The personal journal has become a standard component of the writing curriculum, yet there is little research to support dramatic claims for its effectiveness. Journals, which differ from personal diaries or common notebooks, are associated with the "Neo-Platonist or Expressionist" approach to writing instruction, yet adherents of other…

To add a foundation to the growing excitement among educators about the central role they play in helping learners become strategic readers, the articles in this thematic journal provide insight into current reading theory and practice. Richard Telfer's article reviews research on strategic reading and clarifies what is meant by the phrase…

The concern for literacy dominates the elementary classroom as instructional theories mesh with the realities of practice. Reviews of research literature, such as "Becoming a Nation of Readers," have given considerable support to meaning-centered, active language learning curricula. Questioning whether today's children will be literate…

Intended to help composition teachers take advantage of current advances in word processing technology, this booklet demonstrates how teachers can create computer lesson files for students that incorporate findings from research on effective writing instruction and allow students to develop, shape, and revise their own writing at the computer…

Acknowledging that to study the development of a language is to study the history and culture of people and that English has been influenced by many geographic, political, economic, social, and linguistic forces, this booklet provides a ready reference for elementary and middle school/junior high school teachers confronted with students' questions…

One new approach to argumentative writing in an advanced composition course uses the creative juxtaposition of rhetorical and psychological theories and behavioristic research. All of the assignments for the course simulate the kinds of writing actually performed in the professional fields of advertising, politics, business, law, and religion.…

Analysis of survey results from 199 PET (Program for Effective Teaching) trained teachers in three cohorts trained in successive years and from 62 non-PET trained teachers indicate the PET-trained teachers responded favorably to the initial training. Teachers perceive that PET-training has had a positive effect on their classroom performance, and…

This paper discusses the evolution from the vocational emphasis of librarianship to a new research and higher education oriented concept of library and information science, focusing on changes in the Nordic countries, and Sweden in particular. Recognizing the strong interrelationship between analytical reviews for policy decisions, research and…

Two trends have emerged in recent years in the diagnosis of remedial readers, which--when applied with caution--may be of reasonable value to the clinician and the teacher. One of these trends has been the promotion of informal assessments, and an accompanying plethora of commercial informal reading inventories (IRIs). These instruments are…

While assessing students' needs for a new approach to the issue of plagiarism, it is interesting to note that historically attitudes towards plagiarism have not always been negative. The problem of plagiarism may really be the problem of finding a proper mix between the ideas of the speaker and the ideas of those that have preceded the speaker.…

Aided by a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), Metropolitan State University (Minnesota) developed 18 credit carrying theory seminars and added them to the regular curriculum. These seminars were offered beginning mid-April 1985, and continue to be offered. They add theoretical learning to the students'…

This paper examines the possibility of developing a conceptual framework on which future research on the application of electroencephalography (EEG) to computer-assisted instruction (CAI) could be based. Consistent associations between EEG and cognitive functions for learning and instruction have the potential for bringing cognitivism into the…

Successful speech should rest not on prepared notes and outlines but on genuine oral discourse based on "data" fed into the "software" in the computer which already exists within each person. Writing cannot speak for itself, nor can it continually adjust itself to accommodate diverse response. Moreover, no matter how skillfully…

Discipline problems in both regular and special education settings can be prevented through the effective use of three key elements: (1) organizational management of classroom elements; (2) anticipation and re-direction of student behavior; and (3) positive, encouraging interactions with students. Organizational management of classroom elements…

Initial difficulties in the process of teaching 6 first-grade teachers to use reciprocal teaching in their classes, and the disappointing outcomes of the instruction, led researchers to several conclusions. Researchers realized that the beliefs teachers held about the nature of knowledge and the process of knowledge acquisition had a powerful role…