English language as a compulsory component of primary state school curricula is a growing phenomenon around the world. One of the challenges of this lies in training the vast numbers of teachers required. To date there has been little consideration of how those tasked with facilitating the professional development of primary English language…

Jason Anderson's proposal, in "ELT Journal" (2015), for an affordance-based approach to lesson planning raises important issues in teacher education. However, his arguments against the role of planned outcomes in favour of an affordance-based focus using learning opportunities as units of planning fail to acknowledge the complexities…

This article argues that recent changes in both users and uses of English have become so far-reaching that a major rethink of English language teaching (ELT) goals is called for. It goes on to claim, however, that this will first require a substantial overhaul of English language testing, given that teachers and learners alike will be reluctant to…

An alternative, multidimensional curriculum design for second languages is suggested and expressed in terms of four syllabi: language, communicative activities, culture, and general language education. They have the objectives of proficiency, knowledge, affect, and transfer. Syllabus characteristics are described, relationship of content and…

Looks at the pedagogical aspects of the communicative approach, especially as it relates to syllabus design and authentic materials. Suggests that language teaching should integrate semantic and formal syllabi and combine authentic with specially written teaching materials. Argues that the communicative approach ignores the importance of the…

Focuses on two major applications of authentic materials: developing learners' language skills and orienting learners to the application of these skills in possible subsequent activities in the outside world. The article describes experiences in selecting and using authentic materials and in designing and evaluating tasks illustrating such…

Reports on English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) curriculum renewal in African secondary schools, where teachers identified student interests, posed problems for discussion, and used the language generated by the discussions to develop language learning activities. The article describes the steps in developing problem-posing lessons. (26 references)…

Considers the benefits of extensive reading, examines some of the reasons for its failure to take off, describes two programs, and offers teachers some leading questions to help them develop their own programs. (three references) (Author/CK)

Argues for a new interpretation of culture that potentially challenges traditional views of the culture common in discussions of foreign and second language learning. Proposes ways to restructure curriculum around this new interpretation. Suggestions for creating a classroom environment consistent with these new views are explored. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the choices made in a large-scale textbook project concerning the cultural content of a new English course for Moroccan secondary schools, and recommends an idealized procedure for deciding on the cultural content of such courses. (Author/CB)

Explores the development and application of syllabus and textbook design principles in the creation and use of an English-as-a-Second Language textbook that completely replaced the use of a structurally based course in Sri Lankan schools. Course components, the structural and functional syllabus, testing problems, and materials team training are…

Discusses the content, advantages, and disadvantages of a syllabus designed to teach English as a second language in a number of primary school classes in South India. The syllabus is based on the assumption that "form is best learned when the learner's attention is on meaning." (SED)

Excerpts from a discussion session involving six panelists and 150 teachers of English in non-English-speaking countries range from the revolution in the communicative approach to the extent to which the mother tongue is taken into account, translation, grammatical correctness, teaching large classes, and textbook development. (MSE)

Examines some of the new and innovative English-as-a-Second-Language curricula that have surfaced in Japanese colleges and universities since the Ministry of Education did away with tertiary-level general-education requirements. Considers various issues that may need to be addressed if this educational trend is to thrive into the next century.…

A series of twelve books on language teaching, written over a period of ten years, is reviewed. The series' intent is to promote the practice of informed teaching to empower student teachers to act as autonomous agents and to make considered pedagogic choices, based on sound theoretical knowledge, according to their particular teaching/learning…