This paper presents a new theory and model of the teaching of decoding, reading and writing. The first part of the paper reviews a selection of influential models of learning to read and write that to varying degrees have been used as the basis for approaches to teaching, including the "Simple View of Reading." As well as noting some…

To best meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, we must develop an integrative writing pedagogy that is informed by what the cognitive and neurosciences have uncovered about learning so that our theories of learning and practices of instruction are consistent with our most current and accurate knowledge of the biological and…

This chapter is a companion to Chapter 2 in this text, "The Reading Side." As such, a brief overview of the contemporary findings pertaining to written expression will be presented. This will include a brief discussion of definitional issues, two key conceptual models for written expression, underlying cognitive functions, and related…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching a three-step paraphrasing strategy on expository reading comprehension of young adults with intellectual disability. Ten learners from a postsecondary education program for individuals with disability participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to the control and…

In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current literature regarding beginning writers, with a particular focus on the cognitive and neuropsychological research that has implications for the translation process during writing. This overview will highlight specific theories with direct relevance to translation during writing, as well as…

The linguistic demands of poetry writing, quite apart from the transcriptional aspects of writing, make this perhaps the most challenging form of writing children encounter in school. These would include, among others, poetic techniques such as using line breaks and chunking meaning in stanzas; invention and handling of imagery; playfulness and…

Assesses the benefits and limitations of writing as a cognitive process. Discusses the cognitive process model of writing, then proposes an ecological model of writing, where a fundamental tenet is that writing is an activity through which a person is continually engaged with a variety of socially constituted systems. (EL)

Suggests that the information processing model of writing developed by cognitive psychologists provides a construct for researchers to work with but has little to contribute to classroom pedagogy. (MM)

This paper reports on a study on the relationship between cognitive task complexity and linguistic performance in L2 writing. In the study, two models proposed to explain the influence of cognitive task complexity on linguistic performance in L2 are tested and compared: Skehan and Foster's Limited Attentional Capacity Model (Skehan, 1998; Skehan…

Examines definitions of written fluency, methods used to promote fluency, and some of the problems inherent in the approaches. Topics discussed include writing process, modeling, metacognition, and developmental studies. Concludes that written fluency is a multi-dimensional concept involving a range of strategies, their organization, and…

Suggests that humans discover who they are and become what they are by communicating with each other; thus, the process of communicating becomes far more important than any particular product. Advocates a rhetoric of assent that takes these assumptions into account. (other, thusBW)

The time has come to re-evaluate the metaphors used when people think about composition. Such a re-evaluation is under way and may affect composition theory, research models, and classroom practice well into the future. Robert Zoellner rejected the prevailing metaphor for teaching writing which equates the act of thinking with the act of writing.…

Replies to Steinberg's article on protocol analysis in this issue and argues that even if the writing process is a problem-solving process, it is too complex to analyze sufficiently using protocols. (SRT)

Notes that creating focus which leads to formulating a thesis is a task with which many writers have trouble. Describes a process model of conceptual development that helps students gain confidence in abstracting, conceptualizing, and formulating a thesis. (NH)

The act of communicating is not complete until the message is received and understood by the audience. This paper focuses on formulating messages for comprehensibility, in a discussion that is fundamentally applicable to all media. The ability to understand a verbovisual message depends on its readability, legibility, and its reading value.…