Examines early stages in children's handwriting, emphasizing the importance of teaching correct letter formation. Recommends (1) individual initial assessment and formative assessment throughout the teaching program; (2) teaching based on individual children's errors; and (3) careful observation of individual children in the process of writing.…

An interdisciplinary program for freshmen at Pace University (New York) focused on development of critical thinking, nonverbal communication, writing, and speaking skills. Two sections of an English course, two of a public speaking course, and one of philosophy adopted common texts, common themes, and cross-disciplinary reinforcement of skills.…

This article examines the results of writing assignments completed by an English-as-a-Second-Language student outside of a college writing class. the study focused on how the student used feedback on her writing to study and learn, for social interaction, and to find her academic voice. (21 references) (CK)

Discusses collaborative writing with hypermedia and multimedia tools as well as the requisite hardware and software support that foster cognitive and social skills. Proposes research on the impact on and possibilities for students and teachers using collaborative writing in hypermedia environments. (102 references) (JKP)

A teacher describes strategies for improving writing skills of rural at-risk high school students including writing stories for kindergarten students; developing portfolios that include descriptive, expository, and persuasive pieces; and participating in a career development unit that incorporates writing assignments. Students also learn to find…

Examines the premise that experience with computers can fundamentally alter teaching. Contends that the promise of computers and other educational technology is overstated. Presents a case study and summaries of other studies that suggest a teacher's instructional philosophy is a more powerful determinant of computer effectiveness. (CFR)

Examines the benefits of exchanging weekly letters among a teacher, first-grade students, and their parents during the school year. The teacher had the opportunity to model letter writing for the children and kept communication open with the parents. Parents were kept informed of their children's performance, and the children were involved in a…

Describes a productive collaboration between a teacher and a researcher who explored the procedures and consequences of involving parents in assessing their children's writing. An analysis of participants' responses to this role suggested it met with success. Suggestions for how the activity can be used as a valuable part of the educational…

Describes the development of a term paper resource center in public libraries that supports school assignments. A cooperative effort between the public library and school library is discussed, a topic file with appropriate resources listed is described, instructions for writing outlines and bibliographies are suggested, and provision of software…

Review of models traditionally used by different disciplines to describe thinking processes led to development of a general model and testing in six pure and applied matched disciplines (physics, engineering, psychology, education, English literature, composition). Professors applied the models to their courses in different ways and used various…

A program at Rutgers University (New Jersey) to integrate information literacy into first-year composition courses involved librarians and faculty. The pilot project included two research seminars within each course. Evaluation of the project revealed a successful basic strategy, useful techniques and elements, and some areas for adaptation and…

Discussion of cognitive process research on writing focuses on a study of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade middle school students that tested a generative-evaluative model of composition. Treatments for experimental and control groups of ability-grouped students are described, and results are analyzed. (58 references) (LRW)

Reports on a study of reading and writing skills of 110 French and German first-grade students. Finds that the best way to help children to learn to read is to encourage them to read material for content rather than by using training exercises external to reading. (CFR)

Offers primary school teachers, supervisors, in-service specialists, and administrators guides for improving language instruction using a model that values teachers' professional judgment and encourages change in small, comfortable steps. These guidelines are used in the Tennessee State Department of Education Whole Language Pilot Project designed…

The effects of an intervention--Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Writing--to improve students' expository writing abilities was studied. The program emphasizes teacher and student dialogues about expository writing strategies, text structure processes, and self-regulated learning. Results of 183 fourth and fifth graders indicate that dialogic…