Almost 30 Years of Writing Research: Making Sense of It All with The Wrath of Khan

In this invited article, we present an ongoing research program in the area of writing. Although this program has focused on students with learning disabilities (LD) and other struggling writers, it has also concentrated more broadly on issues involving writing development and general writing instruction. One purpose of this review was to share our basic findings in each of these areas, as they have important implications for teaching writing to students with LD. Another purpose was to illustrate how an ongoing research program develops and grows over time. To make this process more concrete, we employed several different literacy devices, including drawing an analogy between the development of our research program and the development of the story line for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Our final purpose was to describe the research we plan to do in the near future.     

Book Reviews

A major role that two‐year colleges play is to provide graduates who are prepared to meet the labor demands of business and industry. Business is no longer content with employees who possess job specific knowledge only, but is seeking employees who possess other attributes as well, such as the ability to solve problems, relate to others, and adapt to changing situations. To meet these demands, a curriculum model has been developed at Spartanburg Technical College to combine job specific content with work‐related skills. Innovative teaching strategies are used to bridge content and skills in such a way so content is not sacrificed, while at the same time, student's work‐related skills are developed. Teaching methodologies are sequentially and strategically placed to allow students to build from a basic to an advanced level of competency for each work‐related skill. The six step process results in several benefits including faculty, student and college development and improved college‐business/industry relations.     

1. CBQ REVIEW ESSAY: A Review of Recent Sources in Mass Media Interviewing, 1998–2006

Abstract

Interviewing has, of course, become a common place occurrence. Most adults are familiar with the nature of the transaction, but perhaps not with the complexity of what is actually happening. Modern interviewing as we have come to understand it is basically a post-World War II phenomenon. One of the major changes is the development of interviewing ordinary people (as compared with the more typical past practice of interviewing elites or at least only the significant players). In Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies, Weiss observes that interviews permit listeners “to learn about places, environments, organizations, fashions, careers, and cultures with which they would otherwise have no contact or exposure. But perhaps more telling is that interviews also reveal “interior experiences” including perceptions, and how they are interpreted. The human condition covering events, families, work, and all the emotions from joy to grief become open for all to witness” (Weiss, p. 1).

David Silverman refers to the “interview society” (p. 248) in his 1997 Qualitative Research: Theory, Method and Practice (London: Sage), and that was a decade ago. Today we find ourselves being exposed more and more to a panoply of interviewing experiences. This essay review is designed to present the most recent books with both sides of the equation presented. Guidance on how to be a successful interviewer, and also how to be a wise and sensible interviewee can be found in the following pages. The neutrality of the interviewer is assumed, but should not always be taken for granted as various astute observers note.

The subject domain of interviewing in mass media contains a range of topics considered below. The essay begins with general resources. Fielding's edited work, titled Interviewing, is the most unusual, as this four-volume book set contains “classic” journal article reprints. While there are no articles specifically on mass media, the individual contributions all pertain to the general topic and cover issues and findings that are relevant to the conduct of interviewing in mass media.

As one element of the mass media, entries dealing with interviewing in journalism, follow. Of particular note in this category are Brady's The Interviewer's Handbook and the treatment of the online journalism environment as found in Craig's 2005 chapter. As the title suggests, Brady's work presents a “how to” approach. Craig's contribution brings interviewing into the electronic/computer era and addresses the special challenges and benefits associated with it.

The interviewing in mass media section includes a review of Elsberg's Media Interview Owner's Manual, Barber's The Craft of the Media Interview, and Jones' Winning with the News Media. These, and other entries in this section, provide the core of the recent literature by highly experienced interviewers, and would be useful to anyone contemplating an interviewing career or interesting reading for the person attempting to understand the techniques used by the professionals.

In the era of television and the Internet, radio interviewing still has a place, and Beaman's Interviewing for Radio more than adequately addresses the special consideration of the medium. Television interviewing is covered in Merlis' How to Make the Most of Every Media Appearance. The broader category of video interviewing is treated in The Video Performer, a manual written by Dreibelbis. Bull analyzes the highly specialized world of political communication via television appearances in his work titled The Microanalysis of Political Communication.

The special kind of interviewing found in the public relations environment closes this essay. These works are guides or “how-to” presentations. All are useful, but the Palmer volume may prove to be the most valuable in terms of what to avoid and how to use the media for your own purposes.     

Can cooperating teachers help student teachers develop a vision of education?

Abstract

Research in teacher education is increasingly concerned with teachers' visions of education and their sense of calling, mission, and professional identity. Interviews with outstanding cooperating teachers focused on exploring their beliefs on teacher vision, and what makes a good teacher. The teachers were also asked to discuss their beliefs on whether vision—and the independence of spirit that a strong vision is thought to foster—is relevant in their work with student teachers. The teachers revealed a strong sense of why they teach and shared goals around several themes. They also maintained that reflection is key to developing a vision of education. Teacher education programs can support these teachers' views of quality education by developing conceptual frameworks that foster reflection and the development of a vision for education, particularly in the student teaching experience.