Defines magic as a process of inducing belief and creating community rather than as a product of an otherworldly incantation. Provides an historical survey of pre-Enlightenment relationships between magic and rhetoric. Proposes that the rise of current-traditional rhetoric coincides with the destruction and disappearance of the magical…

Details the "technical documentation process," a basic five-step process for managing technical documentation projects: assessment, analysis, design, development, and validation. (SR)

Establishes a practical model of the document-development process for writers in nonacademic settings. Pulls together and builds from recent research about writers and writing in the workplace. Reveals the process to contain both linear and recursive elements. Asserts that writers must be involved early in the process. (SR)

Offers a narrative on the therapeutic benefits of writing poetry which examines the creative process in relation to reading misperceptions and to useful delays in word retrieval. Suggests that a particular learning disability may signal a creative capability. (SR)

Discusses the role of incubation in the writing process. Suggests that one secret to coming up with good ideas in writing is understanding the importance of realizing that the process entails patient revision, takes time, and often requires some time off task. (Author/VWL)

This newly updated guide describes how to effectively and efficiently manage the dissertation or thesis process in two semesters or less. Written for doctoral and master's degree students enrolled in on-campus programs and students pursuing accelerated and online-based degree programs, this book demystifies the seemingly daunting process. From…

The acknowledged expert on the 6+1 traits of writing explains what the traits are and what they are not: The traits are not a curriculum; they are part and parcel of the writing process; they are a model, not a program; they are not a prepackaged replacement for teaching writing; and they are the language of the writing workshop. The author…

In the real world of academia, almost every professor must regularly write recommendation letters. Although the ethics of the act are seldom discussed and rarely studied, at least two dissertations--both in the 1930s--tackled the subject of faculty recommendation letters. In this article, the author discusses the ethical responsibilities and how…

We compared 56 eighth-grade students who, 28 months previously, had received instruction in strategies for planning and revising their writing, with 21 students of similar academic ability from the same school who had not experienced the intervention. Both groups wrote an expository essay whilst logging their writing activities and completed…

The author has been tutoring and teaching writing for fifteen years, but has discovered that few people outside of academia know what it is that she does. Despite the rise in composition graduate programs and the improving market for composition specialists, even within the university, faculty from other disciplines frequently have vague notions…

The relation between teaching, instruction and children's learning arises whenever models of the teaching-learning process are discussed or whenever problems of learning occur. Despite massive research efforts we still know little about how differences in learning activities are related to students' learning. The primacy of teachers and teaching…

Proficiency with written expression is critical for students' academic success. Unfortunately, writing presents a challenge for both students and teachers. Recent data suggest that many students in U.S. schools fail to meet even the most basic writing standards. And even when students receive effective (i.e., evidence-based) writing instruction,…

The under-achievement of boys in the language components of standardised tests, together with a perception of boys as having negative attitudes towards the English curriculum, has led to boys being positioned as struggling writers. This article reflects critically on this construction, drawing on data from an Economic and Social Research Council…

This article introduces an activity based on Standard 12 of the "Standards for Technological Literacy" that will help students develop good writing skills. It also describes the elements of a writing prompt and of a rubric, the advantages of using rubrics, and the writing development process itself. It provides an activity through which students…

This self-reflexive personal narrative charts the autoethnographic journey of an adult educator, exploring her own practices, values and beliefs about teaching. Drawing upon postmodern scholarship in reflexive literary methodologies, the author uses personal memoirs as a research text for engaging in a process of interpretation and…