"On a clear day, you can learn forever"-- that's the adapted lyric you'll be happily humming once you've covered this playbook, because you will have mastered using learning intentions and success criteria, the twin engines of "Teacher Clarity." This template-filled guide shows you how to own it, do it, and live it--and your…

New Teacher Evaluation and Support Systems were fully implemented in every public school during the 2012-13 school year. Rhode Island educators have had a significant voice in revising the Student Learning Objective (SLO) process for the 2013-14 school year. Through surveys, focus groups, working groups, principal shadows, regional meetings, and…

Defines three previously overlooked subpopulations of English proficient students (English superior, equally limited, non-English superior) in terms of their relative proficiency in English and the home language. Presents data and clarifies assessment terms, criteria, and procedures used in relative proficiency assessment. Makes program…

With the growth of world English, what learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) need most is not a native-like accent but ability to communicate with other non-native speakers. The role of English pronunciation, its aims within the ESL curriculum, and which norms and models are most appropriate for such instruction should be rethought.…

It is suggested that the emphasis in second-language instruction be placed less on understanding what the target culture is and more on how to behave appropriately within that culture, because the latter and not the former is the key to true intercultural communication. (MSE)

The first in a series of three volumes comprising a college-level course in Kikuyu, a Bantu language, this document contains the outline for a full-length course whose objective is to provide oral mastery of grammatical principles necessary for more than survival-level proficiency. The 20 units are organized into grammatical categories. Each unit…

Some of the problems of acquisition of pragmatic competence in speech experience by language learners are examined, and the implications of selected literature in sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and social psychology for enhancing pragmatic competence through second language instruction are discussed. Of special concern are the development…

The debate over whether Canadian second-language teaching should emphasize language study or language experience is examined, and it is concluded that the emerging consensus is for integration of the two in English and French second-language instruction. The National Core French Study teaching model is recommended for all languages. (10…

The restructuring of the Romance language program at Howard University to improve oral proficiency involved modification of goals, syllabi, classroom activities, and testing. Goals were adapted to American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)/Educational Testing Service (ETS) guidelines for oral proficiency. Assessment of French…

Theoretical insights into teaching English as a second language developed in recent years are brought together in a broad methodological approach called the balanced activities approach. The book aims at providing a theoretical background to the approach as well as detailing practical instructional techniques. The first of the three parts of the…

Communicative proficiency, defined as native-like ability to use the language as a medium of two-way communication, is most effectively and efficiently achieved through instruction emphasizing development of listening and reading comprehension skills, and virtually excluding training in production. The comprehension approach avoids the teaching of…

The scope and sequence for high school English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction outlines the goals, objectives, skills, and assessment techniques for an integrated, holistic curriculum for the ESL program found in most Chicago public high schools. It is not coordinated with specific instructional materials, but designed to be adaptable and…

The demand for an improved international dimension in American education is a move in the right direction, and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and Educational Testing Service efforts in defining foreign language proficiency guidelines and developing a reliable mechanism for testing oral proficiency have resulted in…

A guide to setting objectives for foreign language instruction provides a model for specifying comprehensive objectives and a discussion of their nature and educational implications. It follows up on the suggestions made in the "Threshold Level" series begun in 1975 with more complex specifications. Chapters define aims and objectives, examine the…

Reports on the findings of the College Board's "Academic Preparation for College," with respect to the foreign language preparedness of secondary-school students. Reveals a shocking, intellectually crippling decline in student preparation. Supports the recommendations of the foreign language statement of the Green Book. (DMM)