Ernesto Macaro is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, UK. He was the founding director of the EMI Oxford Research Group (formerly the Centre for Research and Development in English Medium Instruction) in the Department of Education. His research focuses on second language learning…

This commentary discusses the four papers that comprise the special issue on dialogic teaching and learning, while making general observations that apply across the field as a whole. Similarities and differences are identified over the concepts of "dialogue" and "dialogic pedagogy". The possibility is raised that some aspects…

This forum paper is based on a friendly and informative interview conducted with Professor Ann M. Johns. In providing answers to the interview questions, Professor Johns suggests that all good teaching is ESP, and also distinguishes between EOP and ESP in that the former entails much more "just in time" learning while the latter may be…

In this article, I examine the role of teacher racial identity on teaching strategy and the treatment of race in classroom discussions. I explicate how the pattern of minimizing the negative racial comments made to English language learners played out in participants' teaching and how it is reflective of socially constructed notions of race and…

Responds to an article titled "One Month Teacher Training Courses: Time for a Change?" by G. Ferguson and S. Donno. Focuses on the main issues raised in the earlier article, including the length of the course, the selection process, course content, and post certificate. (Author/VWL)

Calls for reexamination of English courses, as to content, organization, and procedures. Adds a report of experience with language workrooms at "general education schools" in Bremen, and some suggestions regarding intensive courses. (IFS/WGA)

This article discusses the three ways in which language teaching and content teaching may be related. (CFM)

Argues that computers have valuable roles to play in teaching and evaluating linguists. Stresses that second-language educators must take the initiative in determining these roles by entering into a dialog designed to develop and implement the proper roles for computers in language teaching and learning. (Author/CK)

Argues that the focus of foreign-language instruction needs to be on students learning to become more efficient in using another language. This focus means charting each student's progress along the continuum of proficiency from novice to intermediate to advanced levels, not just checking off a list of what has been taught from the curriculum. (CK)

Language syllabus or curriculum designing is examined studying the five basic syllabus types, the decision-making process in design development, and curriculum implementation within the educational system. A contingency syllabus design model is suggested as a suitable answer in harmonizing the many interactive components and adapting to changing…

The study and appreciation of literature should retain its traditional position at the center of foreign language study. A "problem-centered" model is described for teaching literature in the undergraduate foreign language classroom using texts organized around a series of complex critical problems. (CB)

Presents preliminary thoughts on the testing of video language-learning courses, including a review of the literature and an examination of the research on the subject. The paper lists subtest types and gives an example of a test. Guidelines are offered regarding the creation of appropriate tests, and a direction for future research is suggested.…

Argues that the cultural content of a course derives from official language policies and national educational ideology, and that cultural studies in the classroom center on a balanced relationship between foreign and native cultures and include the management of attitudes towards foreignness and the construction of a new perception of learners'…

A discussion of the term "grammar" in the context of second-language teaching and learning looks at various approaches to/definitions of grammar, including linguistic, psychological, sociological, and pedagogical grammars. Pedagogical grammars are viewed as learning tools for the second-language classroom, and their properties and components are…

A discussion of second language instruction looks briefly at some shortcomings of traditional method-based approaches and examines what are predicted to be major influences on language teaching in the 1990s. Objections to method-based instruction include the inadequacy of the term "method," its prescriptive approach, lack of distinction between…