Two competing paradigms seem to characterize all models of teaching behavior. The first may be labeled as behavior-analytic, detail specific, and structured in that the learner proceeds through prescribed steps toward each goal. The other may be described as inquiry-oriented and learner-centered in that the learner has greater choice of the means to be employed toward reaching a goal. Teachers who adhere to the first model treat writing reductively, merely as an exercise in the mechanics of spelling, punctuation, and grammar; while those who hold with the opposing model view all writing, no matter how incoherent or incomplete, as attempts to make meaning. They do not see the conventions as a prior condition to writing, but rather as points to be discussed when needed. To determine whether these two models accurately describe teacher attitudes and practices in the classroom, a study was conducted in which 93 teachers sorted 80 cards, each containing a statement about the teaching of writing derived from a search of the literature. The results showed that the teachers used a set of 20 major ideas to think about the teaching of writing--16 of which were related to either the skills-based or to the learner-centered pedagogies. The findings confirm the existence of at least two pedagogies of written expression. (FL)