This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the impact of a word-processor on an ESL writing assessment, covering comparison of inter-rater reliability, the quality of written products, the writing process across different testing occasions using different writing media, and students' perception of a computer-delivered test. Writing samples of…

Every year, more than 15,000 teachers vie for the chance to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Although the process is voluntary, National Board Certification is a widely recognized mark of distinction and is increasingly tied to leadership opportunities for teachers, salary increases, and improved student…

Seven essays address aspects of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for children, seen from a variety of perspectives: research, teaching, and ethnography. They include: "Introduction: Children and ESL" (D. Scott Enright, Pat Rigg); "ESL Teachers as Language Advocates for Children" (Courtney Cazden); "ESL Children's Writing: What We've…

Detailing the many ways that reading and writing interact with and support learning, this book is about the role of literacy in subject area learning. Three features of the book are designed to guide teachers' reflective thought and assist them in transferring ideas from the book to their teaching repertoire and classroom: "double entry…

Intended for teachers of students in grades 4 through 8 and beyond, this book offers a simple process for teaching students to think critically and write logically. Each lesson in the book provides three different writing templates: the beginning template is intended for third- and fourth-grade students; the intermediate, for grades 4 through 6;…

This book reviews pertinent theories about writing in English, English as a Second Language (ESL), and foreign languages for teachers at secondary and postsecondary levels, to provide insight into the teaching and learning processes. Five hypotheses about the nature of foreign language (FL) writing serve as points of departure for analyzing…

A study compared the topical structure (TS) of Arabic and English in order to determine whether Arab learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) transfer potential differences between Arabic and English in their English writing, or whether they use an altogether different TS indicative of developmental factors. Four sets of data were compared…

This third edition of a writing handbook that is built on the underlying themes of critical thinking and writing across the curriculum moves into the next generation with extensive coverage of electronic research and document design. It also contains many examples, exercises, and student papers in all categories. The handbook's chapters on…

Learning to write in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) provides learners with a voice in their new culture and enhances language acquisition. There are two general approaches to teaching writing: free writing, which is not necessarily edited or revised, and process writing which is revised and edited and shared with a wider audience. In addition,…

Personal writing is not only valid in such places as the academy, it is vital--even though Daniel Horowitz, in his essay "Process, Not Product: Less Than Meets the Eye," said that "teaching students to write intelligently on topics they do not care about seems to be a more useful goal than having them pick topics which interest them." But…

Genesee Community College (GCC), in New York, received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to conduct a faculty seminar focusing on the role and historical context of the computer as a medium for writing. Twenty GCC faculty from the humanities, as well as from career/technical programs, participated in the seminar in the summer of 1992.…

An intervention study was designed to implement and evaluate an instructional program combining the writing process and computers to improve the writing quantity and quality and investigate the apprehensions of middle level students. Subjects, 75 sixth-grade students, were chosen from a relatively small rural school system. The intervention took…

Articles in this journal issue focus primarily on evaluation in the language arts and oral communication. Following an introduction to the two themes, the articles discuss the following: (1) pop quizzes in literature, (2) holistic scoring, (3) self-evaluation strategies in prewriting and rewriting, (4) what not to do in student/teacher…

To gain an understanding of the development of the composing process, researchers observed, categorized, analyzed, and collected the writing of 10 Papago third and fourth graders in the Indian Oasis Public School District of Arizona over a period of two years. Of 30 children originally chosen to represent lower, middle, and upper development…

Intended as a resource for incorporating computer assisted instruction into existing English curricula, this guide reviews current work with computers in grammar, writing, and literature. Divided into 10 sections, the guide first presents a statement of purpose and then provides an overview of the relationship between English and computers.…