Asserts that the most important part of the research process occurs before formal research writing begins, when students engage in expressive, genuine communication. Describes several activities that promote meaningful responses to literature as a prelude to researching an American literary work. (MM)

Describes a biography-writing project that links research to literary discourse. Notes that the power of literary discourse supported the research project and tapped students' energy to write. (MM)

Describes the efforts of a group called Teens Networking Together (TNT) to paint a mural and send a message to their neighbors about taking care of the environment and taking pride in their cultural history. The teens focused on the importance of clean water and waste disposal issues. (LZ)

Business students involved in group presentations (n=28), industry research projects (n=44), and computer simulation (n=51) rated each method on 10 criteria: interest, novelty, motivation, effort, business relevance, major relevance, course relevance, course improvement, learning, and difficulty. Simulation scored highest on 6 of the 10 areas. (SK)

Production of a play by students with deafness can be a meaningful student experience as well as an excellent educational laboratory. An original production at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet University involved students in set construction, painting, preparing visuals, financial management, using video and other technology,…

Describes a project in a desktop publishing course in which students work with nonprofit and campus organizations to design brochures that fulfill important needs. Discusses specific tools students use. Describes the brochure project, project criteria, clients, text and graphics for the project, how to evaluate the project, and guidelines for…

Describes a project assignment for a business communication course that is the central organizing principle for the course and addresses researching, interviewing, writing and reporting topics, and the inevitable question of why this course is required. (SR)

In a small school off the Alaskan coast, students are learning to value their Aleut heritage. The third-grade class abandoned its traditional science text to study lessons organized around Alaska's Pribilof Islands, a natural science laboratory. Weekly projects involving debris cleanup, tourist brochures, rat alerts, and boat restoration engage…

Discusses collaborative projects developed between different teachers using online networks that allow students to create or write for an audience. Topics include gathering and sharing information online, cooperating in an integrated study, developing a final project, generating your own project, and joining an existing project. (LRW)

Describes a senior-year requirement of a high school in Oregon consisting of a prescribed research paper. Demonstrates the benefits of this requirement among those in college writing courses. Argues that freeing students to choose a topic may be the key. (HB)

Discusses the use of portfolios to document high school students' explorations of literature as they create and present multimedia projects. (SR)

Describes using the strategic planning report process in business communication classrooms, thus requiring students to work collaboratively and to apply business school learning. (SR)

Advocates making technical writing courses more vertical in structure by including an extensive study of at least one specific form of technical documentation. Examines how students can gain experience in the vertical process by designing, writing, testing, and producing user manuals for on-campus cooperative education clients. Lists the benefits…

Describes an elective class on computers in which two pairs of troublesome eighth grade boys in congenial, collegial, collaborative interactions with each other and their teacher, created HyperCard stacks (in lieu of traditional essays) in response to poems of their own choosing. (SR)