One of the best teaching methods adaptable to the computer is the writing conference. The student and teacher meet at the computer and work with the piece directly on the screen. Holding writing conferences at the computer allows the teacher to get closer to the student's writing processes and to determine the stage or stages with which the…

In this K-8 writing skills curriculum, developed in Skokie (Illinois), the objectives are presented in a "mastery" format so that student achievement can be assessed. The document begins with a statement of philosophy, and guidelines for teachers to use in implementing the program, and then describes the curriculum format, which focuses on the…

After considering various estimates of the extent to which there is a "literacy problem" in the United States, this paper develops an econometric model of the literacy program. Defining the volume of literacy as the total amount of information that people exchange through the materials they want or need to use, the volume of literacy is seen to be…

Research has confirmed that what parents view as being important for their children to learn and how they believe their children are able to learn are reflected in both the learning opportunities parents provide in the home and the teaching strategies they use with their children. Tape recordings of children and their parents during planned…

Applicable to kindergarten through grade 12, the individualized Language Arts composition program is based upon actual student experiences. Once student writing samples have been plotted on a diagnostic grid, the program's manual provides teachers with specific methods for meeting students' needs. Uniting cognitive, affective, and creative…

This report describes the beginning of a school district's involvement in the use of microcomputers in the classroom, and one teacher's experiences with microcomputers in a junior high school setting. Background information is given on how the district financed its initial computer investment, approaches the district used to encourage teacher…

The language experience approach (LEA) is a means of using the knowledge of language and one's life experiences to create materials for reading and thoughtful consideration. Therefore, LEA seems to be a viable approach to use both with students who are not familiar with the language used or experiences described in a textbook and with older…

In most colleges and universities, the task of assigning students to basic or remedial writing courses is handled the same way--students are tested during a summer orientation program by a combination objective and essay examination or during the first few days of the term by a composition instructor. Whereas the intentions of the testing are…

As part of a three-year project that approached writing program evaluation through writing itself, the teaching of writing, and the goals of the writing programs, this report describes the development of an instrument for reporting course and teacher effectiveness in college writing classes. The report describes the instrument, which was developed…

The 19 conference papers in this collection deal with the relationship of various rhetorical theories and their practical applications to the rhetorical traditions that they are superseding. The papers deal with many topics, including the following: (1) a multidisciplinary approach to writing instruction; (2) the importance of writing as a human…

The study and teaching of literature is the emphasis of this special journal issue. The nine articles included in the issue discuss the following: (1) time and social class in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," (2) Robert Frost's "Yankee Ironist," (3) an approach to teaching "Moby Dick," (4) using games to review…

A training program designed to teach high school students to be specific in their writing is described in this booklet. The first section of the booklet explains the three stages of the program: (1) daily practice in translating a "telling" sentence into a "showing" paragraph; (2) application of "showing" writing to…

Ten second and third grade teachers participated in a study to determine the effectiveness of a "support system" inservice program, in which teachers shared successful teaching procedures and discussed the problems encountered in the teaching of writing. The teachers attended monthly support meetings, shared the writing of their students, kept…

A three-year project conducted in 2 Indianapolis, Indiana, public elementary schools involved three phases: (1) the study of teacher, student, and school program needs in the teaching and learning of reading and writing; (2) teacher and administrator inservice education; and (3) curriculum development and implementation. The inservice component…

College freshmen, when confronted with an essay question using broad concepts such as "society,""freedom," and "progress," seldom clarify or define the concepts in their essays before expressing their opinions or solutions. Students who read without interpreting the concepts implied by certain words shortchange the…