This article briefly analyzes the Spellings Commission Report on Higher Education, places it in the context of other American education reforms, and suggests ways for literacy educators to respond to this latest call for accountability in ways that are cognizant of political realities without compromising the integrity of our profession.

The classroom practices discussed in "Effective Second Language Writing" reflect various trends and methodologies; however, the underlying theme in this volume of the Classroom Practice Series is the need for clear and meaningful communication between ESL writers and their readers. While approaches differ, two core beliefs are constant: ESL…

This article provides 10 reasons why it is important to do critical media analysis in the second language classroom and describes how a process-writing approach can be used for this in a university writing class. The authors explain how to prepare a lesson plan and the idea of an "Adbuster." They then describe 10 stages in the lesson…

Effective mentoring in English is considered paramount to a preservice teacher's development. What are mentors' views about developing effective English teaching practices in their mentees? This study used quantitative data (survey) and qualitative data (questionnaire) on 24 mentors' perceptions of mentoring second-year preservice teachers for…

The state of Kentucky has embarked upon a large scale systems change effort to integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, including use of digital curriculum and computerized reading supports to improve overall student achievement. A major component of this initiative is the use of Read & Write Gold. As higher expectations are…

This action research study evaluates a classroom approach incorporating a reflective, metacognitive component within a second language process-oriented writing environment. Inspired by the literature and developed by the first author, this approach seeks to provide English language learners (ELLs) with a command of metalinguistic principles…

Based on interview data, this study investigated four Chinese graduate students' experiences with writing a literature review at a medium-sized university in Canada. These students, from four subject areas, held varying perceptions of a literature review, but all saw the writing challenges that they encountered mainly as linguistic problems,…

This exploratory study, undertaken from a socio-cognitive perspective, aims to investigate the effects of intensive preparatory high school training in L1 and/or L2 essay writing for university entrance exams. The analysis focuses on the task response and structural features in L1 (Japanese) and L2 (English) essays written by first-year Japanese…

The fact that a textbook presents a codified method does not mean that this textbook is an accurate representation of what happened in practice. Without verification, without records of teachers' practices, without student writing and comment, all the discipline of composition studies has is an idealized record of what should have been. This…

The late Donald C. Stewart's assertion that "the era of the cognitive psychologists is waning; the era of the social constructionists is just beginning" drew attention to a major ontological and epistemological shift in composition studies. This shift demanded a methodology to accommodate it. Some composition researchers have considered…

The study of language--whether it is called grammar or linguistics--deserves a place in the composition course. This journal article suggests that there are better methods of teaching language lessons than the negative, error-correction and error-avoidance methods that still prevail. The study of grammar may be characterized as a means to bringing…

This study examines the multi-modal synthesis of source examples in student compositions. Multimedia is used to present on-screen text and video information on Chinese superstitions and traditions, and then to prompt subjects to write. The research compares the number and kinds of examples students produce in their writing. Kind refers to the…

In the early years of this century, Frank Aydelotte contributed to higher education by teaching at Indiana University and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and by serving as President of Swarthmore. In 1908, Aydelotte accepted his first major academic position at Indiana University, after completing his education at Oxford, England.…

A question which is essential to writing is--"What am I doing?" The writer and the writing continually adjust to maintain a balance with the exigencies of the task. The question launches the writer into text by forcing a definition of the subject, situation, audience, and other such practical matters. The question, however, also pulls…

There is something unfortunate occurring in the discourse of writing instruction--something that requires scholars to present themselves as teachers who have found the answer and have students to prove it. Typically, the paper written by the composition scholar stakes a claim about the teaching of writing; compares that claim with others of…