Task-based language teaching (TBLT) emerged in the 1980s as a learner-centred and experiential alternative to more established and teacher-led approaches to acquiring an additional language (L2). Two decades ago, a paper published in "The Language Learning Journal" discussed the advantages and drawbacks of TBLT that had become apparent…

Although educators can use digital tools to meet emergent bilingual students' unique needs, language teachers generally feel unprepared to use technology with students, and language teacher education programs face challenges in implementing technology. This study uses ethnographic methods to explore 12 pre-service teachers' (PSTs) experiences…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of reading tasks delivered through WhatsApp on students' achievements in English reading comprehension and explore students' views on the process. A mixed-method research model was used. The participants were 54 seventh grade students, aged 11-12, who were divided into experimental and control…

Today, higher education (HE) faces new challenges, such as incorporating consideration of diversity and inclusion into its operations. Such challenges, many of which are part of strategic institutional plans, offer teachers an opportunity to introduce new practices in the classroom. In this paper, we look at introducing language students to the…

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have attracted attention as an outstanding innovation in the field of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning. Central to this innovation is the facilitation of learner-centred instruction as students accommodate their learning to their particular time availability and interests. Language learning strategies have…

With the spread of the Internet, students now have greater opportunities to use Japanese outside of the classroom. For example, they can interact with other Japanese speakers through instant messaging or social networking, or utilize online dictionaries and translation tools to decipher websites in ways that would be impossible with traditional…

When the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) asked the author to undertake a review of modern language provision in England, it was in response to concerns in the sector about falling numbers and diminishing funding. The challenge therefore given to him by HEFCE was both to review the situation and to make recommendations that…

The "MustLearnIT" European-funded research project with partners in Greece, Poland, Cyprus, Finland and the UK aimed to investigate ways of teaching and learning modern foreign languages (MFL) to early learners in small/remote primary schools where there were no specialist MFL teachers. This was to be carried out through new technologies…

New technologies are increasingly becoming a component of education, as computers are integrated into both students' lives and as a teacher's tool of management and teaching. At the same time, constructivist learning theories have had extensive effects at the level of learning paradigms and in prescribed education goals. Yet there are worrying…

The Languages Review Consultation Report recommends exploiting the potential of communications technology for the enhancement of curricular offerings. Newly developed instructional software is credited with opening doors to the cultures of young people while serving as an infinitely patient and supportive tutor. Thus, in the UK as in the US,…

The Special Education and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001 required post-16 institutions to have implemented the Disability Discrimination Act Part IV (DDA) 1995 by September 2005. In this paper a lecturer in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) and a specialist teacher of the visually impaired from the Centre for Special and Inclusive Education at a…

Examines the benefits of language laboratories for learning Japanese. After reviewing related literature and selected issues on educational technology, the article presents results from a survey of Australian college students using a language laboratory. Overall, students appreciated and were positive about the language laboratory, though some had…

Discusses the responses to a questionnaire concerning the use of computers in modern language teaching and learning sent to secondary schools in England. Notes that the response raised issues related to facilities and ease of access, school planning for the use of computer hardware, and support levels and training needs. (Author/CK)

Describes an experiment in the United Kingdom that brought together GCSE modern languages examination candidates and preservice language teachers via video conferencing, thus providing both groups with more practice in oral language. The article suggests that the use of video conferencing may be beneficial to all parties concerned, given the…

Discusses a survey of college students who studied abroad in a Russian-speaking country and were asked questions concerning program content and motivational factors. Students indicated that they were not prepared well enough for the year abroad and have definite ideas about how to improve the content and orientation of Russian-language courses.…