Suggests that despite culturally induced aversions, aromas do have a role to play in writing instruction. Suggest there are many examples in literature of authors' treatment of the olfactory sense. Argues that emphasizing smell as a writing stimulant and encouraging olfactory analyses of literary works can serve as valid ways of introducing…

Examined how students drew upon their asynchronous conference discussions in an online course for their written assignments. Found that computer conferencing can give students the opportunity to rehearse discipline-based debates and then exploit these as rhetorical resources in their written work; students use the voices of their peers in ways…

Presents seven suggestions to help writers and teachers go beyond limericks, parts of speech poems, and haiku. Frames the suggestions for those who are (for whatever reason) trying to write poems, including teachers who are joining their students in the act of learning poetry writing. (RS)

Describes the evolution of the author's children's picture book, "An Amish Christmas." Notes how he refers to "Christmas in Noisy Village" (1964) by Astrid Lindgren, a praised children's Christmas book. Describes how he used Lindgren's economical use of words and book format as a guide. (SG)

The old cliche about not reinventing the wheel is especially apropos concerning the grant writing process. It has been my experience that grant writing is equal parts form and substance. The "trick" is to discover a successful formula that can be used repeatedly to secure different grants, while every grant underwriting organization has its own…

In the many years the author has worked with students in the lower grades, she has heard plenty of myths about their capabilities as writers. She has also learned a few things about how they approach the writing process. Here are some things to keep in mind when working with younger writers: (1) Younger students are capable writers; (2) Younger…

Ethnography can be practiced anywhere by anyone without the slightest knowledge that it is being practiced. The students of three elementary schools are being examined to find the ways in which they have engaged in ethnographic writing.

In attempting to define postmodernism, many search for a "neat central core" (Beck, 1993) thus attempting to universalize all postmodern theories and operate "within the modern obsession with control and reason" (Slattery, 2000: 137). In this article, I refrain from attempting a universal definition, but instead present an exploration of the most…

The idea that formal grammar teaching leads to improvements in school pupils' writing has been a popular one. However, the robust and extensive evidence base shows that this is not the case. Despite this, policy initiatives have continued to suggest that grammar teaching does improve pupils' writing: the "Grammar for Writing" resource is…

The article presents findings from a research project that investigated young, fluent writers' revision practices. The project adopted a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews based on the students' written scripts. This article focuses on a small sample of children and profiles the extent of their ability to reflect on their…

This paper examines the processes of creative writing, exploring in particular how intuition and analysis, unconscious and conscious, work together, and how the social and the personal are involved in these processes. The author discusses her experience of writing a sustained narrative poem with lyrical elements, and then as a teacher-educator…

This article provides 10 reasons why it is important to do critical media analysis in the second language classroom and describes how a process-writing approach can be used for this in a university writing class. The authors explain how to prepare a lesson plan and the idea of an "Adbuster." They then describe 10 stages in the lesson…

Process-oriented writing instruction stresses the value of between-draft revision. Yet current literature and traditional pedagogy have provided little guidance for motivating student writers to look beyond surface errors to develop and to refine their communicative intentions. Based on the assumption that this deep-level revision is most…

The writing approach framework provides a comprehensive perspective on college-level academic writing based on the relationship of writers' beliefs and strategies to the quality of written outcomes. However, despite increased demands for more and better writing at the graduate level, little is known about graduate-level writing processes or about…

The "Literacy Cafe," a celebration of genre study and student writing, offers students (and visitors!) a positive environment in which to engage in reading and discussion of writing without self-consciousness or fear of criticism. It works because students learn to recognize writing as a learning tool and a relevant, authentic skill in the real…