Noting the powerful influence of writing skills on thinking skills, reading comprehension, and knowledge retention, this concept paper examines writing as it is used in the classroom, focusing specifically on the writing process. Following a rationale for teaching writing is a summary of related research that highlights practice as the most…

In examining why performance scores on writing tests so often fail to improve in neat positive intervals for individuals and groups, testers have sought the answer in differences in test conditions on progressive retestings. Two other sources of performance variation are possible: the U-shaped learning curve or phenomenon of apparent regression…

This handbook is designed to aid vocational education staff who are producing student learning guides for competency-based vocational education (CBVE). In the handbook, the basic considerations in developing each component of a learning guide are explained. In addition, specific and concise guidelines for writing each component are given, and…

Teacher evaluation of student writing usually focuses on errors or inadequacies of the written product. One method of changing teacher attitudes is to conduct a writing workshop for department chairpersons to show the benefits and share the techniques of making writing an integral part of their particular disciplines. Such a workshop must address…

Intended to promote insights into the composing process as a way of communicating with words, this book proposes ways to increase language sensitivity through a three-stage communication program: evoking visions through speech, fashioning revisions in writing, and sharing visions by reading. The first two chapters explain the stages of the program…

Drawing on the experiences of teachers of writing in elementary through junior high schools, the teaching strategies presented in this collection are grouped into four sections: prewriting, drafting, editing and publishing, and systems. Topics covered in the prewriting section include listening skills; thinking, speaking, and writing;…

A theory of interpretation developed from the composition scholar's reading and revision of literary theory can effectively serve as a core theory in writing across the curriculum programs. For example, recent composition theory, with its emphasis on close study of students' texts and the process of their writing, provides the writing teacher with…

Intended for use by teachers at both elementary and secondary school levels, this booklet is designed to provide suggestions and writing activities that can promote positive self-concepts. Among the topics discussed in the booklet's various sections are the following: (1) teacher attitude; (2) things to consider when planning and carrying out…

Designing a curriculum to introduce freshman composition students to computer assisted composition involves the cooperation of the composition instructor and the writing center director. One college has developed such a curriculum using the "Milliken Word Processor" (Milliken Publishing Company), a simple program with a variety of…

Process writing and communicative-task-based instruction both assume productive tasks that prompt self-expression to motivate students and as the principal engine for developing L2 proficiency in the language classroom. Besides this, process writing and communicative-task-based instruction have much else in common, despite some obvious…

Recent brain research demonstrates that the left hemisphere of the brain processes information in a linear, organized way. The right hemisphere processes the same information as a whole, with a focus on nonverbal, spatial components. Current educational practice is inordinately skewed to develop only the left hemisphere of the brain. Data from…

The 18 articles in the first section of this journal issue provide information about the National Writing Project, while the 22 articles in the second section discuss classroom writing projects. Among the topics discussed in the first section are the National Writing Projects in Arizona, Northeast Texas, and Boston; teacher behavior during…

This paper describes an ongoing literacy research project involving writing samples and observations of workers in a state social service agency, a large labor union, and several scientific laboratories. Procedures discussed are: (1) selecting participants who were willing to give 16 hours of interview time over the course of a year; (2) selecting…

This booklet is one of a series of teacher-written curriculum publications launched by the Bay Area Writing Project, each focusing on a different aspect of the teaching of composition. After a brief introduction in which the writing concepts of fluency, shape, and correctness are defined, the rest of the booklet presents the work of three…

This booklet is one of a series of teacher-written curriculum publications launched by the Bay Area Writing Project, each focusing on a different aspect of the teaching of composition. The booklet traces the growth of a reluctant writer through a semester of a remedial writing class program, using samples of the student's writing to illustrate…