As the Internet is becoming more and more of a commonplace technology in the Western world, many communication programs have begun to offer technology-related communication courses. Usually, these classes require students to create a Web site. A good Web site, however, requires more than colored text, a few graphics, and a few links. This paper…

This paper outlines the following seven characteristics of effective literature assignments: Simplicity; Relevance; Workability; Capitalizing on Student Interest and Background; Providing Explanations and Modeling; Incorporating Collaboration; and Presenting to Students Meaningful Work. Each characteristic listed in the paper contains a brief…

Inviting students to look, explore, and think, this booklet offers practical ways for teachers to use museums--in particular, the artworks, artifacts, collections, and other materials they contain--as a basis for secondary students' writing. If taking students on field trips is not feasible, educators can adapt most of the activities in the…

An instructor of an advanced composition course (adapted from one taught by James Seitz at the University of Pittsburgh) at the University of California Riverside took her students through a series of reading and writing assignments that asked them to "engage in a wide variety of prose styles and...consider what style suggests about language,…

When covering persuasion in the basic speech communication course, many textbooks include information on how students can detect logical fallacies in the persuasive attempts of others. It is important to provide students with a hands-on experience that will help them apply their knowledge of logical fallacies so that they can retain and better use…

Changes in reference materials demand that a teacher keep up with the latest publications providing biographical data on individuals if this is to be an effective methods of study. (JB)

This article reports the results of a survey that detailed the location of teachers teaching smoking education and some attempts to integrate this teaching with other subject matters. (JA)

Describes juniors' creative responses to a notebook preparation assignment. (RD)

For textbook reading assignments to be effective, teachers must develop well-defined procedures for making the assignments clear and relevant to the students and their experiences. Guidelines are offered. (Author/WD)

Explains how to use various periodicals to demonstrate to composition students that writing style is both accessible and controllable. (AEA)

Presents a model for the long report that can be used to subsume several technical writing forms and skills: the proposal, the progress report, formal and informal oral presentations, and the format of the long report itself. (FL)

Describes a speech assignment in which students describe a geometric figure well enough so that listeners can then draw the figure. Exercise is based on philosophy of teaching and learning in W. Timothy Gallwey's "The Inner Game of Tennis." (PD)

Argues that asking students to write in concrete images about specific events and places serves to emphasize the importance of writing from detailed personal experiences. (RL)

Notes that an assignment to write a technical book review for a journal informs business students about a technical subject, teaches criticism and judgment, and tests their knowledge and writing skills. Describes the steps followed by students in completing such an assignment. (TJ)

Offers four evaluative questions for revising writing assignments into vehicles that steadily move students toward writing fluency. (RL)