Writing ought to be the easiest of the four skills for students of English as a Second or Foreign Language. Unlike listening and reading, the students control all the words. Unlike speaking, the students can go back, check their work, revise it, and resubmit it. It should then follow that writing would be one of the most popular courses to teach. Yet teachers never say, "I can't wait till I get tenure, so I can teach some of those composition classes of 35 students."

However, writing classes also offer the opportunity to see growth, to share important ideas, and to develop a sense of community. The tips in Fifty Ways Ways to Teach Writing are chosen with that goal in mind--to make it easier for students to succeed at becoming better writers, and for instructors to enjoy the teaching of writing.