Ofsted's (2021) Curriculum research review for languages (OCRR) draws conclusion on what 'high-quality language education' may look like. This opinion piece problematises the status of these conclusions as 'features' or recommendations. Before delving into a selection of identified 'features' in more depth, the author highlights the complexity of…

This article reflects on the epistemological steamrolling that the 2021 Ofsted Curriculum Research Review (OCRR) accomplishes: in part, by the positioning of the problem and solution through highly selective cherry-picking (omitting key causal factors); in part, through the discursive move of acknowledging complexity before offering simple and…

In the editorial of "The Language Learning Journal" of July 2011, readers' attention is drawn to the decline in language teaching and learning in British schools and universities, and to the attempt of the British Academy to promote language teaching against this decline. The British Academy paper makes seven recommendations of which the…

This article reports on a collaborative research project which involved first-year distance learners of Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish at a New Zealand university. Drawing on the principles of Allwright's exploratory practice, the study aimed to gain an insight into the learners' experiences and conceptualisations in terms of their…

Looked at from a certain distance, the "Languages Review" (Dearing & King, 2007) was seen by some in the foreign language (FL) education community, when it first came out, as a major disappointment because the authors had decided not to opt for the one measure that would reverse the falling numbers of students studying a foreign…

Language teaching has traditionally been a task for teachers to teach vocabulary items and grammatical rules and to explain to students how a foreign language works in reference to their mother tongue. For a long time, language teaching was a means to the end of understanding a written culture. This had two practical corollaries: to grade the…

The Languages Review Consultation Report recommends exploiting the potential of communications technology for the enhancement of curricular offerings. Newly developed instructional software is credited with opening doors to the cultures of young people while serving as an infinitely patient and supportive tutor. Thus, in the UK as in the US,…

Discusses some of the complex questions differentiation raises that have been glossed over as unproblematical and questions some of the assumptions underlying differentiation that have remained unchallenged. Areas needing further research are discussed. (13 references) (CK)

Presents a critical overview of several Greek textbooks and courses on the basis of 11 factors: textbook aims, methodological guidance, tape and book, language skills, relevant language, information about language, contextual information, language of negotiation, vocabulary layout, motivation, memory, and others. (CK)

Defines continuous role playing in foreign language teaching suggestopedia (as practiced in Bulgaria); discusses how to achieve and sustain it; and considers its advantages, disadvantages and relevance. The article notes that the balancing role of the teacher is crucial to the techniques employed in the classroom dialogs. (10 references) (CK)

Argues that pupils in the second language classroom should be encouraged to respond to questions for personal information truthfully and that certain aspects of existing teaching practice encouraging the opposite should be scrutinized. Focuses on the objections to this premise and outlines reasons for seeking truthful student responses. (CK)

Discusses a questionnaire sent to 300 teachers in the United Kingdom regarding teachers' opinions about teaching in the target language (TL). Findings indicate that teachers generally favor TL teaching, although considerable anxiety exists about TL testing. Additionally, teachers are concerned about less able pupils not achieving their full…

Examines ways in which teachers can benefit from professional development throughout their careers to enhance their teaching style and improve their career prospects. The article argues that what is good for the individual teacher is good for the school and vice versa. The article covers notions of career mapping, action research, and continuing…

Examines the Internet's value for second-language learners, arguing for the establishment of a set of criteria with which teachers and students could more confidently optimize the Internet's value. The paper presents four case studies, drawn from experiences at the University of Limerick in Ireland, that illustrate some Internet applications (as a…

Examines how issues related to the implementation of innovations in the foreign language classroom relate to the contemporary education scene in the United Kingdom. The article argues that those whose mission is to effect substantial change in practice must consider how teachers and pupils learn and how teachers can be persuaded to view their…