Historically and as a developing country, the Sultanate of Oman has always been culturally dependent on Britain to plan and implement its English Language Teaching (ELT) and in-service teacher education. This dependency has negatively affected preparing English language teachers with a new global professional identity capable of introducing change…

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…

Within the spirit of conspiration, this article brings together contributions from participants of the PhD-led UCL Reading and React Group 'Colonialism(s), Neoliberalism(s) and Language Teaching and Learning', which ran in 2019/20. Weaving together various perspectives, the article centres on the dialogic nature of the decolonial enterprise and…

I begin this article by briefly explaining why I think CercleS should encourage university language centres to align their courses and assessment with the proficiency levels of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR) and why they should use a version of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) to support the…

Two recent reports offer some paradigm-shifting proposals regarding the teaching of world languages in general at the undergraduate level. The Modern Language Association's (MLA's) "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World" and "Report to the Teagle Foundation on the Undergraduate Major in Language and Literature"…

Michael Woolf's article, "Come and See the Poor People: The Pursuit of Exotica," is a provocative critique of what he calls the "new orthodoxy" of promoting study abroad in non-traditional destinations. Woolf's underlying point is that the current emphasis on promoting student mobility to non-traditional, i.e. non-European, destinations "is…

States the reasons for introducing the study of foreign languages as early as possible in the scholastic curriculum. (CFM)

Discusses student constituencies, general education programs, institutional niches, and general education and niche expansion. Makes suggestions for ways in which foreign language study might be subtly unavoidable in general education. (BK)

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)

Examines three curriculum models for teaching second languages. Each model represents a particular form of teaching, either analytic "skill-getting" (microlanguage learning), experiential "skill-using" (macrolanguage use), or a combination of the two. (57 references) (GLR)

This article argues that recent changes in both users and uses of English have become so far-reaching that a major rethink of English language teaching (ELT) goals is called for. It goes on to claim, however, that this will first require a substantial overhaul of English language testing, given that teachers and learners alike will be reluctant to…

Discusses the provisional proficiency guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and explores their application to two important areas of foreign language education--testing and curriculum development. Reviews the features of proficiency and achievement tests and describes two proficiency-based curriculum projects.…

Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most complex aspects of both theory and practice of foreign language teaching and learning. A content-based approach to curricular development is advocated that incorporates four elements: starter (brainstorming), treatment, "good language learner" awareness training, and critical analysis. (Contains…

Discusses a conceptual framework outlining what is known about language development and metalinguistics, and considers ways in which this may provide a reference framework to guide the work of the various committees responsible for developing the language curriculum. The example of the curriculum in Ireland is used to explore the practical…

Reaffirms the view of language represented by the term "communicative competence" as it is used in linguistic research. Criticizes the view of language use reflected in the Provisional Proficiency Guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (SED)