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…

Presents interview with Wendy Allen after two years' employment as a foreign language employee in English at Guangzhou Foreign Language Institute in Canton. She describes the project which was to write materials and develop a syllabus for students in first two years of Institute; the cultural issues faced; and her conclusion that difference exists…

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)

Describes the diversity of Latin programs from elementary through high school. Discusses five essential characteristics of Latin textbooks for the 21st century. (EKN)

Discusses the role of foreign language studies in middle school reforms. Considers how foreign language instruction works with the middle school curriculum to integrate learning through an interdisciplinary approach that connects meaningful experiences in school to the students' community and understanding of life outside school. (JPB)

Foreign language teachers' catalog course descriptions are criticized for using inappropriate arguments for them and for not clearly articulating the need for language study. These arguments favoring language study are categorized as sociopolitical, instrumental, and cognitive, and are examined individually. (MSE)

Credits classics programs with the earliest experiments in the interdisciplinary approach, showing how classics, as the study of all aspects of two important cultures, the Greek and the Roman, are particularly well-equipped to develop a diversified curriculum. Discusses current opportunities for maintaining this trend and developing outreach…

Reports on the background and status of plans for implementation of language-centered international high schools proposed in the 1979 report of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies. Discusses the importance of including theater/drama in the curriculum. (PD)

Reviews research about orality and literacy. Since foreign language students are already somewhat literate in a first language, the traditional orality-based foreign language teaching should be revised to first teach reading and writing, the literacy skills. (DJD)

Foreign Language across the Curriculum (FLAC), a practice that modifies non-FL liberal arts courses to include an FL reading component, is described as implemented at two private colleges. It is concluded that FLAC offers only a token FL benefit to most students. (33 references) (LB)

Decries the lack of attention to second language learning in the American public schools. Contrasts language study in the United States to that in other countries. (FL)

A consensus has emerged on many issues in communicative language teaching, but one question that needs attention is the question of what ought to constitute the appropriate starting point in the design and implementation of a second language program. Two positions to consider are the following: first, the development of communicative methodology,…

One of the obstacles to the internationalization of college curriculums is the nature of faculty training. In recent years there has been a decline in second language requirements for the doctoral degree, and, as a result, college faculties become increasingly anglophone in their research. But there is a considerable pool of international…

This collection of research on curriculum and program development in languages for special purposes (LSP) contains the following papers: (1) "LSP Curriculum Development--From Policy to Practice," by Ronald Mackay and Maryse Bosquet; (2) "The Problem of Needs Assessment in English for Specific Purposes: Some Theoretical and Practical…

A review of research on foreign language proficiency, constraints of language learning, and constraints of the learner suggests that current oral language proficiency standards and tests are more helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of a foreign language program than in evaluating the achievement of individual students. (CB)