This digest focuses on the teaching of foreign languages through distance learning, which refers to instruction via satellite or other long-distance telecommunication technology. The following questions are addressed: (1) What is distance learning? (2) Why is distance learning used? (3) How can distance learning provide the interaction necessary…

With the purpose of highlighting the lessons to be learned from immersion programs, this digest presents selected findings from research carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of immersion programs in Canada and the United States. These lessons are related to the importance of: (1) integrating language with content instruction (when second…

There has been a longstanding interest among second and foreign language educators in research on language and the brain. By understanding how the brain learns naturally, language teachers may be better able to enhance their effectiveness in the classroom. This digest examines current brain research and discusses its implications for second…

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…

Schools and school districts across the United States are establishing and expanding foreign language programs. Although most programs are found at the secondary school level, an increasing number are being established in elementary schools. A survey by the Center for Applied Linguistics indicates that 31% of U.S. elementary schools are offering…

Language teachers recognize that improving their foreign language proficiency is an ongoing process. New ways of evaluating teachers' language skills, and curriculum changes emphasizing performance highlight skill inadequacies. Many teachers have not reached functional language levels, and language skill upgrading is a more relevant issue than…

Recent technological, pedagogical, and regulatory developments have heightened awareness and appreciation of the utility of closed captioned television (CCTV) for adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and literacy instruction. A federal mandate that most televisions provide a closed caption decoder, increased captioning of all program types,…