Surveys factors easing foreign language students' transition from middle to high school, including the type of program, degree of success in transition, problems in achieving effective articulation, and effective articulation strategies. Findings indicate that the greater the number of articulation strategies practiced, the greater likelihood…

This article describes Funetics, a game for teaching introductory French to gifted students that uses cartoon logos to represent words. The principles of logo formation and implementation are discussed. The article also reviews the psychological theory embodied in the game, how gifted students process the game, and the game's pedagogical value.…

Describes the typical kindergarten day as experienced by one child in the German-speaking region of Switzerland. Illustrates the main goal of kindergarten as preparing children for school rather than teaching reading, writing, or written numeracy. Focuses on the oral language learning approach incorporating teacher- and child-initiated activities.…

Content-based instruction, a communicative approach to language teaching, is defined as a curriculum (1) that is based on subject matter, (2) uses authentic materials, (3) promotes the learning of new information, and (4) considers specific student needs. The Spanish and Russian content-area programs at the Foreign Service Institute are described…

An Italian program integrating second language instruction into the elementary school curriculum is described. The program is seen as a forward-looking effort but lacking in important cultural content. Discrepancies between objectives and classroom reality are discussed. (MSE)

Describes an innovative teacher education program that prepares elementary school foreign language teachers to work in immersion or partial immersion schools. The model's effects on other teacher preparation components and possible use by other institutions are also discussed. (Author/CB)

Examines the distinction between extrinsically motivated evaluation, which addresses the concerns of the bureaucracy, and intrinsically motivated evaluation, which addresses specific concerns of teachers and learners to improve aspects of ESL/EFL programs. An approach to evaluation is proposed that might satisfy both parties, using a current…

"Hungarolingua" is an audiovisual monolingual language teaching series developed by teachers of the Debreen Summer School (Hungary) to teach Hungarian as a second language to beginner and intermediate students. The experience of teaching the material to language learners with different motivation, native language, and grammatical…

The politicalization of curricular innovation in a state public school district charged with the implementation of Arizona's proposed State Board Rule of 1989 for introducing elementary foreign language in grades 1-8 is discussed. The district's use of existing resources, pilot year feedback, staff development program, and external partnerships is…

Examines the role of songs in Arabic as a foreign language university courses. It is argued that songs can be effectively used to impart knowledge of, as well as about, the target language in its standard and nonstandard forms and can help to place the target language in its cultural context. (10 references) (GLR)

The Union County College Institute for Intensive English used a series of grants to effectively resolve problems that typically occur when computers are used in English-as-a-Second-Language instruction, including identifying good software, getting faculty comfortable with computers, and making computers easily accessible. (CB)

Describes how one university's change from a seat-time to a proficiency-based foreign-language requirement affected foreign-language programs and instructional approaches, and focuses on the reasons for the change, student and instructor attitudes, and administrative changes. (CB)

Practical steps taken by one college department to develop and expand overlapping concerns about second-language instruction methods are reported. Ways are described for promoting communication and cooperation among instructors with different approaches and priorities, along with techniques for helping students adapt to different teaching styles.…

A Modern Language Association survey of enrollment trends in U.S. colleges found that Spanish, French, and German remain the three most popular language courses. Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic have shown greatest increases between 1960-95. The Less Commonly Taught Languages project provides information, including instructional materials and web…

English-language training projects that are part of the United Kingdom's overseas aid program are usually of fixed duration and have clearly defined objectives. The project framework is examined here as it has been developed as a tool for accountability. A Malawi project is described, and general principles for improving sustainability are…