An initiative of the Open Society Institute (OSI) and the International Reading Association (IRA), Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT) promotes classroom teaching practices that help students learn actively, think critically, and work cooperatively. It offers an integrated program of staff development, activities for teachers of the…

Research suggests that the current division between reading and writing instruction for Chinese English as a Second Language (ESL) students, the lack of authentic communication that typically exists in ESL contexts, and difficulties with sequencing teaching-learning activities combine to hinder the development of writing skills. The paper suggests…

This paper constructs a history of empowerment and critical pedagogies in U.S. composition studies, building on the idea that critical pedagogies arise out of social constructs and exigencies, and they are not divorced from the realities of students' academic concerns and growths. Primary sources for the paper are table of contents pages in…

This theme issue on standards contains 11 articles written by teachers of English and language arts in Bread Loaf's primarily rural, teacher networks. These narratives describe how teachers in Alaska, South Carolina, Ohio, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Arizona, and New Mexico are implementing state content standards while honoring local contexts for…

Migrant children lag behind other students in learning to read and in reading achievement, outcomes that negatively affect other areas of academic achievement. This chapter examines the academic, social, and emotional needs of migrant students in elementary classrooms and describes strategies to facilitate language and literacy development for…

This 18th volume of "Classroom Notes Plus" contains descriptions of original, unpublished teaching practices, or adapted ideas. Under the Ideas from the Classroom section, the August 2000 issue contains the following materials: "The Thought Pot" (Andrew R. West); "Seeing Is Reading: 'The Hollow Men'" (James Penha);…

Suggesting that informational kinds of reading and writing are crucial in every lesson, this book looks at how teachers can encourage children from the very beginning to think of themselves as young researchers using skills and strategies for clear purposes. It argues that the creative practitioner nurtures children's sense of wonder and curiosity…

Reflecting a constructivist approach to teaching and learning, this book presents the content of the language arts curriculum and the most effective strategies for teaching this content. The processes of reading and writing provide the foundation for the three instructional approaches presented in the book: literature focus units, reading and…

Shared writing is a technique for working with adult literacy learners that involves all members of the group, including the tutor, in regularly writing together, reading, and hearing each other's work, and occasionally preparing materials for publication to the outside community. In preparation for developing a professional development program…

A study investigated the writing strategies used by English as a second language (ESL) students in writing electronic mail (e-mail) messages, and to what extent certain ESL teaching variables influenced students' use of writing strategies. Subjects were 16 ESL teachers and their 208 university students. Students were administered a 50-item…

This paper presents a portion of a larger study testing assumptions from Lev Vygotsky's spontaneous private speech theory and the relationship between private speech (overt self-talk) and writing development. Sixteen kindergarten and first-grade children were observed over time in natural classroom settings to note changes in private speech and…

This publication from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is designed to inform parents about the department's Grade Two curriculum standards in four major areas: language arts/reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. The integrated language arts/reading standards emphasize the development of a comprehensive reading…

A discussion of pragmatic issues in both developmental studies (DS) and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction at the college level argues that because the two fields have common problems, challenges, and objectives, they have become homogenized as one in many institutions. Because full-time college faculty avoid teaching developmental…

This serial issue contains nine articles all on the subject of "changing practice," i.e., innovative practices of rural English teachers in the Bread Loaf Rural Teacher Network. "Byte-ing into Medieval Literature" (John Fyler) describes an online conference on medieval literature for rural high school students. "Literacy…

A 50-item, five-point Likert scale inventory was designed to be a valid and reliable group-administered instrument to provide a profile of the declarative knowledge of electronic mail (e-mail) strategies used by students learning English as a second language (ESL) or foreign language (EFL). The inventory was developed primarily for voluntary use…