Learning to swim and learning a foreign language are analagous activities, in that both are skills learned for different reasons. Few foreign language students will attain "near-native fluency;" nor will many of them become interpreters or teachers. Foreign language teachers must therefore revise priorities, restructure courses, adjust methods,…

This document is the syllabus of a Latin course developed by the Indianapolis Public Schools for elementary school children, based on the Latin FLES materials of the Philadelphia Public Schools. The program is based on the theory that the study of a second language will increase the student's understanding and control of his native tongue. The…

This book presents the dynamics of language and literacy policy activism in Australia. The introduction is "Activists and Policy" (LoBianco, Wickert). Part 1, "From Policy to Anti-Policy" (LoBianco), sets a frame and overarching context of the pattern of Australian language and literacy policy. Part 2 contains accounts of how…

The status of modern Greek in Australian society and education are detailed in this report. Chapters include discussion of these issues: the history of modern Greek in Australia (Greek immigration and settlement, public and private domains of use, language maintenance and shift, and language quality); the functions of modern Greek in Australia…

A variety of ideas and strategies for homework assignments that can be stimulating and useful to second language learners are presented. Underlying principles are that homework can: give control; develop confidence; promote creativity; support differentiation by task and outcome; encourage pupil independence; support parent-school communication;…

Excerpts from interviews with 30 Asian high school students concerning their acculturation to the American classroom are presented and discussed. The students had been in the United States for no more than 2 years, and were here for a variety of reasons, including extended visits with relatives to temporary appointments of their parents to U.S.…

Volume 19 of the newsletter of the National Association for Bilingual Education, which spans the period from September 1995 to August 1996, contains a variety of articles on issues and developments in bilingual education policy and programs, including: two way bilingual education; language information from the 1990 Census; cultural influence and…

This guide, designed for second language teachers and teacher trainees, addresses central practical, methodological concerns in effective classroom management and decision making. The first chapter provides background information and assumptions. The second chapter discusses the planning process (lesson preparation, pre-instructional…

The resource book was designed for teachers of adult learners of English as a second language (ESL). It provides background information on language acquisition, adult learning, and cross-cultural issues, and presents specific teaching techniques and activities. An introductory section outlines the principles of adult and second language education…

This monograph discusses issues in the design and implementation of two-way immersion, or two-way bilingual education programs, and describes three exemplary programs. An introductory section examines briefly the rationale for two-way immersion and the extent of its use in the United States. Three school program profiles follow: (1) Francis Scott…

A collection of essays on "the other" in discourse includes: "The Rhetoric of Othering" (Stephen Harold Riggins); "Political Discourse and Racism: Describing Others in Western Parliaments" (Teun A. van Dijk); "'Das Ausland' and Anti-Semitic Discourse: The Discursive Construction of the Other" (Ruth Wodak);…

A case study is provided of dual-language planning and implementation at the Oyster Bilingual School, a successful Spanish-English public elementary school program in the District of Columbia. The first three chapters offer background information for understanding how the program interacts with the larger sociopolitical context of minority…

Papers on aspects of second language program evaluation include the following: "The Role of Language Testing in Language Program Evaluation" (Adrian Palmer); "Defining an Appropriate Role for Language Tests in Intensive English Language Programs" (Margaret Des Brisay, Doreen Ready); "Principles and Practice in an…

A report on the teaching of modern languages in Australian higher education is presented in two volumes. The first volume contains the text of the report. An introductory section describes the aims and methodology of the national review and places it in a historical context. The remainder of this volume is in three parts. The first part identifies…

The ways that students can learn about the nature of the English language and develop a sense of excitement about their language are explored in this focused journal issue. The titles of the essays and their authors are as follows: (1) "Language, the Forgotten Content" (R. Small and P. P. Kelly); (2) "What Should English Teachers…