Discusses routine classroom language teaching techniques and conventional teacher behaviors that are resistant to change and that may inhibit the use of more effective language teaching strategies. Makes suggestions for alternatives, such as emphasis placed on discourse rather than grammar, and self-evaluation as an alternative to normative…

A coding system expediting grading of student reports in a marketing class is described. The system uses twelve codes corresponding to constructive criticisms of content and form, allowing the teacher to comment while reading and to read more efficiently. A brief summary can also be included. Most frequent codes are recorded in the gradebook to…

An advocate of the Natural Approach to second language instruction discusses problems associated with error correction, highlighted in her personal experience when she visited Italy to explore her heritage and use her Italian language skills. After requesting to have her errors corrected by a native-speaking friend, the visitor experienced great…

The guide offers instructors a system for responding to their English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students' writing, and is designed to accompany an ESL student guide to editing. It include information on how to: respond as a collaborator and constructive critic; respond to content; respond to sentence-level errors; assign grades; help students…

A discussion of misunderstandings occurring in the college classroom looks at the common sources of misconceptions and offers three ways to diagnose and address them: (1) asking students to think aloud as they solve problems; (2) having students teach course topics; and (3) reviewing students' notes with them. (MSE)

A discussion of classroom research on language teaching looks at what researchers have learned so far from attempts to study what happens in the language classroom. The discussion is based on the idea that it is not the currency of instructional method used that matters most, but rather a fuller understanding of classroom interaction. The first…

A college teacher describes his approach to student subject-area writing, which includes assignment of several short papers to be written according to carefully prescribed guidelines (appended to the article), clear grading criteria, high expectations, availability for individual conferences, rewards for improvement, encouragement of writing for…

A discussion of the communicative approach in the second language classroom reasserts its value while highlighting some of the difficulties in implementing the approach: time constraints; difficulty in providing motivation for communication in the more formal language registers; potential imbalance in emphasis on oral and written communication…

The first two stages of a research project on the teaching of second languages in Scotland using the communicative approach are reported. In the first stage, 59 language teachers in 20 schools were interviewed concerning their understanding of the notion of communicative competence and its development in the classroom. In the second stage, French…

A college writing teacher offers teaching suggestions based on experience, concerning communication with students, error correction, creating priorities among objectives, making standards and evaluation criteria clear, giving positive reinforcement, encouraging use of the writing center, giving assignments that support writing objectives, and…

Articles on various aspects of second language teaching include: "Global Education Language Teaching Activities" (Kip A. Cates); "Classroom Management in Japanese Colleges and Universities: Some Practical Approaches" (Paul Wadden, Sean McGovern); "Control: An Independent Learning Model" (Don Maybin, Lynn…

The book outlines, for second language teachers, how students can be helped to attain both fluency and a high level of accuracy. It explores language learning theory and research and a variety of classroom instruction issues and techniques. The discussion begins with an overview of theories, models, and methods of classroom language learning and…

This guide, designed for second language teachers and teacher trainees, addresses central practical, methodological concerns in effective classroom management and decision making. The first chapter provides background information and assumptions. The second chapter discusses the planning process (lesson preparation, pre-instructional…

This curriculum sourcebook is designed as a guide for educators of limited-English-speaking adults in literacy education programs. It consists of accounts of actual learning and teaching experiences using a participatory approach to instruction and curriculum development, written by teachers in community-based adult education. An introductory…