The College of Languages and Translation (COLT) prepares translators and interpreters. Some of the courses that the students take are language courses such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and 4 types of interpreting courses (simultaneous, consecutive, liaison and sight). COLT has installed 4 multimedia language labs…

A change in language laboratory use at the University of North Alabama has given new meaning to the lab requirement and role. While developing a language program, the developer reviewed the language lab's traditional role and found a mixed history with many negative aspects. Personal experience also revealed problems, including: students and…

This compilation of selected articles from the "TESOL Newsletter" is devoted to various practical aspects of teaching English as a second language. The following articles are included: "In a Word...,""The Functional Approach to Language Teaching,""A Challenge to Traditional Teaching of Reading: A Thirty Year-Old Methodology Repudiated,""Tak (Th)em…

The process of learning Russian should be no more difficult than the process of learning other languages although it may take somewhat longer. The phonetic system should not present major difficulties with respect to individual sounds, but intonation may be difficult because Russian pitch patterns represent different intentions and emotions than…

The handbook presents a variety of second language teaching techniques, some old and some new, for use with technological equipment. Each chapter focuses on a specific piece of equipment or technology, or in some cases, two technologies that share some characteristics and can be used similarly. Each chapter begins with a brief description of the…

Greater numbers of Beginning French students at Harvard University are requesting duplicate audio cassettes of their language study program in order to avoid working under the constraints of the language laboratory. This study indicates that the majority of students prefer practicing aural/oral skills outside of the language laboratory. (MSE)

Increasingly, technology is incorporated into second language teaching and learning both in and out of classroom situations. The computer alone has many capabilities for enhancing language learning, but when combined with other technologies, the possibilities multiply for information retrieval, interactive audio- and video-assisted learning, use…

A selection of language laboratory materials is presented for teachers of English as a second language to draw on in organizing preservice and inservice teacher education workshops. The materials consist of a set of audiotape recordings and tapescripts accompanied by a written commentary. Part 1 is an anthology of excerpts from English Language…

Multimedia computer programs that can be produced in a few hours by faculty or language laboratory staff could change the way colleges teach foreign languages. New tools allow exercises to be custom tailored to suit student interests and skill levels and to use authentic texts in new ways. Initial response by faculty users has been enthusiastic.…

An ethnographic study documented the attitudes, activities, behaviors, and beliefs of teacher and students in a college French class in a weekly computer-equipped language laboratory class. Despite the teacher's enthusiasm, his beliefs, linguistic difficulties, and technical problems made it difficult to sustain lessons in the target language.…

A study tested the English vocabulary and reading comprehension of about 1,500 Japanese college and university students and compared three different media formats for teaching vocabulary in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) in a number of Japanese college classes: commercially available and teacher-adapted computer software; traditional…

Summaries of the sessions presented at a spring 1985 workshop for teachers in the Montgomery County Public Schools' English for speakers of other languages program include: "The Adult Student--Involving the Learner in the Learning Process" (Ellen Mentzer); "Creative Writing Techniques--Stimulating Language Learning Through Written Expression"…

This issue of a biannual journal devoted to teaching methods and techniques in English as a second language (ESL), with emphasis on a Japanese instructional context, consists of the following articles: (1) "The Missing Element in Foreign Language Communication: Self-Disclosure," by Gertrude Moskowitz; (2) "Seven Clocks: Their…

This combined theme issue contains articles on the following topics: science and the communicative classroom; educational and recreational facilities in the Phanat Nikhom, Thailand refugee camps; learning styles; use of visual aids for language teaching; whole language methods for second-language writing instruction; bilingual cultural…

Selected papers from the 1984 and 1985 meetings of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching include: "Perspectives on Proficiency: 1985"; "Developmental Stages in Functional Language Proficiency"; "Cultural Understanding, Oral Proficiency, and Study Abroad: Getting It All Together"; "Developing Functional…