Discusses teaching methods and techniques for use in English for Special Purposes classrooms, focusing on conversation and speaking exercises for medical students and professionals that combine medical terminology and everyday usage. Examples include doctor-patient dialogues and group discussions of general interest topics. (15 references) (MDM)

Discusses a summer program conducted to retrain North Wales French teachers. It is suggested that French teaching in North Wales will be enriched by the enthusiasm of the teachers who took this course. (three references) (CK)

Discusses reading and writing activities in a foreign language. Implications of emergent literacy research for foreign-language instruction focus on when to initiate these activities, what sorts of literacy materials to use, what kinds of tasks to utilize and how to direct novice foreign-language learners. (46 references) (CK)

Focuses on the use of dialog journals to foster self-reflection in student teachers, to help the supervisor highlight their experiences, and to create a collaborative atmosphere so that both parties can construct meaning out of the experience of teaching adult second-language learners. Portraits of three novice teachers are presented. (12…

Maintains that the use of metacognitive learning strategies have been recurrent pedagogical tools for facilitating foreign language learning. Describes how new hypermedia and interactive video technology have broadened the scope of computer-assisted instruction. Calls for more research on this topic. (CFR)

A college teacher used cooperative learning in English as a Second Language and linguistics classrooms. She discovered international students enjoyed working and writing in small groups and getting to know other students. Linguistics students enjoyed whole-class cooperative projects and papers. All students gained experience in being colleagues.…

Describes a practical experiment in which students prepared video materials to present to each other, the aim being to develop student autonomy in learning, class participation, motivation, and accuracy. The student feedback confirmed the success of the experiment; the rationale for this success is presented. (14 references) (GLR)

Describes a project where children follow the natural progression of becoming literate in their native language (Spanish) before developing literacy in the language of the school. Demonstrates the manner in which social interaction is part of literacy acquisition at the early stages. (MG)

Outlines current directions that computer assisted language learning (CALL) is taking, highlighting CALL's social dimension and discussing Turkle's books, "Language Learning Through Social Computing" and "Life on the Screen." The paper explains that the current social context, which includes rich, user-friendly environments for sharing, discourse,…

Terrell's natural approach suggests that such interactive activities as music and art induce and improve student communication in language learning. Explanation of the method's steps uses the poem "Abenamar" as an example. The teacher first presents the work in historical context, then reads the work accompanied by visual aids, then…

Describes research into students' language-learning preferences and strategies, conducted by three English-as-a-Second-Language teachers at three different postsecondary institutions. Focuses on how students' preferences and language-learning strategies vary by student ethnicity, language background, goals of the study, proficiency level, and…

Discusses the use of songs (folk, rock, country, pop) to teach oral English to prospective teachers of foreign languages. The development of speech habits through music is comprised of three stages: preparatory, forming, and developing.(Author/VWL)

Cantonese tertiary-level students taking a general education course taught in English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong were asked to rate their own English language skills development in relation to six specific areas. They were asked to identify what they had learned in relation to other aspects of the course. Responses indicated that…

Considers issues in customizing descriptions of English grammar in the context of creating an electronic database for secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. In developing the database, the aim was to incorporate insights from functional grammar and corpus linguistics while keeping information accessible and relevant to teachers only familiar with…

Examines issues in the incorporation of technology into second-language instruction, emphasizing the importance of having education control use of technology rather than technology controlling education. The potential value of technological innovation in promoting communicative instruction, learner autonomy, access to up-to-date materials is…