Describes principles for designing a proficiency-based course to prepare students for the ACTFL/ETS Advanced Plus/Superior level according to Interagency Language Roundtable guidelines. Proposes ways to combine grammatical and "functional/notional" syllabuses with a proficiency approach. Examines the implications of these principles for…

This training manual and program guide for staff focuses on planning and designing a notional-functional curriculum for English as a Second Language program. Chapter 1 explains a notional-functional curriculum that is designed around instructional objectives developed upon interrelationships between language functions and notions. The focus of…

The first functional-notional syllabus for adult learners of Irish, written in Irish and English, is presented. The syllabus begins with an introductory section about functional-notional syllabi, their definitions and implications, and the characteristics of this syllabus. The second section provides the general aims and specific behavioral…

Presents a practical, flexible framework for teaching communicative competence. Examples of objectives, materials, activities, and testing procedures are from the first-year German courses at the University of Arizona but are largely applicable to foreign language instruction in general. (EKN)