The National Writing Project (NWP), begun in Berkeley, California, in 1974 as the Bay Area Writing Project, has expanded to more than 100 sites in 43 states. Current programs in New Hampshire and Virginia exemplify the potential offered by the NWP for improving student writing. (JBM)

Forty language class activities are suggested for reinforcing vocabulary and structures used in all types of French second language programs; reinforcing the four areas of knowledge (comprehension, speech, reading, and writing); developing communicative skills; integrating culture into French language programs; and integrating other subject area…

Describes an experiment in which 21 first-year university students were trained in study techniques, then followed through their first examination. When their examination results were compared with those of control groups, statistically significant differences were found, indicating that elaborate study skills can be learned and may facilitate…

Outlines an introductory literature course wherein students learn to apply Jakobsen's schema of the communications process to the analysis of a variety of readings, both as a means of improving their critical reading skills and as a heuristic device for the essays they write on the readings. (FL)

Describes SPAWN, a technique for helping teachers make writing assignments in which students must first read, then integrate information from reading with their background experiences, to produce a piece of writing. (FL)

Argues that in language development, children display a sustained and conscious effort to learn (L) words and expressions, assimilate (A) the language system, and acquire fluency (F) in using it to communicate. Maintains the same is true in literacy development. (FL)

Many social and intellectual forces focus introductory courses not on the process of inquiry but on its products. Changes that can help refocus these courses include limiting class size, emphasizing writing skills, having all levels of faculty teach the courses, and promoting exchange of ideas in the classroom. (MSE)

Relies on a study of articles on agronomy and engineering to argue that teachers of technical style need to examine more closely the structures used by technical writers, particularly subordinate clauses that may be a means of distinguishing the "languages" of various technical disciplines. (EL)

Examines flaws in the literature of dialect interference, examines the seven correlates of Patrick Hartwell's print code hypothesis and finds them wanting or uninstructive, and sets forth suggestions for a more sophisticated study of this issue. (HOD)

Explains a technique for teaching proofreading to basic writing students that calls forth their inner competence with language and causes them to attend to what is actually written in order to find and correct manuscript errors. (EL)

Details a corporate advocacy teaching module designed to help business students develop communication skills they can use in the future in defending their corporations when they are attacked in the national media. (FL)

Offers classroom teachers from kindergarten through grade 12 seven suggestions on writing publishable manuscripts: (1) study journals' editorial policies, (2) give credit for borrowed material, (3) learn of publication plans for forthcoming issues, (4) avoid sexist language, (5) keep the intended audience in mind, (6) proofread and revise, and (7)…

Presents a model of the writing process using three stages of drafting: zero drafting--the discovery and initial realization of the topic; problem solving drafting--the identification and resolution of major conceptual and organizational problems; and final drafting--the attempt to arrive at the best possible solution to a rhetorical problem. (MM)

Reports an investigation into possibilities of using word processors and text analysis software with English as second language (ESL) students to determine (1) if foreign students can learn to use computer equipment, (2) if students feel time invested is worthwhile, and (3) if ESL students' problems with writing American academic prose can be…

Discusses evolution of task performance assessment technique of the Toronto Office Skills Training Project (TOSTP), a 45-week training program for women from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Training in office skills, language, and life skills is uniquely integrated in a program designed to enable the women to overcome the obstacles of language…