The Vygotskian concept of "perezhivanie," or emotional lived experience, was adopted to examine the learner identities of 2 Japanese university students in English language learning. Current studies on language learner identities have given analytic primacy to either psychological processes or social influences. In contrast,…

Foreign language (FL) teachers and students may have very similar or disparate notions of effective teaching, and the intersection of the two sets of beliefs has ramifications for language learning and the effectiveness of instruction. Horwitz (1990), Kern (1995), and Schulz (1996) have argued that mismatches between FL students' and teachers'…

Illustrates techniques of stimulating classroom discussion in language courses through imaginative use of poetry. (RL)

Briefly outlines the rationale for a transactional approach to language teaching. (PM)

Discusses research in listening comprehension and proposes model for listening comprehension activities in college French conversation courses. (BK)

Proposes the use of stenography in the foreign language classroom to improve speaking ability. (AM)

Examines the differences between explicit and implicit methods of teaching grammar in a university's advanced French conversation classes. Students taught explicitly performed better overall (in writing and orally) than students who were exposed to an implicit presentation of the same grammar content. (CB)

Explains how to simulate dinner at a foreign restaurant to aid language learning in adult education classes. (CK)

Eight different activities are suggested for the foreign language conversation class in order to vary the textbook emphasis. Among the suggested situations are a "last people on earth" session, sensitivity sessions, descriptions of paintings or photos, an improvised drama, and a mock trial. (CHK)

Proposes the "warm-up" exercise, providing sentence patterns and basic vocabulary, for the purpose of stimulating oral communication in the adult foreign language classroom. (AM)

A college professor of German describes an approach to teaching history and literature in a German composition and conversation class, discussing how encouragement of free speech and writing in German enhanced language skills and learning and also appreciation for German history and culture. (CB)

Development of an intensive course in English which is offered to Dutch businessmen at the Netherland's School of Business is described in this article. The duration, scope, and level of the two-week conversational course are examined with particular emphasis on problems characteristic of this type of program. The author includes a sample program…