The conceptual activities required in an organizational behavior course are analyzed to study how they determined the nature of discourse. It is argued that these activities can be transferred from the English for Academic Purposes classroom to university content courses and can help nonnative speakers adapt to those areas. (36 references)…

Describes HyperTales, a computer-based writing application for emergent writers. Discusses principles of developmental literacy approaches which offer guidance for the design of computer-based emergent writing applications. (MM)

Considers how college English instructors view their students. Studies and analyzes references to students appearing in the February issues of the pedagogical journal "College Composition and Communication" for 1990, 1991, and 1992. Calls for increased attention to this subject. (HB)

Finds no significant relationship between type of writing instruction received (portfolio-based or standard process approach) and course grades and final examination scores. Finds a significant relationship between a final independent evaluation of students' portfolios and their course grades and final examination scores. (SR)

Discusses the concept of writing as a mode of learning and critiques the write-to-learn model of writing theory. Reviews 35 research studies on the topic and concludes that they do not provide empirical proof of writing as a mode of learning. Describes other modes of learning that the model ignores. (HB)

This article introduces a special section of four papers featuring strategies for improving the story writing skills of elementary and secondary students who have problems with written language. It outlines the elements of story grammar, describes characteristics of students with writing problems, and notes the strategies presented in the four…

Describes the activities of "The WONDER of Learning Program" of the National Writing Project. Shows how the program was designed to nurture first-grade teachers in seven retreat sessions in which the teachers studied and learned from each other about teaching approaches, methods, and activities. (HB)

Describes in detail how a fourth-grade language arts teacher was able to inspire one learning-disabled student to develop writing skills in conjunction with that student's interest in drawing pictures. Shows how this student progressed from simple captions to writing stories. (HB)

Writers' workshops are a type of small-group interaction designed to provide middle school students with a forum for sharing their writings and receiving direct and functional feedback to support their rethinking and revising. Students in one sixth-grade class learned that other students could comment as insightfully on their writing as their…

Describes how mental experiments can be used to turn expository writing into games and even self-exploration in an advanced language course. Through a class project on sex change, for example, learners acquire more knowledge about themselves as well as heightened language skills. (LET)

Argues that captioned video is an innovative and promising approach for improving students' reading comprehension, vocabulary, and motivation. Describes its use in a fourth-grade classroom, and makes suggestions for getting started. (SR)

Offers suggestions for how to build a true community of writers in which responsibility is turned over to the students. Discusses modeling whole class books, small group publishing, steps in the writing process, tracking the process, building a community, learning leadership, and the role of the teacher. (RS)

Describes a survey of college freshmen on how to improve high school language arts instruction. Reports that students favored (1) placing greater emphasis on basic writing skills and language use; (2) developing and encouraging various writing styles; and (3) assigning much writing. Notes that students rated high school journalism courses as…

Describes the interactive multimedia essay, HyperCard, and MediaText, and the benefits of what they offer for secondary writing classrooms. (MG)

Reviews recent research concerning the use of computers in language arts instruction, reporting little impact on writing quality, but improvement in students' attitudes toward writing. Provides suggestions for effective computer use and warnings concerning their limitations and misuse in the teaching of basic writers. (DMM)