This work aims to highlight the importance of literature in the teaching of English at the secondary level, as a pedagogical resource and thus be able to improve the linguistic competence of students in the foreign language classroom. For this, we inquire about the role played by literature within the teaching-learning methods of a second language…

'We have the right to talk and think in our own language.' This self-evident slogan is ever challenged in the digital age of the 21st century. 'Talking and thinking' is most effectively trained and achieved by formal education carried out in one's own language. However, multilingual children growing up in multilingual societies would have to…

The 2007 MLA report "Foreign Language and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World," with its call to institutions of higher education to reexamine their curricula and include more in-depth cultural content into all courses, reminded foreign language educators of the important goal of helping students gain…

The aim of the research described in this article, which is an example of action research, is to contribute to new curricular and professional definitions based on a systematic analysis of the possibilities and limitations that arise when working with the intercultural dimension of foreign language classes for adults. Additional sources for…

In the context of more diverse communicative practices and social relations in globalization, scholars are increasingly defining English as constituting socially constructed situational norms in specific contexts of interaction, and not a homogeneous language or even discrete varieties of English. This shift requires treating pragmatics and not…

The number of students who are English language learners (ELL) is increasing significantly across the United States. As this number increases, so does the number of students who are ELL and being identified as having disabilities. The intersection of English language instruction and special education is an emerging field of scholarship, and it is…

The centrality of culture and language learning in foreign language instruction is highlighted in the "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century" (National Standards, 2006) and the MLA report, "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World" (MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages, 2007).…

Student models for Intelligent Computer Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) have largely focused on the acquisition of grammatical structures. In this paper, we motivate a broader perspective of student models for ICALL that incorporates insights from current research on second language acquisition and language testing. We argue for a student model…

Meaningfully integrating multidimensional approaches with learner-centered, workshop-style second language (L2) literature instruction at intermediate-level proficiency can help students increase their linguistic competence and further both their cultural understanding and analytical thinking skills. Moreover, the utilization of drama techniques…

This article focuses on some of the key issues that need to be addressed by 2010 if MLPS in England is going to work. The aims of MLPS need defining as educational, not instrumental; the KS1/2 experience has to be enjoyable and rewarding: an apprenticeship in learning how to learn a language, providing the tools for later learning and raising…

Six stages of a total communication intervention strategy to improve question comprehension skills in a profoundly hearing impaired subject (age 12) are described: (1) enhancing emergent skills; (2) manipulating wh-question forms; (3) increasing flexibility in wh-question responses; (4) developing questions in conversational context; (5) prompting…

As readers of this journal will know, 2010 will see all KS2 (ages 7-11) pupils in England entitled to learn a modern foreign language in normal curriculum time. This development of the commitment to primary language learning should provide an excellent opportunity and experience for pupils, while at the same time requiring some radical changes for…

Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (1983) suggests that human cognitive competence is best described as a set of abilities, talents, or mental skills. All human beings possess each of these intelligences to some extent, but individuals differ in the levels of development and nature of their combination. The seven intelligences…

The two articles in this newsletter issue focus on and discuss the multiple intelligences (MI) theory and its application in schools. Developed by Howard Gardner at Harvard University, the theory argues that individuals differ in their abilities, learning styles, and interests, and that these differences need to be acknowledged and nurtured in…

An experimental course in English for non-English speaking post graduate research students is described here. The course was intended to enable the students to use English efficiently in exchanges related to their profession. The selection process, teaching methods, and the "exit test" are described and a discussion of the adequate and inadequate…