Explains the need for and operations of computerized instructional and drill programs for teaching beginning college-level Russian. Describes two such programs developed at the University of Minnesota. States that these programs provide individualized, out-of-class instruction and teach preproficiency semantic and morphological skills without…

Describes instructional stages in a first-year Russian undergraduate course, at Nottingham University (England), that make use of video. Video enables students to explore areas often neglected in traditional language courses, contributes to cultural awareness and language skills, and helps learners assimilate into the target culture more easily.…

Discusses why and how American Sign Language should be used to teach English literacy skills. It is argued that previous studies have not systematically investigated the effects of American Sign Language on the development of English. (22 references) (CB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

Uses an analogy of Fordist and post-Fordist production management processes as a way of shedding light on language learning, particularly at the tertiary level. The article argues that Fordist methods provide an analogy for the way language teaching has been organized in the past. Post-Fordism provides a new analogy for the development of language…

Reviews what has happened in the field of second-language teaching over the past decades and examines the development of the process approach to writing by comparing it with the traditional product approach. A critical evaluation of the new approach follows and forms the premise for recommending a philosophy of eclecticism. (41 references) (CK)

Compares the effects of two visual advance organizers on comprehension and retention of a written passage in a FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) Program: (1) "Video" and (2) "Pictures + Teacher Narrative". Investigators randomly assigned 62 students to 1 one of 2 conditions. "Video" was the more effective organizer of the two. (23…

Discusses a conference centering around the added value of technologies in language learning. Topics include the necessity of networks, added value analysis for "a priori" specification and "a posteriori" assessment, funding, textbooks, user expectation, assessment methods, integration into other learning systems, and an action plan. (CK)

This paper cites observational and interview evidence indicating that language immersion students in the United States and Canada increasingly avoid using their second language in peer interactions as they move into higher primary grade levels. Implications for immersion programs and teachers are discussed. (32 references) (MDM)

Discusses research to determine whether the methodology used in English-as-a-Second-Language classes affected scores on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Test results of students in a Los Angeles school district exposed to a comprehension-based approach were compared to those exposed to a grammar-based approach. (21 references) (CFM)

Discusses the development and implementation of an instructional unit that applies selected whole language strategies to teach reading and writing in the beginning stages of literacy in French. The unit shows how an authentic folktale can be used for integrating topics from the elementary curriculum to form a second-language curriculum for an…

Describes the North Dade Center for Modern Languages (CML), a public elementary magnet school that focuses on international studies and provides students with the opportunity to become bilingual, biliterate, and multicultural. Training and costs for telecommunications are discussed, computer networks are described, and the use of video equipment…

A field-tested instruction and assessment model is described that fosters development of second-language skills by integrating writing with listening, speaking, reading, and problem solving. The model draws upon elements of process-oriented instruction, whole language learning, cooperative learning, cognitive mapping, and reading and writing…

Explores the application of a process-based methodology in reading of recent fictional text, Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day," with international undergraduates. Illustrated by practical tasks on narrative voice designed to build awareness of metadiscursive markers and their functions, this article makes a case for a methodology that is…

Describes one New Zealand university language teacher's reflection on her own grammar explanations to university-level students of Bahasa Indonesian. Examines form-focused instruction through the teacher's spontaneous answers to students' questions about the form of the language they are studying. The teacher's experiences show that it takes time…

The locus of control, whether internal or external, is an influential concept in second-language learning. One observes it, for example, in Puerto Rican students returning to Puerto Rico to take university-level courses. Explanations address a teaching method relying on use of problems with examples in such a way as to empower students. This also…