In a study of writing perceptions held by college faculty in disciplines other than English, 81 faculty members indicated whether each of 67 student writing errors bothered them a great deal, a little, or not at all. Results showed that teachers did not strongly object to errors apparently produced by carelessness or by ignorance of finer…

Concerned with improving text readability in the content areas, this report first draws upon Linda Flower's writing steps and strategies in its description of writing as moving from planning to generating ideas in words, designing for a reader, and editing for effectiveness. It also presents nine more precise steps in the writing process along…

Aimed at teachers interested in implementing student journals in their classrooms, this guide offers subjects students can write about and ideas for how to use journal writing as a classroom activity, and justifies writing across curriculum lines. The first section of the guide, entitled Mirrors, suggests that students can benefit from writing in…

A response to the educator's confusion over how to teach critical thinking skills through writing, the writing process model described in this paper underlines the close ties among cognitive, language, and writing skills. Guiding writing assignments in all content areas, the model involves students in reflection and discussion as they move from…

Noting that technically competent graduates of professional schools need additional skills to function effectively in an increasingly complex and global society, this paper describes an innovative program in technical writing developed for undergraduate engineering students at the Colorado School of Mines. The paper first provides background…

Thirteen classroom teachers took a graduate course, "Writing with Computers: Teaching the Academically Able," during an intensive 3-week session. The teachers were all seeking certification and/or masters degrees in gifted education. Only seven of them had used computers in their classrooms and most of the seven stressed that they did…

Composing written text in an educational context engages both students and teachers in struggles between convention and choice, resulting frequently in the negotiation of compromises with which neither teachers nor students feel comfortable. The linguistic traditions of a discipline are powerful determinants of the nature of the language in which…

Focusing on writing as a way of learning subject matter, this paper describes two writing activities in an eighth grade social studies curriculum. First, the paper describes the use of the writing journal--its purposes, advantages, and format--and classroom activities in which students responded to such works as "Lord of the Flies" and…

A recent study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) directly links writing effectiveness to development of skills in critical thinking. This ERIC Digest discusses: (1) recent research on the linkage between writing and learning; (2) successful approaches to teaching writing; and (3) suggestions for including an effective…

In the belief that effective writing instruction can be a critical component in successful learning, and to better understand the role that writing plays in content area learning, this book presents an extensive study of writing assignments in the secondary school curriculum. Following an introduction, the book provides an overview of the project,…

In an attempt to contribute to the development of students' writing skills while helping them master basic psychology, a writing component was designed for a medium sized introductory psychology course. Its purpose was to aid in the mastery of course material and to contribute to the development of students' skill in written expression. In the…

This publication focuses on the work of one bright but math avoidant student in a writing seminar in mathematics. The introductory portion of the document explains the philosophy, goals, and activities of the seminar. The course is intended to provide opportunities for students in the humanities to experience mathematics as a discipline at once…

Drawing from information gathered at conferences, through a literature review, telephone interviews with writing directors at all the community colleges in Michigan and several four-year institutions, and a survey of faculty members at Monroe County Community College (MCCC) this report assesses the status of writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) in…

Several ideas for implementing writing in the content areas are presented. The ideas, which were submitted by teachers and students, include: (1) a class called "Thinking-Writing" which uses freewriting, clustering, and written dialogue with an imaginary tutee; (2) a testimonial on the importance of knowing how to write in adult life;…

Intended to assist teachers at all levels and to help students become independent strategic learners, this guide is based on the philosophy that with proper instruction students can understand the reading/learning process and apply this knowledge across the curriculum. Strategies presented in this guide are designed to aid learning from content…