This book describes Structured English Immersion (SEI) for English language learners (ELLs). Seven chapters focus on the following: (1) "Identification, Assessment, and Placement" (e.g., California's school districts implement SEI and proper placement of students); (2) "Listening Skills" (e.g., time on task, total physical…

Essays in this collection deal with the complex pedagogical and political issues of language-minority education in U.S. public schools. The book focuses on language-minority students in bilingual programs, those who receive some instruction in their native languages. The essays are: (1) "Language Loss and Language Gain in the Brazilian Community:…

This paper describes the adoption of communicative language teaching (CLT) in the Peoples' Republic of China in the early 1990s, the difficulties teachers encountered in implementing this change of approach, and efforts to overcome these difficulties. Secondary teachers had considerable difficulty in implementing CLT mainly, because they lacked…

This paper discusses the implementation of communicative language teaching (CLT) methodology within the English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) context in the Peoples' Republic of China. It suggests investigating the context of an English language teaching program first, and then adapting the program to the Chinese context in order to more effectively…

It is observed that teacher motivation can change drastically over the course of an individual teacher's career. This is particularly the case in Mexico with regard to teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), because the situation and role of Mexican EFL teachers has changed so significantly--especially in the wake of the passage of the…

This paper examines the potential benefits of standards-based instruction for English language learners (ELLs), presents a backward mapping process for designing standards-based instructional units, and reviews the design of two standards-based units for ELLs. Most of the document is in the form of a table to make the standards-based process…

American (and English language) television has gradually become a more influential factor in the way people are learning English overseas, as access to cable programming has widely spread across cities, regardless of socio-cultural backgrounds. What students watch on TV affects not only how they are learning the language, but also their cultural…

One out of every five students in Florida's K-12 public schools is classified as an English Language Learner (ELL). While policy-makers increasingly use standardized testing, even as they debate the appropriate instructional methods for an ever-increasing population of non-native English speaking students, how will these students' educational…

Recent political imperatives have pushed the issue of teacher quality to the top of the reform agenda in U.S. education (Cochran-Smith & Fries, 2001; Darling-Hammond & Youngs, 2002). While the recent focus on teacher quality may give us the illusion that it is a new topic, questions about the preparation, recruitment, and retention of good…

Briefly characterizes the creative aspect of language use and demonstrates how some typical present day teaching techniques are inadequate for teaching it. (FB)

Offers a model which can be used to describe any given second language teaching method, as well as analyze different methods for their internal adequacy, similarities, and differences. (EKN)

Combines studies in cognitive psychology and language acquisition with observations of pedagogical materials and student performance to analyze foreign-language teaching from the perspective of what students and teachers need to understand about language learning and language before meaningful debate over methodology can be undertaken. (Author/MES)

Describes pedagogical experiment with emphasis on the student and his/her specific needs and motivations. Involves self- and group work with teacher support. Individual work alternates with group work, focusing on production of a project or task corresponding to objectives defined by members of group. (Author/BK)

Discusses stylistic variation in communication, the elements involved (participants, contact, message, context, and code), and ways in which to incorporate the knowledge of this process in second language instruction. (AM)