A one-year study is reported that addresses whether and in which way grammatically computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can help English writing instruction in a Taiwanese setting. Results of a CALL courseware intervention with first-year college students suggest that classroom instruction combined with grammatical CALL is at least not…

An inductive and interactive classroom technique to help advanced French language students reformulate simplified schemata into more useful insights into French grammar is described. It is proposed that, by developing the ability to revise continually structural hypotheses, students can expand syntactic repertories and improve long-term language…

Use of in-class writing assignments in a college chemistry course, intended to help students form and express new concepts, was also found to increase students' sense of participation and feeling of control over learning and to help the instructor assess learning and further instructional needs. Some resistance was also discovered. (MSE)

Explains how one teacher consultant helped students and teachers in an inner-city elementary school learn to use computers in their literature-based, word-processing supported writing program. (MG)

Great Britain's National Curriculum places insufficient emphasis on handwriting instruction, and its suggestion to begin joined-up writing in Level 3 is inappropriate. A historical perspective on variations in handwriting style leads to a recommendation for a simple joined style, which would be based on the skeletal italic and taught by example.…

Reviews trends in composition instruction in two-year colleges, including an emphasis on information literacy, critical thinking skills, and writing across the curriculum; and discusses parallel developments in the field of bibliographic instruction. Recommends an approach to incorporating critical thinking, new technologies, and program…

Recent composition and literary theory suggests that the "I" of written discourse is illusory and does not represent an autonomous self. Argues for the development of a self-conscious voice in college writers that interprets in addition to merely recording events, a voice enabling students to enter into dialogue with teachers, texts, and…

Describes in detail how a writing instructor in an English secondary school imposed his view of reality on a Bangladeshi boy when correcting the boy's writing. Suggests that schools must work hard to develop and adopt new styles of pedagogy to avoid ethnocentrism in the classroom. (PRA)

Factors which influenced the success of a New York staff development program designed to improve student writing included district commitment, voluntary participation, in-district training workshops, on-site support, principals' support, parents' understanding, and continuous followup. Teachers learned the importance of seeing content first and…

Argues that typical language arts instruction for special education children is misguided because it emphasizes identifying and remediating deficiencies in individual children. Offers a model for teaching at-risk children that applies whole language principles and practices to meet the needs of special education students. (MG)

This article reviews recent projects using text structures and the writing process as frameworks to guide the composition dialogue. Learning-disabled students' attitudes toward writing as a required skill rather than a means of expression are confronted in the emphasis on dialogue. Several blank forms for organizing prewriting thoughts are…

Describes a study comparing the writing processes and written work of 33 female and male freshman. Students were given a Writing Anxiety Scale, asked to write two essays, and then interviewed. Analyzes length of time spent composing, number of words, use of personal pronouns, topic preference, writing anxiety, and writing experiences. (PAA)

Describes a business communication classroom project designed to provide students with a framework for making ethical decisions and then to apply effective writing skills to communicate these decisions to someone inside or outside the organization. (SR)

A six-week course in scientific writing and publishing at the University of Florida College of Medicine covered prose, syntax, and writing style, construction of scientific papers, and the submission and review process. An advanced course is now offered due to heavy demand. Materials include scientific writing texts, comprehensive syllabi, and…

Describes how one English teacher engaged in a collaborative writing exercise with a fifth-grade female student. Explains how the teacher worked to become an equal partner with the student in the collaborative effort. Provides specific information about how the student's writing improved. (HB)