A study analyzed the interaction of one freshman composition teacher and four students who met for a series of six conferences during a freshman composition course. The conferences, which were taped and transcribed, provide evidence of the benefits of the conference method of teaching composition. Analysis of the data included identifying the…

Poor writing among students is not necessarily a function of poor learning, but rather may be a function of poor teaching, and poor writing instruction will continue as long as English remains an undisciplined profession. Examples of the profession's lack of discipline include curricula devised by individual teachers, part-time teachers…

Using the file approach in freshman composition gives students experience with the selection and utilization of a range of sources for writing, the awareness of writing as a learning activity that is by nature a process, and the opportunity to write and read across the curriculum. In this approach students are expected to keep a file of…

A study explored collaborative writing practices in six major professional associations: (1) The American Institute of Chemists, (2) the American Consulting Engineers Council, (3) the International City Management Association, (4) the American Psychological Association, (5) the Professional Services Management Association, and (6) the Society for…

Intensive peer review is a method of teaching expository writing developed two years ago by A. N. Doane and now used extensively in freshman expository writing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Students meet regularly in groups of four three times a week over the course of the term to share and critique each other's writing. The instructor…

Discussion of the contribution of a particular course toward developing teacher competency raises the question: "Just what does one need to know to teach composition?" If a person were to take only one course, it would likely be "Composition for Teachers." In theory lie answers, so a suitable syllabus would include Beth Neman's "Teaching Students…

Recognizing that writing is perhaps more crucial to law than to any profession, the Southwestern University School of Law began an interdisciplinary writing program in 1979. The legal communication skills course is a mandatory part of the first-year curriculum, continuing for two semesters and awarding three unit credits. The course strives to…

A first-hand account of eighth grade students' experiences in learning to write, this monograph, written by students, provides teachers and students with a model for talking about the writing process. The comments in the monograph reflect the students' belief that people can learn to be good writers by writing frequently, sharing their writing and…

A study examined three recent language arts textbook programs for grades one through six to determine the frequency of writing activities, the nature of the writing tasks, and the frequency of process-approach activities such as selecting topics, prewriting, sharing, revising, and publishing. The programs analyzed were Scott, Foresman's "Language:…

Designed as a looseleaf resource, a supplement to established teaching plans, and an aid to meeting individual needs, this compilation of writing exercises represents the responses of 157 teachers from 87 two-year colleges to the request, "Describe a successful writing task -- what it is, how you teach it, and why." The compilation includes tasks…

During the 1984-85 school year, pupils in three age groups participated in an international survey to discover ways in which pupils are taught written composition, what they write, and how their achievements are assessed. The three age groups were: (1) those who had reached or were approaching the end of the class-teacher stage, (2) those who had…

This paper explores the decision-making process leading to school district approval for staff development. A retrospective field study approach was used to investigate the decision of a small, rural school district in eastern Washington (enrollment 2,200) to adopt a comprehensive English composition teaching program throughout the curriculum. This…

This digest draws upon the thirteen published volumes of "Inside English" to offer a summary of practitioners' advice on techniques to improve two-year college students' writing skills. First, the paper summarizes underlying principles of writing instruction, indicating that: (1) usage, formal grammar, phonics, and spelling are best…

Reflecting the general concern about student writing performance, this book is designed to present recent advances in the theory and practice of assessing writing ability to all teachers of writing, as well as writing examiners and administrators. The book explores (1) reconsidering the links between teaching and assessing writing, (2) the…

This controlled research report writing curriculum was developed for 10th grade students by an interdisciplinary team led by the library media specialist and the chairperson of the English Department of Wayne Central High School. The purpose of the program is to give students a highly structured experience in research report writing, with…