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…

Describes a university course on East German art and politics. Provides a syllabus and list of required tests. (EKN)

Describes a one-semester French course taught by undergraduates and offered to elementary school students. The course stresses basic French vocabulary, a variety of interesting activities such as skits and songs, and parent participation through a "parents' night." (AM)

Descriptions of high school foreign language courses offered in Montgomery County, Maryland, are presented. Minimum attainments expected of students at the end of each course are set forth. The descriptions are level- rather than language-specific, and apply to all of the languages offered. The course listing is preceded by an overall rationale…

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 Australian Language Levels (ALL) curriculum is being developed as a learner-centered, activities-based approach to second language instruction at all levels. It is activities-based in that learners use the target language in specific activities for specific purposes. Each activity integrates content with process or method, and activities are…

Descriptions of elementary and junior high school foreign language courses offered in Montgomery County, Maryland, are presented. Minimum attainments expected of students at the end of each course are set forth. The descriptions are level- rather than language-specific, and apply to all of the languages offered. The course listing is preceded by…

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,…

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…

Describes a one-semester conversational course taught at Harvard University designed to teach basic oral communication skills in French with the main emphasis on teaching students to pause while speaking. (AM)

A French language program used in a Montessori school with children in preschool through junior high grades is described. The program provides language instruction in the classroom by a French specialist as well as separate French classes, a compromise between immersion and the Montessori methodology. The children are able to work independently…

Discusses strategies designed to cope with problems encountered at the college level that are caused by students' diversity in background and levels of competency. Alternatives to the lock-step method of instruction, with applicability at both the college and high school level, are described. (EJS)

The final report on a Mercy College (New York) program of mathematics and vocational English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for limited-English-proficient workers in a manufacturing company is presented. The report consists of documentary materials, and is organized according to the five chronological terms in which the program operated,…

A discussion of cross-cultural training in the context of business and professional education outlines the need for such training and proposes methods of designing and implementing it within foreign language courses. Four segments address specific aspects of development for such courses. The first looks at procedures used to determine the type of…