In 1990, Patricia Bizzell suggested that, in the next rhetorical turn of composition research, scholars might begin to find an alternative to the current anti-foundation "smirk of skepticism" that teacher-researchers can agree upon. Bizzell points to the student's need for "usable truths" from a trustworthy authority. But what…

For good or ill, textbooks are the most widespread means of disseminating theoretically-informed practices in the field of composition and rhetoric. In fact, in spite of the growing number of graduate programs concentrating on composition theory, pedagogy, and rhetoric, composition textbooks still reach more teachers and more students than…

Some insights into the nature of functional grammar can be useful for teachers of composition. There are four ways that functional grammar stands in opposition to common linguistics in the United States. First, for functionalists (those practicing functional grammar), the starting point is with kinds of meanings, not with kinds of structures; the…

Using statis theory in the composition classroom is not new. The three main questions of stasis--the "an sit," or conjectural issue, the "quid sit," or issue of definition, and the "quale sit," or issue of quality--roughly approximate different kinds of writing. The method originated with Hermagoras and was developed…

An action research project set out to increase students' writing fluency and investigate whether writing fluency varies as a function of writing prompts and directions given to students. Subjects were 62 students in a first-grade class, a second-grade class, and a fifth/sixth-grade Special Day class (all in this class are learning disabled) in a…

Offering information to help parents understand how writing is taught in classrooms that use the 6-Trait Model for writing assessment and writing instruction, this handbook describes the model and how parents can provide the kind of support at home that would make classroom instruction even more effective. Sections of the handbook are: "A…

When four writing instructors were given the opportunity to teach writing for second language learners, they decided to collaborate in some ways and chose journal sharing as a way of facilitating their collaboration. The original goal of journal sharing was to critically reflect on their teaching practices and to connect their knowledge of…

Popcorn story frames from a multicultural perspective are holistic outlines that in the reading/writing process facilitate comprehension for all cultures learning to read and write stories. Popcorn story frames are structured and modeled in a horizontal fashion just like popcorn pops in a horizontal fashion. The frames are designed for learners…

The concept of using good student writing to inspire more good student writing, of using a text to create the next year's text is a vital process that demonstrates DeKalb College's emphasis on individual student instruction and recognition. "The Polishing Cloth" is a collection of the best student essays from English composition,…

The new Writing for Television Program at Morgan State University (suggested by Warner Brothers at a summer seminar) has added new courses each semester: (1) basic 200-level courses in the "Fundamentals of Writing for Television" and "Introductory Script Writing"; (2) more specialized 300-level courses in "Episodic…

The categorization of individual theories co-existing within the feminist framework limits the extent to which these theories can be woven together to fully develop the field of composition. By focusing on differences, taxonomies ignore the similarities among the framework's various theories. These similarities, when interlaced instead of…

To better facilitate students' learning how to write with authority, instructors need to look more carefully at what it is they do when they teach composition courses. They must look critically at what they accept as "natural" or "true" about good writing practices. A training session for the graders of the Freshmen Placement…

An instructor teaching professional writing found that groups collaborating on the final project required for the course, the creation of a brochure, experienced considerable infighting and tension. In reexamining his course objectives, he confirmed his sense that indeed collaboration in one form or another is inevitable in American professional…

One way to identify the essential Mina Shaughnessy would be to look at her views in light of the conflicts of the 1970s. It is particularly revealing to compare Shaughnessy to another great basic writing pioneer of that decade, K. Patricia Cross, whose 1971 book "Beyond the Open Door" Shaughnessy lists as a suggested reading in…

A document prepared by the Commission on Composition in the early 1970s, "The Student's Right to Write," has some usefulness for contemporary practitioners of writing instruction. The report reflects the strong initiative arising in the '70s to rethink the beliefs and practices then prevalent in the field of English teaching. At the…