Research interest in heritage speakers and their patterns of bilingual development has grown substantially over the last decade, prompting sign language researchers to consider how the concepts of heritage language and heritage speakers apply in the Deaf community. This overview builds on previous proposals that ASL [American Sign Language] and…

Increased attention to genre in writing studies has brought a proliferation of new terms and concepts for capturing the complexity of writers' knowledge about genres, including genre knowledge, genre awareness, recontextualization, conditional knowledge, and metacognition. Definitions of these concepts have at times conflicted, and their…

With the increasing linguistic diversity of students in many classrooms around the world, teachers need to be well-equipped with strategies to address the learning needs of students with limited proficiency in the dominant language of the classroom. This article outlines various strategies that might help teachers reach that goal by taking…

Most language teachers become teachers because they are fascinated by language. They like the way languages work, they are intrigued by differences between their native tongues and other languages, and they enjoy the process of helping their students learn. Most language teachers have had positive experiences as language students themselves…

This paper discusses the current state of language instruction and accompanying materials and describes elements of the Classroom Library Project in South Africa. The Project was initiated by the Department of Education to increase the supply of suitable material in African languages for elementary schools. Highlights include: shortcomings in…

Reports the results of an investigation on institutes for elementary school teachers inservice training, based on questionnaires directed to the trainees and the educators, and on an analysis of students' work. Focuses on various aspects of French language teaching and especially on grammar and vocabulary exercises. (MES)

In this article, the author shares vocabulary development activities for young learners. These activities channel students' energy and make learning more effective and fun. The author stresses the importance of giving young learners a good language-learning experience, and the challenges of teaching young learners who are not literate in their L1.…

Bilingual education teachers need a clear understanding of the nature of language and language variation, and of how language relates to culture in order to be effective. With the needs of these teachers in mind, and drawing from anthropological linguistics and sociolinguistics, this chapter clarifies concepts of language and culture that have…