Noting that the nearly 1,400 two-year colleges in the United States enroll almost half of all students in higher education, this collection of essays discusses the students, the curriculum, and the faculty at these colleges. In essence, the collection surveys what is "on the minds" of two-year college English teachers. The essays and…

Reflecting advances in the understanding of language, learning, and the complex literacy demands of a rapidly changing democratic and technological society, this booklet provides a set of standards to guide decisions about assessing the teaching and learning of reading and writing. After an introduction that presents an overview of what is meant…

Writing teachers are constantly confronted with the problem of forming effective responding strategies to help student writing improve. Even though the way writing is taught has shifted from a product- to a process-oriented approach, teachers' responding practices seem particularly resistant to modification. "Practitioner lore" suggests…

This workbook, designed for workplace literacy courses, contains materials for the second part of a course on reading and writing effectively. Introductory materials include objectives, a topical outline, sources, and information on time for the course and continuing education credits. The 16 sessions of the course cover the following topics:…

Noting that many instructors involved in teaching writing to students of differing cultural backgrounds seek to pinpoint the origin of the differences in communication between the form of written language conveyed to students and that which they use in their everyday language, this paper recommends ethnography to provide evidence as to what is…

A descriptive study investigated whether a common middle-level writing program exists, and what factors impact the writing program and the relationships among these factors. A random sample of 1,500 classrooms in California and Missouri stratifying on four grade span school types (K-8, 6-8, 7-8, 7-9) was chosen. A survey was developed, sent, and…

Tutor training programs in composition which emphasize interpersonal skills while offering concentrated correctness doses of mechanics and grammar are inherently limiting. While interpersonal skills are important, they only superficially address the complex situation of tutoring. A prescription for a healthy tutor program, one which would allow…

This yearbook presents seven articles on topics of interest to teachers of language and literature at all levels, kindergarten through college. Articles are: "Fourth Grade Shakespeare" (Mary McNulty); "What's That There in Your Crystal Ball?: Using Journals to Make Predictions" (Katie Wood); "The University English…

Emerging from a series of research studies, the WRAp (Writing and Reading Appreciation) program is designed to motivate reading and writing in the elementary classroom. The WRAp program includes: (1) the design of literacy centers; (2) teacher-modeled activities with children's literature; and (3) a period for independent reading and writing…

A study investigated language transfer in the writing of 20 Spanish-speaking learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). Research on language transfer is critically reviewed, and it is concluded that existing theory supports a reconceptualization of language transfer as a form of second language (L2) learning/communication strategy that…

Clarity of written expression is prized highly in the university curriculum and in the societal arena. Professors need to study, analyze, and appraise diverse recommended philosophies in teaching writing. An existentialist writing curriculum should: include extensive input from students on topics, forms of writing to be emphasized, and planning of…

A study traced the discourse control of one writer, over 3 years, from his basic writing course to his junior year "membership" in academia. It reported on the student's transitions in areas of print code control in 28 writing tasks from 6 classes covering 3 disciplines. The analysis involved 38 error patterns, including spelling,…

Theories of creative writing have been for the most part bound up with theories of art. Both teachers and the general public, however, are dissatisfied with such institutionalized theories. Creative writers should first look to theories of writing rather than infer them from art. Recent composition theories, both cognitive theories and those of…

This pamphlet describes the Kentucky Statewide Writing Program, initiated in 1986 by then-Governor Martha Layne Collins and the Kentucky General Assembly to create student and teacher interest in learning to write and developing writing skills. Following an introduction to the program and background information, the pamphlet describes the four…

A 1991 survey questioned 61 teachers on the ways they were using collaborative learning to teach composition. Comparisons with a 1988 survey showed that the biggest increase was in the use of collaborative drafting strategies. Increases also occurred in focusing, prewriting, and editing, and there were slight decreases in revision and…