The ability to effectively communicate with individuals from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds is an invaluable asset. Learning a second language proves useful as students navigate the culturally diverse world; however, studying a second language can be difficult for learners who are not immersed in the real and natural environment of…

Eight students from mainland China chart their learning journeys across national and continental boundaries and socio-cultural contexts. The five women and three men structure their experiences of studying in China and the West around the turning points and life changing choices they made in chasing their dreams. They embody its emergent…

A discussion of cultural stereotypes and civilization instruction focuses on means of sensitizing language students to their own and other cultures. Exercises are offered in seeing the Italians as seen by the French, the French as seen by Italians, and the French as they view themselves. (MSE)

Discusses gift-giving patterns in different cultures, particularly in relation to teacher-student interactions in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. Situations in which gift-giving can raise ethical questions and how to teach culturally diverse students about this issue are highlighted. Script theory provides a theoretical basis for…

This paper helps mainstream teachers and administrators demystify English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education, providing techniques to help immigrant students make sense of English and their new culture. Ten chapters examine the following: (1) "We're Moving to Where?" (how it feels to move to a totally alien environment); (2) "The Essence and…

The European Community is facing the dilemma of respecting and maintaining Europe's traditional national languages and cultures while facilitating communication. This objective can be met by expecting all citizens to speak in their native languages but understand several others, placing emphasis on comprehension in second-language instruction.…

This digest explains how functional language instruction can be made useful for persons with moderate to severe disabilities who are also culturally and linguistically different. It further explains how vocabulary and cultural information of the Spanish-speaking student can be included in functional language instruction for students who are from…

Chinese students' reading strategies are shaped by their cultural assumptions and by the background information, or lack of it, that they bring to the material. Most important, their reading strategies are influenced by (1) traditional methods of reading that have led to investigating each word without always understanding the general concepts of…

This document is the teacher's edition of a learning module designed to help nonnative English speakers develop basic workplace mathematics skills. This module was developed by educators from the Emily Griffith Opportunity School. The math curriculum presented in how math might be taught to nonnative English speakers at a manufacturing worksite.…

It is possible to change negative or biased attitudes of American secondary and college students studying French by using "cognitive dissonance" to infuse conflicting ideas or cognitions into the curriculum and help students resolve the resulting anxiety. Students will then become aware of the diversity of ideas and cultural practices,…

This paper attempts to show that an effective and innovative English as a foreign language (EFL) curriculum is contingent upon the behavior and attitudes of the classroom teachers who carry out that curriculum. A greater understanding of these attitudes was sought in studies carried out in Hong Kong. Chinese teachers of EFL participated in a…

The use of newspaper and magazine advertisements for teaching foreign language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, grammar, pronunciation, and culture is encouraged and discussed. Suggested lessons and classroom activities are presented in four categories: vocabulary, grammatical rules…

Suggests strategies for teaching English as a second language to non-English speaking students in small schools and warns of possible cultural differences which may lead to misunderstandings. (MH)

Seven German-American cross-cultural social situations are presented in English, each followed by a multiple-choice question concerning the etiquette or cultural implications of the actions. An answer key provides comments to stimulate class discussion. These everyday situations occur in Germany or the United States, and include eating at a…

This paper discusses the rationale for using sustained content-based instruction (CBI) to teach English for academic purposes to non- native speakers, drawing on recent research and theory and on both personal experience and a small-scale study of college students. Discussion begins with a look at college and graduate students' needs for both…