Describes an informal experiment designed to explore the relationship between drawing and writing, and the meaning held in the drawings. Finds that drawing should not be relegated only to small children, but should be used to help older students explore their thoughts and feelings as well. (PRA)

With the recent interest in the fifth century B.C. theories of Protagoras and Gorgias come assumptions about the philosophical affinity of the Greek educator Isocrates to this pair of older sophists. Isocratean education in discourse, with its emphasis on collaborative political discourse, falls within recent definitions of a sophist curriculum.…

To become writers, students must see themselves as writers and be treated as writers by their teachers. Students need to find the motivation to go beyond formulas, to grapple with messy, often inchoate ideas, to find their own particular angle of vision. What rhetoricians call "invention" or "discovery" is difficult to pin…

Freewriting, according to Peter Elbow, is based on an equal affirmation of the student's experience, and his or her right to ground behaviors and writing in those experiences. Insofar as the term "free" in freewriting can be linked to a notion that expression is an event which occurs between a socially and culturally autonomous subject…

This article suggests one way of categorizing types of factual writing and introduces a teaching strategy for developing students' awareness of structural and language features of many factual genres. It is based on genre theory and the idea that generic structures of texts are determined by the purpose of the text. Six nonfiction genres are…

States that persuasion as a discourse mode in composition classrooms tends to emphasize conflict and polarize students' positions. Proposes a "negotiative" mode of writing, focusing on the reader to achieve a cooperative settlement to opposing argument positions. Uses strategies including dialogic styles and structures that address issues of…

Reviews an instructional strategy for remedial writers which consists of four steps: identifying a strategy worth teaching; introducing the strategy by modeling it; helping students to try it out with workshop-style teaching guidance; and then, helping students to work toward independent mastery. (TB)

Presents the idea that students should develop different writing styles. Encourages writing poetry regularly. Focuses on the need for a student to develop a prose style from his or her culture. Encourages students to develop professional, academic writing. (PM)

The 1987 teacher of the year from Wisconsin describes ways in which he implements the writing process among third and fourth graders. Sometimes using his own writing as a model, he shares the processes of brainstorming, drafting, revising, and publication with the students. (DG)

Argues for a contingency view of communication clarity and effectiveness based on the impact that an organization's language customs have on perceived effectiveness. Examines the psychological-social function of organizational language and discusses the role that language has in creating new knowledge in organizations. (KEH)

Offers a profile of today's newsletters and includes suggestions for producing a successful newsletter. Provides a checklist for writing case histories and an outline of major types of newsletters and house organs. (SR)

Describes the writing process of a teacher/writer in the creation of a 5-novel series portraying relations between men and women over a 175-year period in which women struggle to control their own lives. (PRA)

Questions whether teaching critical thinking skills is transferable to the task of writing, or whether critical thinking is context dependent. Demonstrates the relevance of this problem to the current composition classroom and calls for further thought, research, and experimentation concerning this issue. (HB)

Presents an interview with Karen Cushman, discussing her career progress, her children's reaction to her writing, as well as her next book, "Matilda Bone." Talks about "what character she is most like" and discusses future projects. (SC)

Presents a dialog between two speakers examining the nature of writing discourse, how it is categorized, how it is changing, how e-mail and other media are affecting it, and what is considered acceptable in certain discourses. (TB)