Teachers of English as a Second Language are encouraged to provide support for home language maintenance and use in classroom writing assignment. It is argued that this supports cultural diversity rather than emphasize differences among students, helps in development of literacy and other cognitive skills, and empowers students to achieve and…

An American studying for his master's degree in French in France reflects on the experience of advanced second-language learning. The discussion focuses on the stage at which interaction with others replaces formulation of sentences as the primary task and on understanding the power of word choice. (MSE)

The language-across-the-curriculum (LAC) movement in Britain began in the 1960s with a few secondary school experiments, from which developed more coordinated attempts to lower interdisciplinary barriers. This movement was characterized by emphasis on the language-learning link, the crucial role of discussion in the learning process, and the…

Four ideas for French language classroom activities are described, including an exercise highlighting creative use of language in daily commercial life, a language activity focusing on acquired immune deficiency syndrome; a grammar lesson using a French song about colors; and a game designed to teach French names. (MSE)

A discussion of teacher education focuses on how teachers' conceptions of classroom practice are influenced by their participation in a graduate inservice teacher education program. It is based on a longitudinal study following four high school foreign language teachers through an inservice program. Participants were observed in five phases:…

Starting from the perspective that bilingualism is an asset, the book describes approaches and strategies for schools to adopt that support and develop the skills of bilingual learners. A theoretical framework and research on which it is based are outlined, and suggestions are made for classroom strategies and procedures. The first chapter…

For Mexican American students, grade-level reading and overall academic achievement decline, as measured by standardized tests, as they progress through the educational system. By grade seven, 65% of Mexican American students fail one or more grade levels below expected achievement. To reverse this trend of academic failure, teachers need to use…

Guidelines are offered for creating content-based, English-language instructional units for a first-year introductory art history course at an international college. The guidelines are meant to help Japanese students at a low level of English proficiency in a course being taught by a native-English-speaking professor. curriculum focused on…

Guidelines are offered for teachers with pupils whose native language is other than English. They are presented in the form of eight principles and related classroom practices, derived from current thinking and research on second language learning and culturally sensitive instruction. The principles are: (1) bilingualism is an asset and should be…

Contributors from Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, and the United States describe how primary-age children in these anglophone countries are learning in the language of their home. The book demonstrates that monolingual schooling in a multicultural society fails to meet the needs of bilingual children. It argues that linguistic minorities…

Ten speaking and listening activities designed to improve the intercultural communication skills of intermediate and advanced learners of English are presented. The activities are based on seven goals of cultural instruction: (1) sense of culturally controlled behavior; (2) interaction of language and social variables such as gender, age, and…

A variety of ideas and strategies for homework assignments that can be stimulating and useful to second language learners are presented. Underlying principles are that homework can: give control; develop confidence; promote creativity; support differentiation by task and outcome; encourage pupil independence; support parent-school communication;…

Techniques for integrating English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction and mathematics instruction, particularly the language of mathematics, are discussed. Focus here is on mathematics instruction for limited-English-speaking students in the mainstream classroom. First, examples of the academic language of mathematics that students must…