Exploratory language courses are self-contained, nonsequential, interdisciplinary courses designed to introduce students to a variety of languages and cultures. They are usually offered in middle and junior high schools, to give students in the young adolescent stage of development a chance to explore a range of academic and vocational fields.…

Since 1980, an increasing number of state and local education agencies have reintroduced a world history requirement into their secondary curricula. This ERIC Digest examines five key questions related to that trend. Questions raised, together with some salient points made in the discussion of each, are as follows: (1) What is the background to…

One in a series of 12 publications on two-year science education, this four-part monograph examines biological education as revealed by a literature review, a study of the catalogs and class schedules of 175 representative two-year institutions, and survey responses of 160 biology instructors. Part I first presents the findings of a review of the…

Designed to assist secondary school and college teachers select classroom materials for an introductory course in interpersonal communication, this annotated bibliography cites materials that provide both descriptive and prescriptive information to enhance the development of the basic interpersonal communication course. The sources include recent…

Physics instruction is examined as revealed in a study of science education at two-year colleges which involved a review of the literature, an analysis of the catalogs and class schedules of 175 representative institutions, and a survey of 45 physics instructors. Each of the two parts of the report reviews pertinent literature, reports study…

This document lists books commonly used with literacy and beginning level adult English language learners. Most titles include brief comments about the book's content, aims, and lay-out. The list is grouped by publisher. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (Author/VWL)

Foreign Language Exploratory or Foreign Language Experience (FLEX) programs offer one approach to initiating foreign language instruction for children. One survey reported that 41 percent of United States elementary schools offering language instruction had FLEX programs. Statistics on FLEX programs in middle schools are unavailable. Most FLEX…

This Digest discusses how to integrate basic public speaking concepts into college students' personal and professional lives. The Digest first considers the relevance of the basic course and then suggests the application speech as one instructional activity which illustrates how the oral communication concepts presented in the basic course are…

The design of an effective reading course in English for academic purposes must be based on an understanding of the reading process (including perceptual skills and cognitive processing), an understanding of problems in mastering the English writing system (punctuation, decoding handwriting, and confusion between typefaces), and an awareness of…

In recent years, the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teaching profession has made discoveries about teaching beginning or low-level adult learners (those with little or no schooling in their native languages, learners who may not be familiar with the Roman alphabet, those with learning disabilities, and those literate in their native languages…

This state-of-the-art review explores types of foreign language (FL) programs, the rationale for early FL study, research evidence, program development, evaluation issues, and areas for further development. Chapter 1 outlines the various types of early FL programs that have been implemented, such as foreign language experience (FLEX) programs,…