Author/LRW)

Discusses Kenneth Burke's notion of "symbolic action" as applied to texts and how it mediates perceptions. Discusses some ways to teach students to get outside their own perspectives and notice what they are overlooking (thus teaching Burke's "perspective by incongruity"). (SR)

Describes "SuperText," computer software designed to support expository writing among students in distance learning programs, and its theoretical justification. Notes the various models of writing supported by "SuperText" and outlines the functions of the program. Evaluates "SuperText" on the basis of student…

Asserts that composition specialists must pay attention to technology issues. Offers suggestion of Web sites for critically informed action on technological literacy to try to ensure that all Americans have real access to the technologies underlying the quickly changing forms of literacy. (SR)

Describes the use of a multi-part journal format, known as the synthesis journal, in academic assistance composition classes. The journal promotes students' abilities to synthesize ideas from four major sources--text, lecture, class discussion, and personal experience--and encourages higher-order thinking skills without shifting attention from the…

Considers how teachers can help students become literate, critical, creative thinkers by aligning curricula, teaching strategies, and instructional resources. Promotes literacy, higher-level thinking, and writing skills through the interdisciplinary approach of combining language and art. Suggests that creating a comic strip stimulates and…

Describes how seventh graders were given a writing activity, collaboratively created by teachers and librarians utilizing a computer program, to introduce cumulative tales. Details the process of identifying characteristics of cumulative tales, teaching as a team, writing the tale, recording the tale on the computer, and sharing cumulative tales.…