Part 1 of a two-part series on teaching spoken and written French as a communication tool. Part 2 will appear in the April-May issue of "Le Francais dans le Monde". (DS)

An excerpt from "La classe de conversation" ("The Conversation Class") by Pierre Burney which has appeared at regular intervals in various issues of "Le Francais dans le Monde." (DS)

The "missing link is a method of instruction which bridges the gap between drill situations in the classroom and actual communication situations outside the classroom. (Author/FWB)

Five directions foreign language departments should explore in the 1980s in order to revitalize their programs include uniting foreign language and international studies, cross-cultural studies, teaching process of communication, career preparation, and language for humanistic studies. (BK)

Describes the suggestopedic method and an experiment using it in an American college elementary language class. The class organization, the way suggestopedia works, the classroom program, and results of suggestopedic courses are discussed. (AMH)

Presents various techniques for incorporating social awareness into conversational and composition language courses. (AM)

Features excerpts from selected articles that reflect major trends in English language teaching during the past 40 years. The four articles selected here focus on games that motivate students, guidelines for a conversation class, understanding language change, and the humanistic approach. (Author/VWL)

Describes conversation activities that can help students experiencing difficulty in French oral language increase confidence and speaking skills. Small groups of students form conversations around key words, and then expand the conversation for larger groups, incorporating more words and structures. (CB)

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)

Suggests principles and activities for the development of conversational competence in second-language learners. Shows that materials and activities traditionally used in language teaching fail to address the interactional dimension of conversation. Draws on conversational analysis, classroom discourse, and communicative competence to create a…

Describes an advanced conversational Spanish language course based on community experiences, multicultural education, and collaborative research taught at the University of Santa Clara in California. The class combined authentic materials with real-life experiences. (Author/VWL)

In this essay the author attempts to put forward an innovative teaching mode in the course of "English Conversation" for sophomore English majors in China. In this mode an authentic conversation is used as the teaching material and the theoretic aspects of Conversation Analysis (CA) are applied for the teaching of the course. This mode…

This article discusses the reality and benefits of language study programs in the Soviet Union for American students as compared to the expectations of teachers and students. Specific problems concern the areas of phonetics, grammar and conversation. (CLK)

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