Suggests that oral skills classes provide the ideal forum in which to address discourse issues, and that target-language discourse norms, particularly as they relate to another cultural belief system, must be taught explicitly. (Author/VWL)

Suggests a framework for the analytical/critical thinking skills needed in academic and professional work, describes a pedagogical approach--sustained content-based instruction (CBI)--to guide English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language students to those skills, and observes its effects in case studies from 1998-99. Findings of the case studies suggest…

This investigation explored the ways in which English language learners (ELLs) included in an English-dominant, mainstream second-grade classroom gained access to classroom activities and to the language that conveyed them, and the ways in which these students came to participate in the classroom context. These questions were investigated through…

Well-meaning teachers are often unprepared for the influx of ESOL students in their classrooms. Most often, the programs serving ESOL students in public schools include immersion, submersion, and sheltered instruction. Occasionally, bilingual education programs are an option. Consequently, general education teachers are responsible for teaching…

The changing demographics within the nation's public schools present teachers with new challenges. According to the 2000 census, the state of Arkansas, for instance, experienced a 300 percent growth in its minority language populations since 1990. That means that educators in regions such as this, and across the nation, are faced with the dilemma…

This study investigates the effectiveness of three methods of learning vocabulary among 778 beginning second language (L2) learners. Rote memorization consists of memorizing the first language (L1) translation of a new L2 word by rehearsal. Semantic mapping displays L1 words conceptually related to the L2 word in a diagram. The keyword method…

The use of bilingual graphic organizers (bilingual knowledge maps [BiK maps]) as a presentation format was investigated for the acquisition of foreign language vocabulary. Participants were assigned to 1 of 4 conditions for the task of studying 32 German-English word pairs. Participants in each condition were trained on either lists or BiK maps…

This article discusses how we incorporated an extensive reading (ER) program into a second semester Japanese course at the University of Hawai'i using Japanese children's literature. After summarizing the ten principles of ER, we describe how we addressed six critical issues faced while introducing ER into the course. We also discuss the outcomes…

Arguing against the common perception of technology as passive, neutral, and universal, this article presents a theoretical analysis of a commonly used and frequently studied technology--Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)--to illustrate how a technology that is often undistinguished in practice and research is indeed active, biased, and…

In this article Lynne Meiring and Nigel Norman focus on the notion of entitlement and the demands this has made on schools and teachers to cater for the needs of a wide range of pupils previously denied an experience of foreign languages. In order to enable all pupils to realise their potential, facilities and strategies have to be reviewed and…

Active spoken mastery of a foreign language all too often remains an illusive wish on the part of language learners. There is a tendency to seek the causes of non-fluency and accurate speech outside the classroom, for example, too little involvement, interest and time investment on the part of learners. In this article Manuela Macedonia asserts…

Neuroimaging studies have suggested that across different written languages, skilled reading behavior is supported by similar, largely left hemisphere (LH), networks. In addition, recent studies of reading disability (RD) in monolingual readers, conducted in several languages, suggest a common neurobiological signature for this syndrome…

This article compares previous language gain studies in foreign languages with new data on language gain in the instructed second language acquisition of Russian. The acquisition of listening, reading, speaking, and writing proficiency shows a significant correlation not only with hours of classroom instruction in immersion and nonimmersion…

As teachers, people often dream of research results which will tell them, with scientific accuracy, what is going to work in their classroom. However, as researchers, people know how elusive such "recipes" or "best methods" are. Conventional quantitative research methods have been designed to identify the effect of "factor X" in a given context,…

Recognizing that to learn about culture will aid the new Canadian in attaining cultural awareness, this article argues that it is imperative to develop strategies for teaching about culture. Using folklore as a critical methodology in the ESL classroom is such a strategy. Because folklore is an intrinsic part of everyday life, its use promotes and…