Debate is an activity which can help young children learn to be part of a team without experiencing the intense competition that is present in athletics. For children, a focus on developing communication skills rather than on competition in debate can help foster attitudes of open-mindedness, fairness, and tolerance for the viewpoints of others.…

The Grips Theatre, founded in 1969 by Volker Ludwig, performs plays intended to provoke clearheaded imaginative thinking on the part of the children, adolescents, and adults who see their productions. Grips does this by creating and producing original plays that retain the idealistic moment of hope that social relations and people themselves can…

Ken Macrorie coined the term "I Search," which puts the writer at the center of the paper and seeks to put a human face on the data collected. Looking for a way to use the research writing assignment to help students learn to adjust their ideas to different formats by becoming more aware of how different structures can be shaped around…

At Syracuse University (New York), Writing 205 offers students an introduction to the principles of rhetoric and the concept of disciplinary discourse. The study of landscape and place serves as a conduit for students to explore design, intention, and audience--a rhetoric of place--in order to develop a comprehension which is then easily…

This paper presents a discussion examining personal revelations discovered through peer critique and teacher response. It begins by discussing the issue of dealing with alien terms and specialized jargon in academic papers, through the example of one instructor's different treatment of two student papers based on the instructor's familiarity with…

Describes organizing a poetry "slam" (a contest in which people read their original poems and listeners cast votes for their favorites) involving 200 eighth graders from two different schools. Discusses how this experience made vivid for students the need to write for an audience and to revise. (SR)

Explains certain writing projects oriented toward real life situations (in this case a proposal to establish a museum display) can help college students bridge the perceived gap between academic writing and the kind of writing that will be asked of them in the professional world. Suggests that students' attitudes and writing improved as a result…

Contends that theatre has the power to induce oppressors to change their attitudes permanently towards the groups they oppress. Describes theatrical performances by women in Mundemba Sub-Division, Cameroon, which created lasting changes in men's attitudes. Concludes that theatre calls for sociocultural and economic changes and it has the power to…

Explains that the maestro concept is an approach to integrating writing, editing, and visual communication. Notes that the goal of the maestro concept is to find agreement on the best way to package a story, photos, art, and graphics for the reader. Concludes that the maestro team helps beginning journalism students become better verbal and visual…

Compares two advertising assignments to demonstrate how different approaches to audience radically affect students' critical understanding of popular media texts. Argues that "audience" needs to be present in writing assignments as a cultural experience rather than a merely static rhetorical category. (TB)

Campus and alumni publications editors from a variety of colleges and universities offer suggestions for coping with issues of editorial control and conflict with administrators and readers, based on personal experiences. Trends in reader attitudes and administrative constraints are examined. Recommendations include editorial advisory boards,…

Presents guidelines for helping students produce effective multimedia presentations. Topics include modeling presentations from other successful examples; evaluation criteria; solving relevant, real-life problems; purpose statements; identifying the intended audience; preparing storyboards; the use of multimedia resources; interactivity; student…

Describes the author's approach to a MBA writing course functioning to connect the writing and oral presentation assignments to the students' current jobs. Notes that most international students lack an understanding of American business practices. Develops the assignments around what the students do know. Notes three assignments including a…

Discusses the incorporation of cases to help students understand the issues inherent in corporate communication. Finds that the cases significantly improve the quality of education gained by the students. Concludes that cases provide a variety of contexts and examples for professional writing that enlighten students as to the range of documents,…

Discusses worldwide Web-based training (WBT) and cautions that WBT is not good for all training goals, not all audiences are technically prepared, and not all organizational cultures are ready. Describes a variety of WBT delivery methods and recommends a cross-functional international team to design and implement international WBT. (LRW)