English instructors try to convince students, sometimes in vain, of their need to learn composition. Through the use of counseling techniques, it is in the instructor's hands to build relationships with students that empower them as individuals and make them want to write well. First, an instructor can build trust by fulfilling promises and…

Adult ways of writing--of constructing textual visions of--children are linked to their ways of envisioning themselves and, more broadly, to their perceptions of fully "developed" adults. Thus, developmental visions have traditionally taken for granted the social and psychological worlds of privileged adults. This essay aims to make problematic…

For some, such as Jonathan Culler, religion is an enemy of the type of thinking the academics are trying to develop in their students. In an article in "MLA Profession '86," Culler bemoans what he sees as the dearth of religion foes among literary critics. He suggests that comparative literature teachers should lead "the critique of…

The term "research paper," in the sense of researched paper, is a tautology: all expository discourses are researched in some way. One of the first duties of writing instructors is to help students see the difference between reporting on information that already exists about a topic, in what is sometimes referred to as a "library…

Based on the idea that expanding the literary canon has to mean more than simply incorporating "nontraditional" texts into literature courses, this book presents essays that address such issues as text selection, course design, and the effects of multicultural literature on students of color. After an introduction by the editors, the…

At the post-secondary level, 38% of teaching is done by adjunct faculty. How did the profession become so divided? The answer goes beyond the academic profession because full-time positions are getting splintered into part-time ones all over the United States, but nevertheless academics make themselves particularly vulnerable because of their…

It is necessary for journalism educators to introduce students to the world of desktop computers. In one journalism class at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, the instructor introduces his students to the computer in the first few days of class. He first walks them through the disk-formatting process; shows them how to get into and out of…

Oral language is an important component of literacy development, yet is often ignored in research and stifled in the classroom. The varied contexts for literate talk in a first-grade classroom were explored. Oral sharing time, writing workshop, reading workshop, whole-class reading time, and project-centers time provided opportunities for rich…

Keeping writing center records is perhaps the director's most dreaded chore, and it is often seen as a negative duty detracting from the more important business of helping tutors and student clients. However, research data that computers now make almost instantly available reveals surprisingly positive results and ways of presenting those results…

This journal article focuses on the return of grammar in composition teaching. After about 2 decades of virtual banishment from the higher reaches of English teaching theory, grammar has returned as a subject of serious discussion. This is the result in part of a new assertiveness by a group of people who never lost interest in grammar as part of…

Learning style theories offer opportunities and challenges to composition instructors. Some complement contemporary directions in composition theory, but others are counter-productive in prescribing neat categorizations of students that tend to limit teacher expectations of students' abilities. Four current directions in learning style research…

Intended for a broad spectrum of teachers using or considering using computers networks for written interaction, this teacher's guide presents techniques and behaviors that encourage and support learning on a computer classroom environment. The 21 essays that make up the book are written by people involved in the ENFI (Electronic Networks For…

Through three semesters of teaching the nonfiction essay, an instructor has come to terms with the fact that she has yet to attempt the type of personal essay that she asks her students to write, essays in which personal experiences with death are shared. However, a reminiscence on death through a recounting of her reactions to and understanding…

A study focused on teachers who have worked in computerized, networked writing classrooms at Purdue University (Indiana) for several year. Each of the subjects was a teaching assistant in the Purdue English Department, and the courses involved were upper division technical writing courses. Three theoretical approaches underpinned the study:…

This practicum involved developing and implementing a comprehensive writing program to improve the academic achievement and increase the writing ability of five home/hospital students in a central Florida county. The target group of home/hospital students was assigned to an eighth grade language arts class. Writing techniques used to build writing…