Examines the effects of computer network technologies on teacher-student and student-student interactions. Finds that teachers in networked sections interact more with their students than do teachers in regular sections and communicate more electronically with less able students than with more able students. Notes that less able students…

Describes a course unit on fiction writing with an emphasis on motivating students to see value and relevance in writing. (RAE)

Reviews research on the effect of computers on writing. Concludes that students will not automatically revise and write more successfully with a word processor, that students tend to submit papers with fewer mechanical errors using word processors, and that they enjoy writing more and may collaborate more. (RS)

Describes a cross-county writing project involving a third-grade class and high school drama students. The third graders write character sketches and send them to the drama students, who write a play using the characters. The high school students then produce the play for the elementary students, complete with costumes, makeup, and scenery. (TJQ)

Presents a defense of the use of collaborative writing projects in writing classrooms, particularly in creative writing courses. Considers the issues involved in the use of such practices. Suggests ways to use collaborative writing in English classes. (HB)

Describes the relationship between editors and writers. Shows how this relationship is manifested in the way writing is revised and subsequently published. (HB)

Proposes rejection of the traditional complex classification of correspondence (letter of inquiry, claim letter, adjustment letter) and the adoption of a simplified system of classification (direct versus indirect communication), addressing the genuine complexity of a specific rhetorical situations. Offers teaching suggestions involving…

Asserts that learner-centered classroom research helps community college instructors discover how and how well students learn. Argues that teacher-initiated research projects promote collaboration in classrooms and across the campus, enhance faculty understanding of the learning process, and encourage teachers to try new methods. (RDS)

Presents 48 annotations of journal articles reporting research on using computers to teach technical and business writing published between 1984 and 1990. Arranges it to assist teachers in incorporating this research in the classroom. Covers past research, effect of computers on student attitudes, use of word processors, collaborative writing with…

Teachers who are looking for new ways to approach the research paper, and to use cooperative learning in the classroom, can employ the "we-search" paper--a combination of cooperative/collaborative learning and Ken Macrorie's (1988) "I-search" paper. To get started, teachers should: (1) introduce the project and explain its…

This project book, part of a set of materials written by the members of the Making Thinking Visible Project, reflects the discoveries of 30 elementary, high school, college, and community teachers' collaborative inquiry into students' thinking and the process of classroom observation and reflection. The document explains collaborative planning--a…

A study explored collaborative writing practices in six major professional associations: (1) The American Institute of Chemists, (2) the American Consulting Engineers Council, (3) the International City Management Association, (4) the American Psychological Association, (5) the Professional Services Management Association, and (6) the Society for…

Writing instruction reflects a growing appreciation of the value of talk. By implementing peer writing groups, teachers encourage students to give, seek, and react to oral feedback among themselves as they write, in addition to reacting to the teacher's traditional comments on finished papers. Collaboration in writing groups provides writers with…

Noting that electronic communication places new demands on language that leads to interesting variations in written language use, this Digest summarizes insights gained from research on writing behavior and performance in the electronic age. It concludes that both the process and the content of writing are evolving in response to the increased use…

Describes four research projects that used technology to support reading and writing activities of students with learning disabilities: the first used computerized speech feedback to improve reading skills of elementary students; the second used projection plates in collaborative writing projects; the third used hypertext study guides with ninth…