Explores the influences of context upon the writing of 18-year-olds in 6 subject areas in a secondary school in London, England. Examines how students and teachers negotiate compromises between using writing to understand discipline-specific concepts and using writing to pass examinations. (KEH)

Explains the use of interactional drama, a technique that presents a problem in dramatic form, drawing the student audience into the drama by encouraging meaningful discussion in order to resolve the problem. Describes a three-step process for developing dramas that bring life to historical events and distant locations. (LS)

Summarizes findings of the Television Violence Study indicating that the context of much television violence is dangerous to viewers, perpetrators go unpunished in the majority of programs, negative consequences of violence are often ignored, guns feature prominently, and presentation of violence differs greatly across networks and across…

Considers the attempts of some rhetors, when accused publicly through news media, to shift blame onto the reporting media by questioning their coverage. Defines this strategy as a "role imbalance attack" that deflects criticism away from a rhetor. Discusses the factors influencing the success of this strategy. (HB)

Investigates Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development using peer social dialogue integrated with teacher support to develop children's reading, writing, and abstract thinking in story reflection and sense of audience. Reports that students showed improvement in word recognition, in fluency, and in evaluating their own reading…

Discusses the influence of radio on the social history of the United States between the world wars. Describes early broadcast programing as a mix of culture, education, information, and some entertainment. Addresses the role of radio in the Depression and through the beginnings of World War II in Europe. (DK)

A survey of 174 policymakers, employers, and college faculty attempted to identify the writing skills college graduates need to be effective citizens and productive employees. Areas of consensus are identified for the following areas: audience awareness; purpose for writing; prewriting activities; organization; drafting; collaborating; and…

Wigginton's Foxfire program requires that students and teachers collaborate on important, intriguing issues and use certain experiential methods to address and assess them. Wigginton handed out copies of Georgia's 92 language arts objectives to his ninth and tenth graders and allowed them considerable flexibility in learning them. Cooperative…

Asserts that extending reading journals to case studies of classmates as readers and viewing journal responses as "texts" help to redefine the study of literature and to build a community of interpreters of texts. Describes a course based on these ideas. (PRA)

Examines three assumptions evident in the practice of art criticism models: (1) the connection of first impressions with the viewer's past experience; (2) the connection between sequential procedures and learning; and (3) the use of judgment as a necessary step in understanding. Describes a new criticism model that stresses understanding and…

Examines theoretical foundations and practical application of Translation Quality Assessment (TQA), particularly in translator training. Several approaches to translation are considered, especially the "functional" and "relevance" approaches. The need for TQA, several popular views on translation quality, and the issue of…

Presents accounts of two teachers using electronic portfolios. Relates how moving peer reviews and explanatory papers from manila folders to electronic portfolios helped students become more aware of peers as audience. Describes the unsettling effect of students who chose to invest their energy in dynamic online dialogs rather than in the…

Contributes to scholarship on the transcultural impact of media systems (and draws on media effects, political economy, and cultural studies research) by applying the soil erosion metaphor to transcultural impact of television. Discusses four processes associated with this model: cultural abrasion, cultural deflation, cultural deposition, and…

Discusses the design and impact of Kentucky's statewide writing portfolio assessment. Describes how it was designed to influence writing instruction in Kentucky in positive ways. Evaluates its impact, noting progress toward overall goals, struggles with understanding "authentic audience," and the amazing staying power of the…

Investigates ways of introducing media theory into the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) practical production module in Media Studies. Describes how the author developed and critiqued his approach to what he taught and how it should be assessed. Argues that the subtlest understandings of audience were gained as students reflected…