A series of discussions among members of the language departments at SUNY/Buffalo was held to examine ways of improving language teaching methodology in the college, particularly at the second-year level. The suggestions resulting from these meetings are offered as a practical response to the decreased enrollment in language courses. The…

This study began with a survey of twenty-eight school districts of Erie County, New York, and its aims were to determine and compare attrition in foreign languages in those districts. The data, obtained through discussion with teachers, interviews with students, questionnaires, and Flander's Interaction Analysis, assisted in the formulation of the…

Administration of an attitudinal questionnaire to ninth grade students of Erie County, New York, indicated their views that foreign languages are useful, play an important role in the school curriculum, and help in understanding foreign cultures and one's own language better. (SW)

Teachers' attitudes toward language teaching trends were surveyed. Prospective teachers about to enter the profession believed that language programs should be self-paced and there should be a cooperative learning climate in classrooms. Experienced teachers were more moderate but used techniques for self-pacing and real communication often in…

The Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (MTAI) and the Teacher Description Instrument (TDI) were used in a comparative analysis of modern language teachers' attitudes toward their students. Students verified results in a reciprocal survey. (RL)

Foreign language teaching is a process which involves interaction, communication, personal contact, and a deep understanding of the student. Teachers must develop competencies in working with different kinds of learners if effective instruction is to materialize. This book identifies the competencies that language teachers should possess and…

Testing of Spanish students revealed that students preferred to learn vocabulary through use of synonyms or devices using similarity of implied class membership. (CK)

SUNY/Buffalo's competency-based teacher education program in foreign languages emphasizes: (1) a field-centered program, (2) a multi-institutional pattern of organizations, (3) feedback to students regarding their progress, (4) preservice/inservice continuum. The competencies required of foreign language teachers include: a practical command of…

Curriculum is continually changing because it is based on needs of the student, needs of society, and subject-matter knowledge. In 1973, cultural, communication, and career goals assumed greater importance. Curriculum design involves consideration of interest and ability grouping, self pacing, mastery learning, multiple approaches to learning,…

This manual was written for cooperating teachers who plan to participate in the training of student teachers in foreign languages. It begins with a short questionnaire to be filled out by the cooperating teacher, designed to help the teacher decide how he or she actually feels about working with a student teacher. In the next section of the guide,…

The teaching profession is encouraged to retreat from the search for one method of instruction and to recognize that there are many factors which lead to success in modern language learning. Several models offering different approaches for organizing classroom instruction are suggested. (Author/PMP)

A number of exercises for promoting communication and self-expression in the classroom are described. (RM)

An inventory of teaching styles and strategies developed by foreign language teachers is presented as a method to aid in self-analysis, the identification of teachers' beliefs on language teaching, and the discovery of the assumptions that teachers make on how students learn. Teaching styles are defined as habitual, consistent patterns of…

The foreign language teacher training program described here is competency-based and therefore assumes the use of stated assessment criteria. Foreign language teacher competencies are listed in three categories: (1) content area, (2) learning-teaching process, and (3) teacher-school-community and profession. The team leader responsible for…