Discusses the function of mediators (cues designed to elicit an explicit cognition-mediated process that generates new sentences), criteria for their construction, and experiments in their use. (KM)

An after-school activity offered by the Central Institute of English Language called "Games" is described. The purpose of the activity is to stimulate and increase oral fluency and production. Several games are commented on. (RM)

This article discusses various approaches to vocabulary selection for second language teaching. The criteria of availability, familiarity, coverage, and meaning are suggested as important in vocabulary selection. (AM)

Describes and advocates a different approach to teaching the Russian verbal system based on determination of a "full or basic stem" for each verb. Relates verb conjugation system and morphological classification of verbs to basic stem. (Text is in Russian.) (DH)

Gifted students share a number of common characteristics, including verbal proficiency, awareness and power of observation, curiosity and inquisitiveness, independence, friendliness, lack of discipline, competitiveness, self-criticism and criticism of others, opinionatedness, and dislike for routine and drill. These characteristics present a…

The role of grammar in foreign language study should be shaped by realistic expectations of what academic study of a second language can accomplish. The temptation to emphasize grammar instruction above all else is reinforced by the patness of grammar instruction, by the measurability of student proficiency in grammar, and by the teacher's own…

The Dartmouth/Rassias method of foreign language instruction, which is used in many American colleges and universities, has inspired much comment in the media. This annotated bibliography describes 17 books, articles, and monographs, as well as a film, which focus on the method. (JB)

The following papers on the current status of the foreign language teaching profession are included: (1) "The View on the Way Up: A Wider Perspective," by Wilga M. Rivers; (2) "Educational Goals: The Foreign Language Teacher's Response," also by Rivers; (3) "Cindy: A Learner in Today's Foreign Language Classroom," by Carol Hosenfeld; and (4) "The…

This general assessment of the foreign language teaching profession moves from a discussion of the milieu in which the foreign language teacher works to an attempt to address the question, "Can teachers really make a difference?" The need for vision in the teacher's role is affirmed in the context of the difficulties of identifying the…

SOUND MOTION PICTURES, CAREFULLY DEVELOPED AND COORDINATED BY LANGUAGE TEACHERS USING THE INFORMATION FROM SUCH LANGUAGE-RELATED DISCIPLINES AS PHILOSOPHY, LITERATURE, PSYCHOLOGY, LINGUISTICS, AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, COULD BE USED EFFECTIVELY IN BOTH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION AND TEACHER EDUCATION. AFTER AN AVERAGE ACADEMIC THREE-YEAR COURSE IN…

The six articles in this issue concern aspects of suggestive teaching and learning and the application of the theory of suggestology in the classroom. The articles are as follows: (1) "Music, Pedagogy, Therapy: Suggestopaedia," by Gabriel Racle; (2) "Suggestopedia in Budapest: Around a Language in 50 Days," by Stanley Krippner;…

This paper describes Leondard Bloomfield's contributions to the description and instruction of German. Bloomfield's approach is reflected in this textbook "First German Book" which appeared in 1923 and was revised in 1928. The organization and structure of the text are described here in detail, and the differences between the first and…

Since trends in foreign language, especially English as a Second Language (ESL), instruction, move like a pendulum between audio-linguistic and traditional methods, the safest approach by which teachers can respond to the special needs of their students is through individualized instruction. That method maximizes the realization of individual…

This issue of the Yazigi Institute's bimonthly newsletter is devoted to a discussion of the importance of humor in the teaching and learning of a foreign language. It begins with several quotations from well-known linguists, humorists and teachers about the need for humor in the language class. Several examples of humor in the textbooks of the…

The present paper, a general survey of modern foreign language teaching as it is influenced by applied linguistics, discusses some of the outstanding works and foremost theories in the areas of psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, programmed instruction, and contrastive analysis. In discussing the methodology involved in foreign language teaching,…