Discusses various ways that writing can facilitate learning in a developmental psychology course. Argues that writing assignments are valuable because they promote active learning and provide another way to teach psychology. (Author/GEA)

Describes an historical narrative assignment that stimulates students' interest in questions of rhetoric and scholarship as it requires students to combine role-playing, research, and revision. Discusses how students' role as participant/persona in writing the story prompts an intricate multiplicity of decisions as it forces them to filter data…

Presents an editorial assignment that addresses students' inability to formulate and stick to a theme, and their lack of tight writing, by highlighting the similarities between editorial writing and magazine writing. (HTH)

Suggests a method of tapping students' visual literacy to reach four interconnected pedagogical aims by using a brief film segment in conjunction with a series of writings tasks. Offers two additional incentives regarding teacher's knowledge of film and the necessary element of play to keep students engaged. (JK)

Provides ideas on how to use the Bayeux Tapestry as an inspiration for writing in the areas of art, communications, English and the language arts, history and social studies, home economics, physical education and health, psychology, and science and mathematics. (SRT)

Analyzes score differences for the papers of 50 students who wrote on four different writing topics, two that were on transactional and two that were on expressive topics. Results suggested that differences between scores might be very important for individuals, so to insure fairness, teachers should use additional forms of writing assessment. (DF)

Describes a method for teaching students to connect their ideas causally or logically in their writing by talking about the ideas before beginning to write. (HTH)

A poll of 350 state and local English and language arts supervisors and an examination of research data both show that writing instruction is discouraged by the use of objective tests, while tests that include writing samples generally result in more teaching of writing. (MLF)

Describes a game-like writing exercise that uses the principle of "divide and conquer" to teach technical description. (PD)

Presents a variety of art and writing activities designed to evoke a new pedogogical orientation and to enable students to use their imaginations. The activities focus on language de-conditioning, observation, timing, transfer of knowledge, and reproduction. They include recipe models, colors, sensation, and feeling; poetry; and creating artistic…

Notes the prevalance of advertising language and personae in student writing. Includes exercises that evoke the advertising voice, suggesting that using these as a stepping stone to teaching advertising is preferable to a separate advertising unit. (HTH)

Explains how to involve students in a composition unit that requires them to complete writing assignments from various points of view. (DF)

Presents sequential approach to writing instruction that draws on power of rhetoric to help students connect with real world. Exercises focus on country's literacy problem and allow students to work with all kinds of discourse in logical sequence while learning to summarize, to analyze their own and their classmates' styles, and to work with…

Describes a journalism internship program at an Alaskan university that bridges the gap between theory and practice by requiring a series of reports that make students reflect on their media experiences and discover how these experiences relate to concepts studied in coursework within and outside the journalism department. (HTH)

Describes three methods used by researchers to elicit original metaphors and similes: structured tasks using poetry ideas, definitions and models, and supporting the thesis of a paper. (CRH)