This field manual for composition teachers, written by community college and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) writing instructors, examines practical and theoretical problems and strategies associated with teaching composition. Essays in chapter I, by Ruth Mitchell and Faye Peitzman, underscore the relevance and implications of writing research to the classroom. Chapter II describes several flexible and successful teaching methods. Jo An Simmons and Stephen Montgomery detail two tutorial methods, Jo Ray McCuen explains a system in which small groups of students edit each other's writing, and Patricia Taylor demonstrates the possibilities of stylistic imitation. Four additional teaching techniques are also covered: the use of editing sheets and peer comments to encourage the revision of papers before they are turned in; sentence-combining; exercises to help students improve clumsy bureaucratic styles; and methods to move students from personal-experience writing to objective-analysis writing. Chapter III includes Sharon Scull's article on tactics for teaching English as a Second Language, materials on UCLA's composition placement procedures, and Faye Peitzman's essay on a study of writing in various disciplines at UCLA. Chapter IV provides reviews of 17 major works on writing and teaching composition, including books on how writing develops, works to aid students in writing and thinking, philosophies of composition, and books on the problems of research. A selective bibliography is appended. (HB)