The nature and dimensions of the crises facing the language teaching profession are explored in this speech. Community and teacher attitudes must be redirected if language learning is to remain at the center of humanistic education. In achieving such change, teachers are exhorted to become "consumer-oriented" and utilize existing media to their…

The principal discussion in this paper focuses on the student, teacher, administrator, and community as agents of educational change and on the conjectured future change in the field of language instruction. Additional comments on the fourth volume of the ACTFL-sponsored annual review of language instruction, "Foreign Language Education: A…

A brief review of language instruction in primary, secondary, and preparatory schools; colleges of education; and universities is developed in this article. General commentary concerning the outgrowth of the "language revolution", recognition of the importance of modern language study, extended teaching programs, new teaching…

The debate on the merits of classical education is reviewed through an examination of views of Henry Sidgwick in his "Essays on a Liberal Education" (1867). Running commentary focuses on two major concepts: (1) considerable change in teaching methodology is necessary if Latin is to survive, and (2) a majority of teachers in classical studies need…

Details of a circular distributed in November 1969 by the National Minister of Education of France proposing some controversial changes in the instruction of modern languages are reported in this paper. The principal changes allow students wider choice in determining whether to study one or more languages during the same period of time. German,…

Notions of professionalism, examined in this address, are introduced by a brief history of language instruction from the mid-1930's to the present. The author then comments on the role of the National Defense Education Act institutes, the relevance of language instruction, college teaching assistants, teacher preparation, post-graduate education,…

Recognizing that psychological and social changes of the late 1960's have a strong influence on current educational issues, the working committee reports of the 1970 Northeast Conference focus attention on the "new student" and foreign language instruction. Three major areas of study are: (1) the search for a relevant curriculum, including…

An examination of changing student attitudes and behavior and current foreign language programs leads the author to propose strategies for developing new attitudes toward teaching, curriculum planning, and second language learning. Noting the characteristic unrest of today's youth and the bases for it, a plea is made for teachers and…