Most educational computer software currently available severely restricts the kinds of interaction that can take place between the student and the computer. In fact, an examination of 317 language arts programs listed in a directory of educational software shows that 60% of the programs were of the drill and practice type. In response to this…

Twenty countries are participating in the IEA International Study of Written Composition, for which this is a background report. school-based writing in particular, this report discusses the functions of writing from the point of view of culture, cognition, and child development. It also presents a usable model for constructing and evaluating…

A curriculum for intermediate composition for students of English as a second language is presented based on the use of levels of specificity as an organizing principle. The course objective is for students to write well-planned, coherent paragraphs acceptable to the American academic audience, within limited formats. Two additional fundamentals…

In an effort to bridge the gap between Spanish foreign language classes for the monolingual English speaker and the needs of the Hispanic bilingual student wishing to have Spanish instruction, a bilingual teacher trainer has designed Spanish courses specifically for the Hispanic bilingual. To give recognition to bilinguals' existing linguistic…

Concerned with the interaction between teacher writing values and classroom writing instruction, this report describes a naturalistic study of writing-related activities and teacher attitudes in a combined second and third grade classroom and a sixth grade classroom. It presents descriptions and analyses of seven occasions for writing that…

A course designed for college students with severe writing problems, especially those stemming from nonstandard speech patterns, was adapted to a variety of noncollege settings: two high schools, a labor union, a manpower training program, and the staff education department of a psychiatric hospital. Each setting attempted to integrate classroom…

Technical communications courses, which frequently present the research proposal as part of the report writing segment, rarely teach the grant proposal, even though it can provide the instructor with a vehicle for presenting such rhetorical strategies as audience analysis and persuasive writing. In addition to its problem solving structure, the…

College composition instructors need special knowledge and skills in teaching black students. After pointing out the difference between black dialect and standard English, teachers need to discuss with students the practical reasons for using standard English in writing. To avoid being arbitrary or patronizing during this discussion, instructors…

Limited ability students, reluctant to revise and edit written compositions, frequently produce final drafts that are below the minimum standards set by high school English departments. The use of the microcomputer and word processing may provide a means by which students can revise and improve their finished products. Programs are continuously…

A study was conducted at Walters State Community College (WSCC) using a "base rate" approach to evaluate developmental mathematics and English courses. The study involved the collection of data on students' success rates in developmental courses and later in college-level courses; on developmental students' success rates compared with…

The University of Georgia's Writing Intensive Program began--as do many college-wide writing initiatives--with faculty concern about the quality of student writing at the university. Acknowledging that the responsibility for this quality--or lack thereof--belongs to all faculty, in all disciplines, not just to first-year composition instructors…

Because graduating high school seniors and college freshmen have difficulty writing persuasive arguments, elementary and secondary school writing curricula must teach students how to create a persuasive argument by producing evidence or support for their claims. One strategy for teaching persuasive writing that has proven to be successful is a…

A mentor system that pairs a new teaching assistant (TA) with an experienced TA has been established at the University of Massachusetts Writing Program. Recruited as volunteers, experienced TAs can consult with the Resource Center staff and with more experienced mentors concerning their role as counselor. Usually, mentors and mentees exchange…

This practicum addressed the expressed need to help teachers become familiar with the writing process and to provide the staff with ways to incorporate more writing (composition) into their elementary (K-5) classrooms. The objectives included educating the teachers in the writing process so they could feel more comfortable in teaching the new…

A summer employment and training project for high school dropouts was conducted at Florida's Pensacola Junior College (PJC) through the college's Adult High School. The program participants were economically disadvantaged teenagers who were eligible for Job Training Partnership Act funding. All but four of the 20 participants were high school…