Ernesto Macaro is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, UK. He was the founding director of the EMI Oxford Research Group (formerly the Centre for Research and Development in English Medium Instruction) in the Department of Education. His research focuses on second language learning…

In reader responses to a previous article, it is suggested that cultural content is less important than the method by which material is presented to students; McCarthy argues that students must be free to develop good evaluative thinking. (two references) (LB)

Language study is classified through a series of definitions of important terms such as dialects, register, speech production, and function words. The content of communications is examined by attributing content to linguistic mediums. An example is presented to illustrate that teaching a language entails more than merely teaching grammar. The…

Responds to an article titled "One Month Teacher Training Courses: Time for a Change?" by G. Ferguson and S. Donno. Focuses on the main issues raised in the earlier article, including the length of the course, the selection process, course content, and post certificate. (Author/VWL)

Presents case in favor of using a structural-functional syllabus for teaching English as a second language at all levels in the Chinese-medium school and up to the intermediary level in the English-medium school, and for use of a functional-structural syllabus at upper secondary levels in the English-medium school in Hong Kong. (Author/BK)

Explores the relationship between content-based reading instruction and teaching English as a Second Language. Argues that using content-based materials in developmental ESL courses prepares students for other academic subjects. Provides steps for designing such a content-based course. (HB)

Calls for reexamination of English courses, as to content, organization, and procedures. Adds a report of experience with language workrooms at "general education schools" in Bremen, and some suggestions regarding intensive courses. (IFS/WGA)

Discusses why theoretically sound and well-presented inservice training (INSET) program innovations may fail to address the practical needs of teachers working in foreign language environments and suggests that a higher level of success may be attained through an approach to course design that draws on participants' knowledge of the local teaching…

This article discusses the three ways in which language teaching and content teaching may be related. (CFM)

Recent reform initiatives, especially the No Child Left Behind Act, tend to rely on a variety of highly debatable assumptions that fail to reflect the diversity of today's classrooms and also place pressure on educators in a manner we characterize as accountability by assumption. Such reform initiatives have become so political, complex, and…

Focuses on the appropriate use of tests to evaluate a program according to the overall goals, approaches, and specific instructional contents of that particular program. The article emphasizes that often test results are viewed as indicators of the success or failure of a program without considering whether the aims of that program and the…

A discussion of the teaching of English for academic purposes (EAP) focuses on criticism that the content of such courses is thin and that they are offered as a service to other disciplines. It is proposed that the emphasis of EAP instruction be shifted to the role English plays as a medium for conveying meaning to the ways in which English is…

College composition instructors have the opportunity to take a step toward meeting the needs of a pluralistic society by defining a developmental writing curriculum that incorporates the same strategies that characterize the mainstream writing classroom. The "cognitive deficiency model" that characterizes most instruction in…

The problem of devising a course in business communications for students of English as a Second or Foreign Language is addressed. A way to approach course design in general is described, using creative problem solving and decision making and a partial linguistic analysis of business writing. (one reference) (LB)

To offset uncertainty about using the language they have to teach, nonnative teachers of English adopt either a deeply pessimistic or an aggressive attitude toward their work. The latter type is more common. These teachers would gain confidence by admitting that they are also students of the language. (Author/MSE)