Offering a fresh perspective on making writing meaningful in every classroom, this guide seeks to help the teacher and the parent encourage the student writer as a thinker, not merely as a producer of a paragraph. The guide offers guidance as well as many practical activities that will help students to: organize the mind; play with ideas; find…

Examines the effects of computer network technologies on teacher-student and student-student interactions. Finds that teachers in networked sections interact more with their students than do teachers in regular sections and communicate more electronically with less able students than with more able students. Notes that less able students…

A process approach to writing instruction with learning-disabled students is presented, in which students are guided through the processes of planning, drafting, and revising text. The model emphasizes the interaction of the teacher and learner through such activities as conferences, prompting, modeling, peer collaboration, and dialogues about…

Describes a procedure for peer editing in a junior high school writing workshop in which sentences of the work to be edited were copied onto individual pieces of paper and rearranged by each peer reviewer. States that differences were noted and the author chose which order to adopt. (RS)

Denies that the paradigm shift in composition pedagogy (process/product), apparent in the rhetoric of many journals, has become a widespread pedagogical reality. Gives first-hand accounts of teaching methods in Canada, Great Britain, and the United States showing that pedagogy continues to be product-oriented. (SR)

Examines why writing instruction is mired in traditional practices, textbook dependency, and teacher-centered/maintenance-oriented methodologies. Contends that influences for the status quo in language arts instruction will remain powerful, but a metamorphosis of writing instruction is essential. (MS)

Shows how style and usage checkers can be used in writing exercises that encourage a recursive pattern of student revision. Looks at several instructional design ideas that can create "process-centered" revision software that appears heuristic, contextual, and interactive. (RS)

Writing groups, used in many English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) composition classrooms, pose problems for some students from collectivistic cultures such as Japan and China. Suggested reasons are the individual benefit goal, the need for feedback rather than group harmony, and strained group dynamics. (Contains 41 references.) (Author/LB)

Offers one teacher's account of a year of process approach to writing instruction in her fifth-grade class. Focuses on the importance of not getting caught within a narrow vision when reflecting on classroom practice. Notes the crucial role students need to play in instructional decision making. (SR)

Describes a two-year teacher research project on how one teacher improved writing workshops for her middle school students. (SR)

Investigates to what extent children were given opportunities to engage in process writing. Finds a textbook orientation to language instruction, small amounts of time spent in prewriting or writing activities, and a preference for teacher-controlled writing processes. (SR)

Discussion of the development of an information skills curriculum focuses on science education. Topics addressed include information seeking behavior; information skills models; the search process of scientists; science education; a process approach for student activities; and future possibilities. (Contains 15 references.) (LRW)

Assessment is discussed as a key part of instruction. Several evaluation approaches are described, such as process approach to writing instruction, talking about writing, writing about what has been written including progress logs and self-reflective essays, and portfolio evaluation. (15 references) (LB)

Discusses some historical precedents and current examples of how English educators manifest a particular habit of mind (reducing the general and fluid "writing process" to "The Writing Process"). Considers reasons why people are so attracted to it. Explores the difficulties associated with this habit of mind rather than argue…

Reminds readers of the processes involved in writing and how journalists fit into that model. Discusses how the approaches used by writing teachers have changed. (MG)