An alternative curriculum for Freshman Composition, designed to help students develop cognitive skills useful for academic writing in other courses, involves eight discipline-specific assignments, building from relatively simple writing tasks such as taking lecture notes and keeping an academic journal, through book reports, essay examinations,…

With the encouragement of an English instructor for whom English was a second language and who was consequently enthusiastic about writing experiences, English students in a Texas high school put together an anthology of literary criticism on the modern American novel. Honor students read American novels of their choice and wrote evaluations of…

Discusses clear visualization as a key to learning and understanding. Presents some examples (using metaphor and simile) of the way language can express clear visualization and objectivity. (JK)

Suggests a balance between the student-oriented writing workshop and the instructor-oriented lecture/discussion in dealing with nontraditional students. Discusses background information, assumptions about methodology in teaching writing skills, the workshop model, and the use of the peer response sheet designed to direct discussion. (EL)

Two groups of freshman students participated in the experiment. They were enrolled in their first ESL writing course. Before instruction, both groups were pre-tested. They wrote an essay. T-test results showed significant differences between both groups in writing ability. The experimental group made too many errors and had many writing problems.…

This paper discusses a case study that explored how six preservice teachers perceived their experiences in using an oral and written retelling strategy in teaching reading to students with learning disabilities. A qualitative research design was used in the form of a descriptive case study approach. The 6 subjects were undergraduate female…

Explored relationships between middle school students' writing processes and their written products. Results suggest that students need to engage in a variety of writing tasks; teachers must be aware of the complexity involved in composing to assess progress; editing must be kept in its proper perspective; and teachers should recognize that…

Reports on a study of the writing skills of 51 Italian fourth graders who used word processors for several months. Concludes that word processing can help motivate children and teachers to do more writing and that further improvement in writing skills would occur if the children received writing instruction. (CFR)

A holistic approach was used to evaluate student writing skills in a high school that is part of a residential treatment program. Faculty members scored 740 writing samples in the fall and spring of the 1990-91 school year. Good interrater reliability and significant skill gains for students were found. (SLD)

This case study explored the effectiveness of telementoring as a vehicle for preservice teachers to hone skills in the teaching of writing, to establish a mentoring relationship with urban high school students, and to help struggling writers improve writing skills necessary for student achievement. Inherent in this research was the goal to develop…

In Australia the internationalization of education implies an increasing amount of "non-Anglo", predominantly South-East Asian, students from different ethnic and language backgrounds in the classroom. This impacts on the effectiveness of action learning of professional skills, which is highly valued and supported by Australian…

Many parents on a southwestern Manitoba (Canada) Indian reservation are troubled by the small number of high school students who graduate. Much of the failure can be attributed to the generally poor writing skills of aboriginal students. To increase the students' writing ability, a computer-assisted instruction program emphasizing writing and…

The development of written language and its functions were studied for 236 second graders (from four locations in the surrounding Birmingham, Alabama area) in 6 traditional and 6 writing process classrooms. Pen pal letters to undergraduates and written samples were obtained from three students from each class. Writing process classrooms reflect…

In 1989, the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools received a grant to create an elementary arts magnet school and to enhance magnet programs at four other schools in Portland (Oregon). The Portland Magnet Program emphasized improvements in programing, marketing, and articulation between magnet programs, allowing the schools to purchase…

The purpose of this report is to examine the processes and skills involved in helping teachers write narratives about cases rich enough to be useful in teacher education programs. The approach described necessitates collaborative exchanges among teachers and researchers and requires numerous iterations of the original narratives. The report traces…