In this article, the authors discuss the importance of the skill of synthesis in university-level writing. They outline specific challenges faced by students of English as a second language with synthesis as a writing skill. They then describe a lesson that they created for an English for academic purposes class for graduate students in the field…

Promoting learner autonomy is relevant in the field of applied linguistics due to the multiple benefits it brings to the process of learning a new language. However, despite the vast array of research on how to foster autonomy in the language classroom, it is difficult to find step-by-step processes to design syllabi and curricula focused on the…

The special needs of college students with learning disabilities are often challenging because of the variety of disabilities and accommodations. An alternative, parallel Spanish course at Old Dominion is described in the larger context of postsecondary foreign-language requirements. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/LB)

The traditional upper-level course in French civilization at Utah State University was abandoned in favor of a course entitled "France Today," taught once a year to a consistent enrollment of students majoring in a wide variety of disciplines. The content varies somewhat each year, but the class typically begins with several class…

The recommended syllabus for an exploratory course about Spanish and French languages and cultures and their relationship to English is presented. The guide provides suggestions for approaching course planning and teaching; a list of areas of instruction, material resources, and methods of instruction for the specific linguistic, general language,…

A University of Texas, Austin, French course that uses dramatics as a focus for language practice and cultural awareness is described. Relaxation, movement, group dynamics, and interpretation of the text area are all seen as contributing to the language-learning experience. (MSE)

Articulation remains a significant problem in language education as in education in general. The particular concern is that articulation is targeted toward programs and not toward learners. Specific language teaching methods, and use of more-uniform teaching materials and testing have been used to cope with the problem. However, a broader…

It is argued that a functional-notional syllabus is practical and useful for second language instruction at the college level. It constitutes a natural progression from secondary school curricula that emphasize communication in that it uses the same basic organization and similar categories. However, it differs from them in that it pays particular…

A strategy for including writing of a research paper in a university's advanced intensive English course for students of English as a second language is described. The method consists of eight assignments given over the course of 11 weeks, resulting in a short research paper. The method is designed to minimize error by dealing with specific…

Reports on the views of 73 secondary school Japanese students toward the United Nations. Finds that most tend to think of the UN as relevant to conflicts. Describes how the hunger issue was used in an English-as-a-Second-Language class to teach about the United Nations. (CFR)

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…

One teacher's experiences teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults in community-based programs are drawn upon to illustrate how ESL syllabus design can better reflect the conditions that attract students to community agencies, and how the agencies can better serve students uninterested in or disadvantaged by formal educational…

Describes a team-taught immersion-style, content-based program in English as a foreign language (EFL) in a Japanese college liberal arts curriculum. The collaborative model of content-based instruction differs from the typical theme-based, sheltered, and adjunct models in its educational goals and instructional format. Suggestions are made for…

Issues 1 and 2 (combined) of the 1995 journal contain these articles: "Accelerated Learning in a Beginning College-Level French Class at the University of Houston" (Patrice Caux); "The Psychobiology of Learning and Memory" (Don Schuster); "Do the Seeds of Accelerated Language Learning and Teaching Lie in a Behavioral…

This curriculum guide outlines courses in English as a Second Language (ESL) offered by the Broward County (Florida) adult education program. An introductory section outlines the general student needs on which the curricula are based, program policies for placement and promotion, instructional delivery, and student progression, and the…