New educational curricula are regularly put into practice worldwide; and the issues related to curriculum design are frequently discussed from a pedagogical perspective. However, the processes involved in preparing a statewide English as a foreign language (EFL) curriculum are rarely elaborated from an inside view. As the experiences of program…

The present article introduces diversity (educational, social and multicultural) of children as a resource in language teaching. Two English teachers with a total of 105 children of their language classes participated in the teaching experiment that was part of a nationwide research and development project in Finland. The aim was to develop…

The benefits of collaboration between authors, classroom teachers, and curriculum specialists are presented in this report, which looks at the production and implementation of a German Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) curriculum for the third and fourth grades, joining content-based approaches together to form "Unser…

A colloquium convened at the Deutsches Haus in New York is summarized that brought together experts to discuss (1) the significance foreign languages have for other elementary school subjects, and (2) what function the other subjects serve for early foreign language learning. The following six topics, guided by session leaders, provided the…

The Greek government has been introducing English and French second language instruction gradually in elementary school since September 1987. This introduction has been accompanied by curriculum development and by preservice and inservice education for language teachers. (MSE)

In the rush to activate French immersion programs in Canada, the training of immersion teachers has been overlooked. To insure the programs' continued success, a course designed to better prepare primary immersion teachers is outlined, and general implications for the training of these teachers is discussed. (Author/DJD)

Discusses the introduction of languages other than English (LOTE) into primary schools in Australia, focusing on curriculum planning, classroom methodology, and student transition from primary to secondary language programs. Emphasizes the need to break down the barriers between primary and secondary second language instruction. (15 references)…

A shift in instructional focus to student needs and interests spurred the development of a different approach to French second language program design in Alberta. A practical curriculum planning model is offered that is based on: (1) communicative and student-centered activities; (2) responsiveness to teacher needs; and (3) supporting planning for…

The 13 selected papers included in this conference report are: "Achieving Curriculum Fit for That 'Horrible' Second Year" (Lorraine A. Strasheim); "Project Partnership: French Culture and Language in the Elementary School" (Susan Turner); "A Middle School Exploratory Course" (Kay Thorp); "Creative and…