Participation, a commonly graded component of composition classrooms, is rarely the focus of current research studies. While some discussions have addressed grading practices or ways to increase participation, student and instructor voices have yet to be included in studies of classroom participation in composition courses. Yet these voices are…

The author's mother has taught advanced classes at a small Catholic elementary school. She also does private tutoring for at-risk students from neighboring high schools and colleges in an affluent suburban area. The author teaches at a large public, urban university. Her mother tutors Algebra through Calculus in a fairly traditional lecture-style…

Presents an account of the authors' shared explorations and efforts to name some important variables or criteria that bear on the question of whether or not to invite students to write in a home dialect or language. Offers conclusions in the form of a list of 10 variables to consider. (SG)

Compares evaluation criteria for writing held in two contexts; explores the criteria used to evaluate English-language student writing by German and United States secondary school teachers; and compares the rank ordering of three essays given by teachers from these three groups. Presents results that have important implications for writing…

Considers the author's own experience with "voice" in her graduate studies pursuing poetry writing, women's literature, and composition theory. Notes that because voice as a metaphor has been called into question, many female educators have grown reluctant to use it. Discusses how a metaphor like voice can successfully imply both the stable,…

Notes one of the most prominent debates in composition over the last 10 years concerns abolition of required first-year English. Elaborates three points as they contribute to the author's overall argument that the abolitionist debate is not one that needs to be resolved, but instead is an exchange of ideas from which others in the field can learn…

Constructs a protocol of a teacher reading and responding to a student essay. Provides a map of the various concerns a teacher can take up in reading. Creates and models a heuristic to reflect on reading and responding practices in light of one's philosophy, assumptions, and practice. (PM)

Examines positions held by those challenging the status quo in composition and dispels apparent misconceptions about their goals and motivations. Outlines the discontinuities between earlier "abolitionist" calls for reconceiving the discipline and recent "new abolitionist" arguments to illustrate that in these newer calls lies the potential for…

Gives a detailed syllabus for a course dealing with "unteaching" racism at University of Michigan. Discusses design, philosophy, and development of the course. Discusses experiences with the students' reactions to the course. (SC)

Presents a report summarizing the opinions of 419 writing teachers on goals and methods of responding to student writing. Shows that most teachers perceive themselves as coaches, focusing on students' ideas. Finds that lack of time has a more significant effect on goals and methods than particular allegiances to composition theories. (SR)

Presents the inner dialogue and debate about teaching between several voices within a teacher who is trying to listen better to the whole of himself. Points out that listening better to students is a way of modeling the importance of learning to listen to each other. (SR)

Considers how college English instructors view their students. Studies and analyzes references to students appearing in the February issues of the pedagogical journal "College Composition and Communication" for 1990, 1991, and 1992. Calls for increased attention to this subject. (HB)