Dialogue journals serve as a site where students may discover their own voices and learn to interact with each other and respond to ideas in a way that prepares them for their role as responsible citizens. Within the context of the dialogue journal, roles and role relationships are negotiated. The classroom community is decentralized; traditional…

Writing is at the heart of education. The business of English teachers is to make people more comfortable in using language, particularly written language. Language serves two broad functions: (1) representing elements of external reality; and (2) defining relationships among the people who use the language. The writer's first need is to use the…

A study examined the instructional benefits of a semester-long letter exchange between first graders and preservice teachers in a language arts methods class. When first graders exchange letters with preservice teachers, all are involved in literacy events. Pen pals at both levels benefit from this correspondence. Often the focus is on the…

A compulsory trainee program for new staff members at the Vienna Business University was established in the academic year 1998/99. In the course of this program new staff members are prepared in the following three areas of their work: research work in their department, especially dissertation writing; teaching classes; and administrative skills.…

Argues that hedging devices are a major pragmatic feature of effective scientific writing, and that students of English for special purposes should be taught to recognize and use them in their own work. The article examines the frequency, functions, and realizations of hedges and discusses a range of strategies for familiarizing students with…

Discusses the use of electronic portfolios by school library media specialists for professional development as a resume, an evaluation instrument, or other types of credential documentation. Includes guidelines for building a successful portfolio, including appropriate software selection; audience considerations; and technology skill…

Discusses the use of digital video projects for online courses in higher education and presents a list of 10 recommendations for helping faculty with the digital video project development process. Highlights include timelines; funding; planning; knowing the audience; hardware and software choices; evaluation; research; and publicizing the…

Discusses collaborative planning as a heuristic for dealing with the rhetorical elements often considered by experienced writers when they plan and prepare documents. Defines collaborative planning, identifies its benefits, discusses its implementation in upper-level business communication courses, and presents a series of examples of students…

A survey of 174 policymakers, employers, and college faculty attempted to identify the writing skills college graduates need to be effective citizens and productive employees. Areas of consensus are identified for the following areas: audience awareness; purpose for writing; prewriting activities; organization; drafting; collaborating; and…

Presents accounts of two teachers using electronic portfolios. Relates how moving peer reviews and explanatory papers from manila folders to electronic portfolios helped students become more aware of peers as audience. Describes the unsettling effect of students who chose to invest their energy in dynamic online dialogs rather than in the…

Discusses the design and impact of Kentucky's statewide writing portfolio assessment. Describes how it was designed to influence writing instruction in Kentucky in positive ways. Evaluates its impact, noting progress toward overall goals, struggles with understanding "authentic audience," and the amazing staying power of the…

Investigates ways of introducing media theory into the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) practical production module in Media Studies. Describes how the author developed and critiqued his approach to what he taught and how it should be assessed. Argues that the subtlest understandings of audience were gained as students reflected…

The course creator, not the course, empowers collaborative communities. Using the Internet to communicate without restraints due to place or time has allowed the quantity and quality of human relationships to increase. To prepare our students for the 21st century, we must understand who our Audience is, how we can Benefit from virtual communities…

The authors describe ethical issues they have encountered when teachers develop narratives about their own practice and then again when these narratives are later explored using drama techniques. Specifically, they look at the developmental process itself, both in the creation of the original narrative and the subsequent creation of a dramatic…

The role of research in an applied field can be seen in terms of its relevance and use to practitioners. However, it can seem that much, or at least some, educational research currently being undertaken has become focused on the agenda and expressed in the terms of the ideology of governmental department and agencies. Specifically, how meaningful…