Discusses John Dewey's transactional epistemology and Louise Rosenblatt's transactional view of reading and writing as they apply to teaching technical writing. Proposes four maxims to bring the spirit of transaction to teaching. (SR)

Explores how conventional classroom approaches to the discussion of the organization and theory of information can be expanded rather easily into full-scale explorations of the ideology of the language of scientific and technical writing. Uses technical descriptions from biology, engineering, and chemistry to provide examples of this ideological…

This article describes the Early Literacy Program, an integrated literacy curriculum for special education students designed collaboratively among university and school-based researchers to promote classroom discourse for negotiating and constructing meanings in reading and writing. The program emphasizes holistic and contextualized activities,…

Discusses how English instruction has changed in recent decades, and questions whether the changes constitute a real "paradigm shift." Outlines the historical discussion regarding the changes as paradigm shift. Shows how paradigms have often come into sharp opposition through cultural exchanges. Advocates a constructivist paradigm. (HB)

Suggests that most programs have not based their acceptance of advanced placement credit on reasoned endorsement of the views of language, literature, and rhetoric that AP exams present. Criticizes the views implicit in the AP program and shows how they conflict with the goals of one particular college composition program. (RS)

Argues that writing centers have the essential function of critiquing institutions and creating knowledge about writing. Explains how this function has clear implications for what tutors should know and how they should be trained. Enlists Antonio Gramsci's theory of culture to analyze traditional composition teaching and research. (HB)

Describes how graffiti is a useful analogy providing a fresh source of power for reimagining the function and purpose of writing centers. Explains the necessity of defining writing centers as a subculture. Identifies a distinct writing center discursive style that mediates between official classroom pedagogy and unofficial writing center praxis.…

Describes metaphor as being alternately an "ornament" or a powerful way of knowing. Focuses on the latter definition, so that teachers may better discover their tacitly held beliefs on writing, learning, and teaching. Offers examples of teachers using metaphor in writing. (PA)

Describes methods for teaching student writers basic principles of organization. Argues that teachers should help their students learn the process of discovering organizations appropriate for their material instead of merely teaching traditional forms of written organization. (HB)

Claims that teaching writing in a computer-assisted classroom is often fraught with unforeseen and often unnecessary problems. Lists 10 commandments (and 9 helpful hints) for composition instructors using computer-assisted classrooms. (HB)

Describes teaching methods and techniques found to be useful by practicing teachers, including "Using 'What Works for Me'"; and "Song Lyrics to Teach Grammar." (HB)

Argues that many widely used textbooks for magazine and feature writing courses display a heavy influence--not always appropriate--from news writing textbooks. Notes that the longstanding rhetorical tradition provides a helpful vocabulary for teaching magazine and feature writing, and makes possible useful interdisciplinary discussions. (SR)

Describes one teacher-author's classroom use of interview samples, editors' comments, and other materials from his own article-then-in-progress for the "New York Times Magazine." Describes how students, who were creating their own in-depth magazine articles, could see principles and techniques discussed in class applied on a professional level.…

Describes how generating effective advertising copy affords students practice in aspects of persuasive writing, such as developing a thesis, refuting counter-arguments, and writing in a comparison-contrast mode. Notes that this approach helps students negotiate the problematic shift from expressive to persuasive discourse without losing their…

Calls for a new urbanism in composition studies. Attempts to reconfigure the landscape of the writing classroom around the very notion of landscape, to reposition the architectonics of college writing more strictly according to architecture. (RS)