Describes the author's experience of taking two creative writing courses. Stresses the values that are taught: self-investment; avoidance of premature closure; seeing revision as discovery; experimentation; and trusting your own creative power--all necessary for good writing, whether academic or creative. (RAE)

Describes the effect on junior high remedial readers of a reading workshop applying principles from Nancie Atwell's "In the Middle," including self-selection of adolescent literature books, silent reading, dialogue journal writing, and sharing work with others. Augments the workshop with "mini-lessons" on elements of reading…

Examines the use of computer conferencing in a graduate course to explore the potential of a collective electronic student journal as an alternative to individual journal writing. Presents excerpts of messages from the computer conference and feedback from participants. Findings indicate that teachers can successfully use computer conferencing as…

Strategies are presented for using dialog journals to improve the written communication skills of students with hearing impairments. The strategies involve using dialog journals not only in self-contained classrooms but also in resource rooms and inclusive environments, including the regular education teacher as a third person, and having deaf…

Describes an ethnographic study conducted to determine if writing could assist student learning in a college data processing class. Indicates that although most students were able to write expository essays and had passed the City Writing Assessment Test, there was little transfer of skills to course content. (MAB)

This paper presents and comments on an experiment on teaching grammar that was started at Gettysburg College (PA). Using a proficiency-based approach, this course uses films as texts that provide a cultural, visual, and linguistic context in which the class functions. (six references) (JL)

Asserts that learning to teach is a pervasive and continuous process. Contends that little is known about what, when, and how teachers comprehend the teaching processes, their students, and the curriculum. Reports on a study of eight student teachers who kept journals about well-remembered events during their 13-week student teaching period. (CFR)

A second-grade teacher studied student development when writing occurred daily in the classroom. Assignments included journal, paragraph, and creative writing. The teacher assumed that with daily writing, reading, and spelling would improve. Results indicated that students' reading and writing improved but not spelling; and with forced daily…

Begun in 1972 as an alternative for students with attendance problems, the ALPHA program is still flourishing. Now attended by at-risk and volunteer students, this Michigan alternative high school offers individually tailored learning opportunities. Students complete traditional graduation requirements via workshop classes, independent study,…

Describes how a teacher in a program for mildly learning-disabled special education students in a large high school has incorporated into classroom discourse difficult and controversial issues surrounding gender and power. Describes the use of journal writing to improve gender-based interaction, writing focused on male-female relationships, and…

The article outlines the use of reflective journal writing to help develop preservice teachers as reflective practitioners. Journals allow students to determine their own focus and what they want to understand, and to have their ideas seriously valued as knowledge being personally constructed. The importance of collaboration is examined. (SM)

Writing during math supports students' learning as they clarify their ideas and highlight what they understand. This article presents math and writing strategies, answers to common questions, various math writing assignments, and math activities that lead to writing. (SM)

A case study is reported involving a detailed content analysis of the daily journal writing of 20 teaching assistants. Results showed that most students approved of and benefited from journal writing, particularly for improved confidence and language fluency and as an outlet for stress; however, little analytical or reflective writing took place.…

Describes exercises in which students create a fictional character from history and write a journal entry in a cooperative group activity. Discusses further assignments in which individual students create additional characters descended from the original for study of later historical periods. Suggests that the project demonstrates how historical…

Discusses a case study designed to explore modeling as it relates to the use of invented spelling by very young writers. Examines the effects of metacognitive modeling by peers. Suggests the value of having good writers model their thinking processes for immature writers as they use invented spelling. (MG)