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…

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…

Telecollaboration, or "online intercultural exchange" (OIE), refers to the application of online communication tools to bring together classes of language learners in geographically distant locations with the aim to develop their foreign language skills and intercultural competence through collaborative tasks and project work. Many…

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…

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…

This study investigated the impact of the interactive whiteboard on Egyptian medical students' achievement in essay writing in English as a second language (ESL). First, the writing micro-skills judged essential to help these students improve their essay writing were identified, using a questionnaire which investigated experts' views. This gave…

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 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 "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…

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)

Presents the advantages of using newspapers stored on CD-ROM as a resource for teaching current topics in civilization/culture and current affairs in the foreign- language class. Articles on CD-ROM can be used for vocabulary exercises and comprehension tests, and on-screen text can be altered as desired to create classroom activities. (four…

Examines the rationale behind the Self-Access Language Learning Center at the University of Abertay Dundee (Scotland), outlines some practical considerations, and looks for future developments. The growth in popularity of self-access learning is due to the fact that it is learner centered and to the flexibility it offers over entirely class-based…

Describes an inservice and initial teacher education project designed to develop Information Technology (IT) competence in teachers through the design and production of a hypercard software package. This program focuses on stimulating the production of curriculum materials and teaching strategies in which IT is integrated within language learning…

Examines students' views of an Initial Teacher (IT) Training component of a modern language course and their resulting attitudes toward the use of computers in the language classroom. Most of the students developed a positive attitude towards this use of computers and intended to use them in their future posts. (eight references) (CK)