Review of The Evaluation of Composition Instruction (2nd ed.).

We report on two studies of teaching composition in Canadian elementary and middle-level classrooms, focusing this paper on teachers who work with new literacies perspectives. A study of 21 teachers in all 10 Canadian provinces provided evidence of a broad range of practices in composition instruction, and an ongoing action research study with two groups of teachers allows us to develop richer understandings of the ways in which teachers create curriculum with students to promote engaged and productive multimodal and digital composing practices. Nine themes are discussed within two broad categories: administrative and organizational issues, and teachers’ stances and views of selves as learners and collaborators.

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A new reconstruction of the “Wisdom of the Hands” unit in 4QInstructiond (4Q418)

Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha ◽

10.1177/0951820720963475 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 60-73

Author(s):

Asaf Gayer

Keyword(s):

English Translation ◽

Practical Wisdom ◽

Digital Tools ◽

Valuable Data ◽

Composition Instruction ◽

New Findings

This study presents the material reconstruction of the unit on חכמת ידים‎—“Wisdom of the Hands,” in copy d of the wisdom composition Instruction (4Q418), followed by a complete transcription and an English translation. The study presents the location of nine fragments of 4Q418, placed on three consecutive columns, along with new joins and new readings. The reconstruction is based on the principles of the Stegemann method for the reconstruction of fragmentary scrolls, alongside new digital tools and software, as elaborated below. The new findings allow for a better understanding of the practical wisdom of Instruction, and provide new valuable data for future reconstruction of the entire composition.

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A Cognitive Technology to Teach Composition Skills: Four Studies with the R-Wise Writing Tutor

Journal of Educational Computing Research ◽

10.2190/kw4v-fjkd-l7j1-efk0 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 259-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Kurt Rowley ◽

Patricia Carlson ◽

Todd Miller

Keyword(s):

Student Performance ◽

Word Processor ◽

First Year ◽

Treatment Groups ◽

Instructional Style ◽

School Year ◽

Composition Instruction ◽

Developmental Writers ◽

Term Evaluation ◽

Writing Tutor

Four studies examined the effectiveness of user-adaptive computer-aided instruction that explicitly models the cognitive processes of composing for developmental writers, and is integrated with classroom composition instruction. The four school-year studies were designed to build on each other, each informing design improvements to a writing tutor named Reading and Writing in a Supportive Environment (R-WISE) as well as informing subsequent research designs. The first year study ( N = 852) compared traditional classroom controls with R-WISE treatment classrooms. The second year study ( N = 1,151) compared students using R-WISE with students using a word processor. The third year study ( N = 1,277) measured the effect of the teacher's instructional style, and the level of student control over the R-WISE software, on student performance. The fourth year study ( N = 617) replicated previous studies. The treatment groups for the four studies each posted significant gains over controls on most holistic and analytical measures of writing quality. The results of testing multiple design factors of R-WISE demonstrated the efficacy of long-term evaluation and enhancement of user-adaptive writing software in a field-based context.

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