Research into process-oriented writing instruction for native speakers of English can improve instruction in writing for students of English as a second language (ESL). Process-oriented instruction focuses on the processes of writing rather than on the finished product. A comparison of writing samples of native speakers from remedial courses and…

Noting the improvement that has occurred in the teaching of writing since the introduction of the process approach to instruction, this book offers suggestions for still more improvement and for solving the problems that arise in the teaching of writing. The first section of the book stresses the importance of letting children write and of…

Focusing on purpose in the writing of college freshmen, a study examined the writing processes and how they related to the conceptions of purpose of four freshmen enrolled in a composition course at Indiana University. Discourse-based interviews were conducted before and after the students completed three tasks designed to vary their choice of…

The "informal process" for writing reports, which incorporates the mechanics of textbook theory but emphasizes the composition process, may be more successful for teaching fifth graders how to write reports than the traditional approach. This process recommends a number of nontraditional teaching methods. Student choice of topic should…

Sentence combining is a powerful tool for structuring information and can be used effectively throughout the composing process. The teaching of composition can integrate into the composing process a number of concepts, including the use of heuristics, intellectual strategies, organizing principles, and sentence combining. A useful model for the…

Even young children can be encouraged to write through the use of individual communication, group discussions, and activities that involve rhythms and music. Such activities create a classroom of children who feel comfortable and happy, who share a rapport with their peers and others throughout the school building, and who feel free to express…

Describes interactive computer software programs that develop prewriting, word processing, and revising skills. (MM)

Four fifth grade students with learning disabilities were taught a strategy to facilitate setting product and process goals, generating and organizing notes, continued planning during writing, and evaluating goal attainment. Strategy instruction had a positive effect on students' essay writing and knowledge of the writing process, and effects were…

This guide was developed to help teachers prepare adult students for the essay writing section of the General Educational Development (GED) tests. It informs teachers of what is expected of students on the essay section of the GED examination, and leads them through the writing process in preparation for teaching students how to write an essay.…

A small scale research project involving teaching writing skills to slower learning students in three different Scottish schools is the focus of this volume. Chapter 1 discusses the context and nature of the project, while chapter 2 presents teachers' accounts of their professional practices in teaching writing, including their perceptions of…

This article reviews ways that computers can support writing by students with learning disabilities. It discusses research on word processing, software for transcription and sentence generation, spelling checkers, speech synthesizers, word prediction programs, grammar and style checkers, prompting programs, outlining and semantic mapping software,…

Research on learning disabilities in students is reviewed, and classroom techniques for college instruction to support writing among these students are suggested. They include making an extra effort for clear classroom communication, dealing with errors in writing mechanics, helping students achieve coherence, giving hints for planning and…

Ten one-page instructional guides designed to assist Austin Community College (ACC) students in using the library and in writing research papers are presented in this series. The titles of the guides are: (1) "The Media Collection (We have more than books in the LRC)"; (2) "Encyclopedias"; (3) "Finding Books"; (4)…

Recent research into the composing processes of children owes much to Piaget's postulate that cognitive development is linear--that children progress through stages of development whereby tasks are mastered at certain levels of cognitive understanding. The stages of children's writing processes (prewriting, composing, revising), as well as…

The articles in this volume were written by teachers with an average of 15 years experience teaching writing from the primary grades through college. Each article is the fruition of one to three years work with students and teachers after a summer institute. The authors of the articles discuss such topics as (1) personal experiences as a teacher…