It is proposed that "method" is not a relevant construct for fostering change in the second language classroom, and that concern with specific methods can divert educators' attention from important instructional issues. Teachers usually organize instruction around tasks rather than methods, and therefore it would be more useful to analyze,…

After several years in academic public relations, a professional writer returned to teaching composition. After her first attendance at the annual meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, she experienced a turning point in her view of "the essay." Following the conference, she changed her assignments from…

Young children learn many important things about language from the television and radio ads they encounter that can help them learn to read and write. They learn that print carries messages that are personally important to them, that whatever can be said can also be written, what some forms of written language look like, and that language use can…

Recommends Louis L'Amour's books to adolescents on the basis that the books will motivate them to read more, expose them to a strong advocate of the value of education, and stimulate interest in the classical literature referenced in L'Amour's works. (SRT)

Increased pressure is facing many administrators today for teachers to assign more homework to students. Recent research is reviewed that correlates homework positively with student achievement, and the need for a homework policy in school districts is emphasized. (TE)

Discusses the sequencing of writing assignments based on students' natural development. Cites the work of Piaget and Moffett. (FL)

Prompted by a student comment that college lacked intellectual challenge, the author and colleagues sat in on an English class described as "a brain dump." The teacher had assigned students to write parodies of "The Road Not Taken," knowing that to do the assignment well, they would have to read and understand Frost's poem. The instructor was…

This interactive panel discussion paper by three educators focuses on the design and evaluation process of writing assignments in two American History survey courses at Idaho State University. The paper states that both approaches used--student-centered, and authentic writing to communicate--offer two different perspectives on using…

Cites research suggesting that extensive reading is as effective as intensive reading in developing general reading ability and is more effective in promoting good attitudes among elementary and secondary school students toward reading. (MM)

Reports of classroom research on the effectiveness of sentence combining as a teaching technique. Notes the value of in-class research. (RL)

Provides a model unit of study for the use of legal cases in writing courses. Shares reasons for the success of this approach. (TB)

Provides language arts teachers with specific techniques to help content-area teachers get more writing into their classrooms. Suggests that some of these techniques might be helpful to language arts teachers themselves, especially in getting students to think about learning. (TB)

Explains how an English teacher settled into an unproductive, formulaic approach to teaching writing and how he reformed himself and his teaching through a discovery of the processes involved in writing. Describes exercises and notebooks that furthered his new "process" approach to teaching writing. (TB)

Argues that understanding assignments is the first step toward successful college writing. Urges instructors to support students by helping them to decode assignments. Breaks down instructions into individual tasks including (1) writing an essay, (2) examining an issue, (3) reviewing articles and books, and (4) focusing on some texts. Defines each…

Suggests that developmental writing courses that emphasize transactional writing with assignments directly related to general education courses increase the motivation of students to take the developmental writing assignments seriously, realize that writing skills contribute to academic success, and transfer these writing skills to the written…