The recent world pandemic has highlighted the need for effective procedures to teach language in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) environments. Fully online and asynchronous classrooms are especially challenged when addressing learning to speak a foreign language toward greater communicative competence. Current CALL research is…

Willingness to communicate (WTC) in a target language is considered a critical variable impacting engagement when students learn the language. Notwithstanding the research conducted on WTC of students, fewer attempts have been made to investigate their willingness to listen (WTL), especially WTL augmentation. To address this gap, this research…

This book focuses on appropriate English for Academic Purposes instructional concepts and methods in the Japanese context. It investigates a variety of pedagogical techniques, addressing the fundamental academic English skills -- listening, speaking, reading and writing -- as well as assessment and materials development. All the research included…

Explains the history and background of concrete poetry and discusses how to teach the creation of a concrete poem to foreign language classes. (EKN)

Suggests activities to practice asking directions that encourage immediate student use of the target language in a range of meaningful contexts. Exercises are accompanied by guidelines for classroom utilization. (EKN)

Describes a flexible strategy for associating Spanish with the daily English language newspaper interests of junior and senior high school students. The strategy is adaptable to other languages, is especially suitable for classes with students of different levels, and is one which allows all students to be adequately challenged. (EKN)

Suggests that students in French classes are not given enough practice in using numbers. Offers several suggestions, activities, and texts to help increase comprehension. (EKN)

The value of a rally, or scavenger hunt, in providing opportunities for second language learning is described. Teams are made up of people who do not speak the same native language. The players then begin the hunt that is designed as a noncompetitive creative language practice through participation exercise. Past experience indicates that the hunt…

Defines and discusses the uses of poetic games in a second language classroom. Provides an extensive inventory of poetic games, with examples in French and English. (EKN)

Presents rationale for basing ESL instruction on notions of reality and authenticity by focusing on inadequacy of grammatically-based approaches in teaching appropriate language use and inadequacy of notional/functional syllabus. Real communication is most likely to occur when speaker and hearer are involved, especially when learner has a stake in…

Methods for introducing and drilling grammatical structures in English as a second language (ESL) are presented for beginning teachers. Emphasis is on realistic contextualization and elicitation of spoken and written language through visual cueing in mechanical or meaningful exercises. The exercises are intended for small groups of college-bound…

Riddles designed to measure Spanish-English bilingualism are presented. The riddles are given in three forms: (1) the background material in English with the answer required in Spanish, (2) the background material and answers in English, and (3) only answers given, either in English or Spanish. The riddles are useful as classroom language…

Examines the various roles which grammatical consciousness can assume in the planning stages of a language teaching syllabus. Gives examples of learning activities that can engender unconscious awareness of crucial aspects of language organization. (EKN)

Describes the activities used by a teacher of English as a second language in Japan, including summarization and storytelling. (HTH)

Based on the importance of "tasks" in teaching/learning, this article focuses on problem-solving tasks in a language classroom. Steps include focusing on a learning goal and topic; deciding on the problem and outcome; specifying the context of the problem; and splitting the information and assigning roles. (Contains eight references.) (LB)