Studied the Community Service Writing program at San Francisco State University to explore the relationship between the knowledge students acquired in school and the knowledge they needed when writing for community-based organizations. Results for 25 students suggest that service learning program developers should attend not only to the transfer…

Presents a comparative analysis of median frequency rates of explicit cohesive devices employed in academic texts of students who were speakers of English, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, and Arabic. Specific focus is on cohesive devices, such as phrase-level coordinators, sentence transitions, logical-semantic conjunctions, demonstrative pronouns,…

Lists and describes 10 tips for successfully implementing writing tutorials as generated by English as a Second or Other Language teachers and based on the points they commented on in their journals and class discussions. (Author/VWL)

Presents a critical reassessment of research on composing strategies from the perspective of the different conceptualizations that have guided empirical research in the area. Shows that while the insights gained allow the drawing of inferences for theory building, the field lacks a well-specified theoretical framework in which strategies are…

This longitudinal study of 63 English-as-a-Foreign-Language school learners investigated whether the development of written production is related to the age (8-11 years) of starting contact with the second language. (Author/VWL)

This article considers the pedagogical theory of constructivism in the integration of curricular content areas and the infusion of the arts in the context of the recent terrorist attacks. It uses products created by third-grade students to illustrate how drawing and discussion can be used as precursors to narrative composition. (Contains…

Describes how the author sets the stage for student ownership in learning and encourages students to ask and pursue their questions. Shows how she supports her students so that they view themselves as readers, writers, and thinkers. Encourages her students to become compassionate problem solvers. (SG)

Examines gender features in eighth-grade students' writing in terms of the relationships among characters and the use of violence, comparing the analyses to perspectives offered by the students in small group conversations. Finds evidence of competitive relationships within sports and romance stories, as well as elements of violence and metaphors…

A study investigated effects of particular units of study on gifted elementary and middle school learners (n=2,189). The use of an integrated literature and writing unit produced significant gains for gifted learners in key aspects of language arts as assessed by demonstration of high-level thinking on performance-based measures. (Contains…

Offers quotes from articles about English teaching in the United States published in professional journals from 1847 to 1955. Suggests there never was a "golden age" of English teaching. Shows discussion and controversy about teaching writing, about what literature should be allowed in the schools, whether teaching grammar is worthwhile, and…

Demonstrates how social constructivism has affected conceptual change research, and draws implications for reading and writing instruction from conceptual change research using social constructivism as a theoretical framework. Discuss why conceptual change researchers turned to social constructivism as a theoretical framework for their research.…

Describes how a twelfth-grade high school English teacher used Robert Olen Butler's "Tabloid Dreams" as a reading and writing assignment. Students explored their responses to Butler's stories with attention and depth, and then wrote their own stories, making the potentially ridiculous meaningful, and using complexity and emotion. (SR)

A study of four bilingual special education settings found teachers chose different approaches for teaching writing: interactive journals, Optimal Learning Environment (OLE), Writer's Workshop, and a combination of journal writing, brainstorming-planning, and spelling practice. One year later, only participants in OLE demonstrated significant…

Draws on experience with a transdisciplinary literacy project in writing development at the secondary level to address the sub-field of "writing-literacy," writing as a linguist working across an applied versus theoretical frontier. (Author/VWL)

Investigates both students' and instructors' perspectives on issues dealing with complications of using collaborative groups. Ascertains whether the costs of collaborative writing projects outweigh the benefits. Explores ways in which teachers can maximize benefits and minimize costs. Concludes that collaborative projects are necessary and that…