Sixteen essays exploring the social perspective on ESL writing issues. Carson, Joan G., and Ilona Leki, eds. After many years of being taught separately as technical skills, reading and writing are increasingly being taught together in ESL courses that recognize the inextricable links between them. Eighteen essays examine how individual readers process text, how cultural contexts affect understanding, and how reading can be taught in writing classes. Donna M. Johnson and Duane H. Roen.
Subsequent reports focus on raising standards and getting tough.
Transmission especially harms ESL students by excluding student experience and suppressing the meaningful communication needed to learn language. Moreover, the reforms reflect an autocratic image of society that is counterdemocratic. In addition, the focus on excellence promotes passivity rather than critical thinking. An alternative conception of reform can be based on a more productive interaction between students and teachers, active use of written and oral language for critical thinking, and use of students' cultural resources that will enrich all students. Ferdman, Bernardo M., Rose-Marie Weber, and Arnulfo G. Ramirez, eds.