French is no longer considered the sole property of France's inhabitants; it is shared by 40 or so diverse peoples all over the world. If French language instruction is to be modern and effective, it must reflect this worldwide phenomenon and the cultural and linguistic diversity inherent in it. (Author/MSE)

A model of foreign language education is presented that takes into account the complexity of instruction itself and the dimensions added by interaction of teacher, learner, institution, materials, and environment. Uncertainty is seen as a by-product of complexity, and innovation and variation in instructional practice are ways of dealing with…

Using examples from a conversation between birds, drawn from a story, the importance of nonverbal aspects of conversation is examined. Several kinds of nonverbal cues are discussed, including the common history of the interlocutors, their current relationship, turn taking, and the interplay of these factors. (MSE)

Discusses the communicative approach to foreign language instruction and provides information on communication exercises. (AG)

A classroom second-language teaching technique that integrates drawing and language as self-expression is described, and specific classroom activities are outlined and illustrated. In this technique, students draw pictures that represent word meanings or tell stories, or complete or correct pictures presented to them. (six references) (MSE)

Four activities for the French language classroom are described. These include helping students discover comparative expressions by using advertisements; using horoscopes for teaching vocabulary; using a missing persons report as a source for intermediate to advanced level discussion, collective writing, and questions; and a video designed to…

An interactive approach to teaching French second-language reading comprehension is described. The method emphasizes involving the readers in the comprehension process and encouraging them to draw on prior learning to create hypotheses about the text's content. A four-stage instructional process is outlined. (MSE)

Electronic games are proposed as a means for encouraging students of French to learn and use the language while solving problems. A computerized card game and mine-removal game are offered as illustration of the language skills and vocabulary that can be developed and the appeal that such exercises can have for students. (MSE)

Treats the suitability of Level 2, a program designed to teach French as a Foreign Language. The goal of the program is learner autonomy. The use of authentic materials and an emphasis on culture are recommended. (AG)

A kit using the concept of puzzles as a focus for developing self-correcting instructional materials for French language teaching is described. The kit, designed for teachers and including 47 ideas organized by theme, contains matrices and cards for a variety of exercises at various levels and suggestions for their use. (MSE)

A discussion of translation and second-language instruction looks at the difference between translation used as a tool for teaching a second language and professional translation. It is argued that an interpretive theory of translation necessarily underlies its teaching. (MSE)

A series of French language classroom exercises to be used over four class sessions applies principles of semiotics to literary textual analysis. The session themes include decoding and interpreting, reconstructing meaning, sociocultural connotations in the text, and sense of time and space. (MSE)

A Polish technique for second-language instruction among young children uses playful activities, particularly drawing and coloring, alongside dialogues for effective language learning. In a cooperative exercise, students create their own books using their own art and newly learned vocabulary. (MSE)

A productive language exercise that uses the computer and a variation on the cloze procedure by deleting every third word and requiring the student to insert a grammatically and thematically acceptable term is described. (MSE)

Language teachers are urged to explore, develop, and use the entire range of applications made possible by the computer and to realize that the computer can do almost anything but generate ideas. (MSE)