Suggests that exploring the topic of boredom in the writing class offers an opportunity to help students become more self-conscious about aspects of their writing. Describes the process of investigation of "boredom," partly as a model and partly to indicate what was discovered. Discusses what students and professionals say about the…

Provides discussion and critical analysis of the modern system of the "professional" and how this system goes about constructing "knowledge." Describes a growing aversion among academics to the culture of specialization. Argues that the current deconstruction of the disciplines was inevitable. Suggests the creation of a…

Discusses bringing local writers into the classroom--how to locate such writers and how to prepare for and organize the visit. (SR)

Gives an overview of how one English teacher tried to make connections between the many short stories that were being read in her English classroom. Claims that teachers should always try to make explicit connections between works of literature. Provides examples of how this was done in one class. (HB)

A writing course early in an adult's degree program can prepare a student for entry into "discourse communities" in disciplines. It should substantially differ from traditional undergraduate courses by accommodating student maturity, using their experiences, teaching research techniques, and encouraging publication. (SK)

Responds to Sarah J. McCarthey's article in the same issue. Considers particularly the limitations of McCarthey's research design. (HB)

Describes an experimental project conducted in composition courses at two campuses of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The project involves the students' exchanging papers and paper critiques between the two campuses to strengthen their understanding of the audience-purpose-style relationship, improve their written evaluations of student…

Lists six recommendations made by consultants who evaluated a writing program at Lehigh University. Gives a brief history of the problem that led to each of the recommendations. Offers five tips for others who are thinking of doing a writing program evaluation. (MG)

Reviews research concerning instructional applications of discourse analysis for student reading and writing, including large-scale studies of student writing, text-based studies, reading comprehension, and semantic mapping. A large unannotated bibliography is included. (CB)

Asserts that writing assessment should reflect current composition pedagogy, and offers a design to assess process writing. Discusses the development of the scoring criteria and the selection of range finders, as well as the standardization of training and scoring procedures. (PRA)

Describes four essay assignments in a sequence on experts that deal with sharing expertise, defining expertise, interviewing an expert, and seeing teachers as experts. Asserts that these assignments result in writing that is no longer the recapitulation of information received from experts but is communication notable for the quality of its…

Describes a research paper assignment that emphasizes the process and involves three kinds of research: reflecting, interviewing, and reading. Outlines the four stages of the process--introspection, modeling synthesis, brainstorm outlining, and peer critiquing. (PRA)

Shares how students in second through sixth grade learn the "language of challenge" as they learn to read and write in their classrooms. Describes how the teachers and students challenge each other to grow as readers and writers and how they support each other in this process. (MG)

Presents a positive view of collaboration in rhetorical scholarship, citing both the theory in favor of it and the positive experiences of scholars in the field of rhetoric. Offers some guidelines for successful scholarly collaborations. (PRA)

Recommends providing copy about undergraduate writing for publication in the campus "TA Handbook." Discusses the advantages of incorporating information about thinking-writing processes, and makes suggestions on the type of information needed by teaching assistants. (PRA)