Having reviewed 2,000 studies on teaching writing, the author provides an evaluation of six instructional focuses: grammar, models, sentence combining, scales, inquiry, and free writing. Includes two figures, extensive references, and a sidebar focusing on the research highlights. (MD)

Reviews the development of writing paradigms from Aristotle's emphasis on invention, to eighteenth-century emphasis on induction and style, to the recent process approach, and the current expressive and cognitive approaches to writing instruction. Notes problems left unresolved by process theory and recommends the socio-contextual approach which…

Describes use of the programing language "Logo" and the Apple II computer to teach high school students how to write extended definitions. By defining procedures in Logo for drawing simple geometric patterns, students learn that good definition requires precision, rewriting and, in complex tasks, recursion, an aspect of extended…

Contends that J. L. Austin's speech act theory can supplement classical rhetoric because it conserves the essentials of a rhetorical vision of language, defends that rhetorical view against the traditional attacks on it, yet is also free of several aspects of classical rhetoric that are now outmoded. (SKC)

Theoretical views regarding the cognitive processes of summarization are reviewed and some of the specific cognitive operations involved in summarization are considered. It is argued that the cognitive demands of summarization are dependent upon the qualities of the text to be summarized. (Author/LMO)

The article describes components of writing competence for instructors of basic writers (e.g., remedial, disadvantaged, language/learning disabled) emphasizing fluency, clarity, and appropriateness. Implications of research for the teaching of writing (such as the significance of errors) and assessment of writing competence are noted. (DB)

Recommends including an introductory public relations course in technical communication programs to dispel the widely held but inaccurate view that technical communications and public relations are entirely different endeavors. Stresses that including the public relations course would help eliminate misconceptions regarding both fields, and…

Proposes a heuristic to generate specific and vivid phrasing and to draw on the right hemisphere of the brain for the substance of the essay. Describes stages of process as DRAW (Delineate, Ruminate, Analogize, and Write). Emphasizes creative description and expressive language rather than generation of ideas. (JG)

Proposes that error-oriented grading, because it is discouraging and debilitating for students, should be replaced by grading in which the writing teacher comments only on elements considered praiseworthy. Argues that teachers should spend the most time grading the best students, those most able to understand and act on written evaluations of…

Discusses method to improve students' sensitivity to poetry. Describes teaching a poem by Neruda through such class activities as reading aloud, student writing imitating the subjective stance of the poem, class discussion about these essays, and further response writing. Views this approach as a kind of translation. (JG)

Looks at ways to improve students' writing through use of classroom writing programs that emphasize revisions or rewriting. Identifies types of revisions to be made and suggests ways to help students focus on their purpose, including self-selection of topics, publishing and conferencing. (PCB)

Fifteen learning-disabled students, aged 8-12 years, showed marked improvement in their story writing when they used a word processor as compared to handwritten stories. Children with severe spelling problems made fewer errors in their word-processed stories. Reluctant writers tended to write longer word-processed stories compared to handwritten…

Traces the evolution of the basic writing program at the University of Louisville, as related by its first seven directors. Concludes that pedagogical and political strategies that worked took advantage of the academic and student community around them; unsuccessful ideas were those imposed without consideration of local context. (SR)

Offers annotated references to both print materials and software packages used for teaching writing. (MS)

Presents guidelines for teaching spelling, focusing on the issue of whether spelling instruction should be formal or informal, the use of word lists, efficient instructional procedures, effective methods for studying words, the need for systematic improvement of retention, and integration of spelling and writing. (RAE)