Despite research to the contrary, most college teachers assume students have more basic knowledge then they do, and they assign essays accordingly. One instructor discusses the poor results of students' knowledge testing, noting his institution's low admission requirements and questioning today's lax standards in the face of the information age.…

Discusses some of the issues of choice and diversity in multicultural writing and reading assignments for secondary students. Draws on two research studies, one on high school students and one on middle school students. Notes that both studies found a mixture of desire for and discomfort with plurality in the classroom. (TB)

Describes a course that resulted from the interest and need of the academic-advising office to serve undecided students more efficiently, preferably in a group-advising format. Finds that the resulting atmosphere seems to help students make significant progress in writing and in understanding their indecision. (MG)

Argues that when writing teachers write they must ask themselves to what extent they reinforce the strategies of a social order that coerces agreement and to what extent they struggle against them in the high-stakes arena of social change. Analyzes recent composition scholarship and its theoretical bases to show that writers' shifting…

In response to Stephen D. Krashen, Patsy M. Lightbown and Manfred Pienemann argue that comprehensible input will not always be sufficient to bring about developmental change or increased accuracy in the learning environment. Krashen replies that the research shows that effects of direct instruction are typically short lasting and do not become…

Proposes two approaches for nurturing teachers' and students' ability to develop caring attitudes and to experience others' lives vicariously: critical reading of literature and writing narratives. The article suggests that intimate, confrontive engagement with texts read and/or written by students might inform teachers of previously unrecognized…

Outlines a model for incorporating critical thinking about politics within a rhetorical schema in writing courses. Provides an outline of four units of study on political semantics, psychological blocks to perceiving bias, models of biased and deceptive rhetoric, and locating and evaluating partisan sources. (SR)

Recent composition and literary theory suggests that the "I" of written discourse is illusory and does not represent an autonomous self. Argues for the development of a self-conscious voice in college writers that interprets in addition to merely recording events, a voice enabling students to enter into dialogue with teachers, texts, and…

Described are student/consultant reports, turned in as homework, that reflected their abilities to distinguish useful from irrelevant information, solve the underlying calculus extremum problem, and reconcile the individual mathematical solutions with the ethical considerations surrounding the moral dilemma of the hypothetical consulting client.…

Reflections on the solitary, personal experience of reading and writing contrasted to the "rampant technocapitalism" of the computer presentation of data. Technology may have reconfigured reading; written language; and the publication, distribution, promotion, and place of books, but as long as there is concern for imaginative…

An interview with a colleague of linguist John Swales focuses on Swales' career study of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), particularly genre analysis and ESP and the growing interaction of two field, ESP for non-native speakers and composition studies, usually concerned with native speakers. Specific contributions made by Swales to the fields…

Provides a rationale for using an oral mode of production as a means of composing for individuals with learning disabilities. Supporting research on the use of dictation and studies of both simulated and existing speech-recognition systems with this population are reported. Recommendations are offered for teachers who plan to use dictation or…

Experimental narrative forms of writing research can offer empowering representations for adult education and feminist researchers. This article presents a selection of academic storytelling in the form of scanned transcript poems or "Learning stories," produced through interviews with women who participated in a special access program…

In this article, the author relates how his visits to classrooms across America to speak to children about writing and illustrating books have left him impressed by the creative ways in which educators manage scant resources to motivate students and to develop exciting lessons. He shares six things that he has learned from these visits about how…

This book presents a collection of classroom practices that view the personal experiences of diverse student populations as valuable resources for instruction. It offers teachers various responses to the challenges posed by students' cultural, linguistic, and social group affiliations. The book contains essays arranged into three interwoven…