Explores use of phrase 'taken for granted' including 'accept as true' and 'to fail to give subject's due.' Suggests latter usage has been noticed by few dictionary compilers, and EFL learners find it difficult to use and understand. (Author/BK)

The complexity of teaching comparisons in Southeast Asian second-language classes is described, and misleading presentations in many grammar and course books are cited. (LB)

The process of matching teaching materials and methods to the student's learning style and ability level in foreign language classes is explored. The Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) model offers a diagnostic process for the identification of style. This process can be applied to the language learning setting as a way of presenting material to…

Discusses attitude and motivation as macro aspects of second-language learning and empathy and personality as the micro level. Believes learner's attitude, motivation, and personality are as important as intelligence but have nothing to do with capacity to learn. (Author/BK)

An English teacher tells what out-of-school activities should include, what results are to be obtained from them, and, in general, what place they should occupy in the English school system. (IFS/WGA)

Examines form and gender correspondence rules for Spanish and attempts to evaluate them for potential utility to the foreign language user on the basis of formal and psychological criteria relating to how rules might affect performance, with specific reference to the role of rules as defined in monitor model. (Author/BK)

Offers a systematic statement of the lexical differences between "noch" and "schon," which should serve teachers better than their intuitive feelings for those words. (IFS/WGA)

Banned from the classroom by followers of the "direct method," translation has been overlooked as a desirable skill in its own right, and also as a valuable medium of the teaching process. With this skill, the students learn to understand and utilize a dictionary, practice pronunciation, build up vocabulary, perfect writing ability, and…

Smith's approach to reading comprehension is used as the basis of an activity related to the Use of English Exam in Hong Kong. The eight-step activity is described and shown to combine sound reading theory with an academic, test-oriented syllabus. (3 references) (LB)

Self-instruction, more likely applied to adult learners, depended on the extent to which learners more or less consciously make decisions about aspects of the learning situation and control them. Issues of control are discussed and examples of relevant learning situations are offered, including group work and computer-assisted learning. (16…

Management skills are important in teaching young learners. Time spent in planning and organizing routines and systems--e.g., group and pair work routines--pays off once these become familiar. It is then possible to delegate simple responsibilities to the learners and concentrate on working with and monitoring those most in need. (Contains two…

It is argued that acculturation, anomie, social distance, and perceived social distance rather than biological factors define a critical period independent of the age of the learner for second language acquisition. Suggestions for planning instructional strategies and selecting materials based on this hypothesis are given. (PMJ)

Second language learners must acquire a generative system of grammar. There is, as yet, no way of describing notions in generative terms. Long-term syllabuses will have to continue to be syntactically based, but the incorporation of notions from a checklist is acceptable. (Author/JB)

It is argued that, although materials are an important form of support to language classroom activities, they also constitute a constraint that can undermine the value of those activities for the processes of learning. (three references) (LB)

Theories of learning, views of language, program design, methodology, and psychosocial factors related to foreign language teaching are discussed. Learning theories are examined with reference to acquisition and learning, errors and mistakes, and input and intake. Regarding views of language, in general there has been a shift from concern over the…