This study focuses on Basque and Occitan teaching in southern France, where both are minority languages. More precisely, it aims to analyze teachers' view on the elements that enhance and hamper Basque and Occitan teaching. It considers the concept of phronesis or teacher effect to refer to the diverse strategies used by teachers to constantly…

This essay on three recent books by outstanding scholars--"La raison scolaire" by Bernard Lahire, "Histoire de l'enseignement du francais du XVII[superscript e] au XX[superscript e] siecle" by Andre Chervel, and "L'ecole et la lecture obligatoire" by Anne-Marie Chartier--offers the opportunity to acquaint readers with…

Second language study in French universities includes both modern language (literary) and foreign language (communicative) approaches, although teaching is dominated by the literary strand. Traditional educational models based on the transmission of knowledge are unable to accommodate recent progress in our understanding of learning theory, which…

The flexible language learning system we have devised at our university combines different elements: individual work on a virtual learning environment, pair-work and counseling sessions. The implementation of the system involves a new conception of the different "actors" roles. Teachers become tutors or counselors with new specific…

Management schools are expected to educate future professionals with the necessary skills to operate successfully in a global business environment. In this paper, the authors analyze and reflect on an experiment in interdisciplinary cooperation undertaken by business faculty at a US university and language faculty at a French School of Management.…

In a flexible language learning system, developed at a French university and gradually improved through Action Research, different elements are combined: individual work on a virtual learning environment (VLE), pair-work and counselling appointments. One of the objectives of the system is to help the students involved progress towards…

The papers included in this issue are from a conference on language policy. The papers are: "Why Promote European Multilingualism? French Experience" (Claude Truchot); "German Attitudes to European Language Policy" (Ulrich Ammon); "Minority Language Rights in Contemporary Europe" (Tove Skutnabb-Kangas); "Teacher…

Discusses causes for the problems in language instruction in France, and offers suggestions for improving the situation, including greater communication among language professionals, greater flexibility to instructional change, and greater attention to the student. (AM)

The title of this volume, "Learning Languages in the Digital Age," focuses on the integration of technology to promote authentic and interactive communication within and outside the walls of the language classroom. Major innovations have shifted Internet use from a consumer to a participatory model; that is, previously, Internet users…

While planet Earth endeavors to transmit information instantaneously, cultural misunderstanding interferes with communication more than any language barrier. The article urges teachers of French to be cognizant of their role as cultural mediators. (Author/CK)

Discusses reaction to miscommunication of a nonnative speaker from Italy residing in France who experiences a lapse in his ability to communicate in French with a native speaker. Notes that this occurrence encourages the pursuit of communicative competence by the nonnative speaker in the target language as well as an effort by both…

Within the sphere of information, the term "interactive" has acquired a meaning that encompasses the usage of information networks and the end results of accessing the information. This article emphasizes that teachers of second languages can best meet the academic needs of their students by guiding their usage of computer information to…

An elementary school English second language program in Caen (France) is described and evaluated. The program evolved from national policy initiatives to reintroduce modern foreign languages in the primary schools. The eventual National Experiment involved a selected number of schools in which a foreign language was to be taught. Data for this…

Because French boys command a sharper accuracy of thought and form in their speaking and writing than do young Americans of the same age, this book examines the educational system in France for the light it might shed on the teaching of English in America. Chapters consider (1) syllabi for two kindergarten-through-high-school courses in…

An experimental program financed by the Commission of the European Communities in two primary schools in Cassis, France, an area with a stable Portuguese immigrant population, involved intercultural education and the use of a Portuguese mother tongue teacher who served not only as a classroom teacher but also as a school-community liaison. The…