Lesson planning is a core skill teachers need to develop in implementing lessons effectively in the classroom. While metaphor research has been used in a range of contexts including in teacher education, metaphors associated with lesson planning among teachers in developing regions in the world remain underrepresented. Due to the importance of…

A critical incident is an unexpected event that occurs in the classroom. Teachers can uncover a new understanding of the teaching and learning process through reflecting on these critical incidents. This study explored the writing and discussion of critical incidents among six student teachers with their cooperating teachers in a practicum under…

In this column, the three authors address the teaching of ELs within the content areas. Specifically, they highlight the difference between having language and content objectives, utilizing small-group work to maximize involvement, and inclusion of beginning English speakers into the learning process. Currently there is a gap of 36 points between…

Investigates the influence of formal instruction on natural second language acquisition processes by an experiment in which investigators tried to force other than "natural" learning processes in learners' natural acquisition of a second language. The informants in the experiment were ten Italian children attending elementary school in Munich.…

A review of recent research and language acquisition theories indicates a need for new teaching principles for second language instruction. The importance of matching language instruction with developmental processes of language acquisition, and considering the effect of social context, emotional climate, and the nature of the language learning…

At times, the whole-language approach to language teaching has been misunderstood. It is a philosophy more than a method or an instructional trend and is more than its separate elements: thematic, authentic, integrated, interactive. Many teachers who embrace the philosophy underlying the approach see their teaching not as promoting whole-language…

Analysis of language production skills of French immersion students in grades 1-6 over 3 years revealed rapid growth of oral competence in the first three years of acquisition, followed by a much slower annual rate of progress. Lexical and syntactic structures most difficult to acquire emerge in five distinct patterns. (50 references) (Author/MSE)

Education helps children select and progress toward appropriate goals. One of the impediments to education for American students is their lack of skill in English. Clear insight into the essentials of language comes from observing how the variables function in a model language such as Esperanto. Once children understand the basic anatomy of…

An approach to foreign language instruction that emphasizes language acquisition rather than learning will emphasize the development of listening comprehension even at the expense of oral production, since research has shown that the latter does not suffer where the former is fostered. This approach tends to reduce the restrictive workings of the…

Variables affecting the effectiveness of immersion language programs are evaluated, including sociolinguistic context, attitudes, the structure of immersion grammars, and the learning processes of the children. (MSE)

Children's English as second language learning strategies and teachers' role in helping children to acquire English were investigated. Three sisters in grades 2, 3, and 4 were observed for a total of 12 hours each in their regular classrooms during the beginning of their first year in an American school. Successful cognitive and social learning…

The objectives, philosophy, methodology, and materials for French instruction in Newfoundland and Labrador elementary schools are outlined and discussed. The principal objective is to develop the pupil's potential for spontaneous communication. This objective can be achieved through a basic knowledge of the French language, the application of this…

Seven false but common assumptions about bilingual learners are examined, and whole language principles offering alternatives to those assumptions are presented. The seven assumptions include the following: (1) learning proceeds from part to whole; (2) classes should be teacher-centered; (3) lessons should serve students' future needs; (4)…

Ten essays address aspects of second language instruction at the elementary school level: "Elementary School Foreign Languages: Perspectives, Practices, and Promises" (Carol Ann Pesola, Helena Anderson Curtain); "The Integrated Curriculum: Rethinking the Elementary School Foreign Language Program for the '90s" (Virginia…

This is a report of a study in two parts, one on teaching and the other on learning. The subjects of the first part were sixth graders in two different programs, one a core program and the other an immersion program. The subjects of the learning study were secondary school students and adults. The purpose of the study was: (1) to develop…