An examination is made of a foreign language teaching concept called pre-language that attempts to help foreign language students increase their speaking confidence and speaking abilities in the new language. The teaching method is designed for four distinct environments, including: (1) an independent mini-course for tourists or emergency needs;…

Describes a French introductory course that prepares students to travel in France and relies entirely on materials and themes related to such travel. Use of realia and props helps the instructors to stage real-life situations. Emphasis is placed on comprehension and oral language communication. (MES)

Three communication courses for nonnative English speaking pharmacy students at the University of Maryland, Mercer University, and the University of Southern California are described. (Author/MLW)

Suggestopaedia is defined as the application of the principles of suggestology (the science of suggestion) to teaching. The main principles of this system and their pedagogical application are briefly described. (Author/EJS)

Outlines a second language program that, over a period of three years, exposes the student to three languages and several teachers and stresses communicative competence. (AM)

In a Japanese business communication course taught at Clemson University (South Carolina), Japanese television drama is used to help language students understand the style of Japanese communication and improve their communicative ability. The course design was based on the following: (1) research on Japanese perceptions of the language needs for…

An intermediate level course in a university French program, entitled "Problems in Language and Style," is intended to develop students' skills in reading, writing, and speaking French through extensive work in building vocabulary and idioms. After a thorough and methodical reading of one novel and one play, the students are expected to read most…

This short guide examines three types of syllabi that can be used in helping adult English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students develop functional communication skills--grammatical, topical, and functional syllabi. Examples of the types of vocabulary that would be introduced in each curriculum are provided, and the main approaches that would be…

This article describes a course designed to develop oral skills in English as a second language. A video-taped movie is shown without its sound track; the students then analyze, discuss, and ultimately dub in the film in the target language. (CFM)

The community college course outlined in this paper emphasizes listening, speaking, pragmatics, reading, and writing for non-native speakers of English who have had little or no exposure to the language. The aim of the course is to improve student language skills that will enhance academic success and persistence. An introductory section describes…

An examination of foreign language syllabus design reviews current literature on six syllabus types and discusses the process of choosing and integrating syllabi for classroom use. The six syllabus types are structural, notional-functional, situational, skill-based, task-based, and content-based, characterized as differing by increasing attention…

Four issues of a University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) newsletter by and for teaching assistants (TAs) are presented, with focus on course syllabi, sexism, teacher evaluation, and foreign TAs. Consideration is given to: a positive classroom atmosphere; myths of college instruction; use of classroom tests; lecture methods; the "abused…

The materials describe Kentucky's strategy for reforming the state standards for introductory Spanish second language instruction. They begin with a course description outlining the shift in orientation from grammar instruction to development of communicative competence. A subsequent section suggests ways in which the teacher might identify…

The syllabus for New York State's elementary and secondary education second language programs is intended to inform local school district personnel about important characteristics of successful programming and provide a framework for development, management, and implementation. It specifies educational goals and components of the intended learning…

Discusses strategies designed to cope with problems encountered at the college level that are caused by students' diversity in background and levels of competency. Alternatives to the lock-step method of instruction, with applicability at both the college and high school level, are described. (EJS)