A reading and writing instructor of a population of students who are largely "marginalized" (of African descent, female, and/or poor) sees the literature of Toni Morrison as a relevant and critical teaching tool. Additionally, the instructor believes it is important to look critically at Morrison's literature for several reasons: (1)…

This document consists of the two issues published during 1997 of the newsletter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching's national special interest group (N-SIG) on foreign language literacy. The major articles in these two issues are: "How To Develop Reading-To-Do Skills in Engineering Education" (Esko Johnson); "Key…

This document presents a curriculum (based on the author's own experiences listening to music) that aims to get children to become aware of themselves by having them write down their thoughts and feelings (their "contemplations") after listening to music or in response to famous quotations. The document discusses how the curriculum was…

The book offers practical information for classroom teachers and teacher educators on effectively incorporating computer technology in the classroom. The book focuses on the change associated with the growing presence in educational institutions of the new communication and information processing technologies, which is most significant for…

This book provides a theoretical underpinning for the strategy of freewriting through a collection of 16 essays that are very diverse in focus, methodology, and point of view. The essays are as follows: "Recording and Transforming: The Mystery of the Ten-Minute Freewrite" (Sheryl I. Fontaine); "Freewriting: An Aid to Rereading…

The University of Michigan's English Professional Semester (Pro Sem) is an upper level interdisciplinary program that explores student-centered approaches to the teaching of writing and literature. An advanced essay writing course, a senior literature seminar, an English methods class, and an observation practicum in local schools are integrated…

Using a social constructivist theoretical framework, the case of Ella demonstrates how one fifth-grade, African-American student who participated in a writing process classroom appropriated the dialogue from social interaction and transformed it to use in her own texts and in her talk with others. During the teacher-student writing conferences,…

This study evaluated a behavioral teaching strategy for teaching the use of compound predicates in writing to three academically deficient, behaviorally disordered boys (ages 9 to 13). The strategy attempted to affect the number of compound predicates per T-unit (minimal terminable unit) per 20-minute writing session using a combination of…

Using cooperative learning techniques in writing classes requires the instructor to plan carefully and respond spontaneously to the assignment as students work through it. Steps using the techniques successfully include: (1) developing academic objectives for each step in the writing process (i.e., prewriting, drafting, revising, and proofreading…

A review of research demonstrates that both oral and written language continue to develop through adulthood. Studies show that such skills as the abilities to interpret metacognitive verbs, to make word associations, and to understand syntax improve with age. Adolescents and adults use language that solidifies them with their peer group.…

The purpose of the project described in this thesis was to provide high school students suffering from severe dialect interference problems with the skills to proofread their writing for S inflection errors, and to improve their grasp of the spoken idiom so that they could develop an ear for correct form. Subjects were two ninth-grade sections of…

The impact of word processing on students' attitudes and grades was studied using 235 students in 15 sections of freshmen composition at a large midwestern university. Students in the word-processing sections wrote and revised their papers on the Macintosh Plus using the software MacWrite. Students in the traditional sections used paper, pencils,…

This discussion examines the reading and writing processes of persons with hearing impairments, particularly those leaving school and in transition from school to work. The reading/writing act is viewed from three perspectives: (1) cognitive science or information processing; (2) text organization and its functions; and (3) the processes whereby…

Composition instructors at two-year colleges embrace a large array of approaches and pedagogies, and forming a "teaching community" among these instructors is both a rewarding and a challenging commitment. The positive and negative implications of such a community were examined in a case study of one community college using…

A writing course (adapted from Eliot Wigginton's "Foxfire" method) for college freshmen and sophomores is taught in a way that is not only important to the students concerned but to their community--a valley in the "rust belt" of Pennsylvania--as a whole. The course differs from the usual writing-in-the-social-sciences course…