This collection of more than 30 activities is designed to provide the second language teacher with practical ideas for creating a more person-centered, communicative environment in the classroom. Any environment that human beings create is a product of their expectations. The expectations that students and teachers have for each other in many…

An innovative classroom-based approach to reading instruction in the context of Spanish instruction was proposed. The effects of this instruction on the pronunciation ability of students were analyzed. The subjects were 30 adult missionary trainees who had no previous exposure to Spanish. The dependent variable was measured using two instruments.…

The idea is prevalent that the presence of the language laboratory leads to better instruction. This is because the language lab is felt to further self-instruction and intensive learning. In determining the validity of this statement, various elements need to be taken into consideration, including student motivation and level, availability and…

This article attempts an analysis of the problems involved in creating a course in English as a second language for adult beginners. Various learning theories and linguistic theories are discussed, which should be taken into consideration in choosing a teaching method. In addition, care must be taken to distinguish among the four language skills…

The modern, miniaturized computer as in information processor has radically altered the logic of three commonplaces regarding computer-based learning: (1) that the machine exerts a dehumanizing effect on the educational process, (2) that computers are too expensive to prove cost-effective in education, and (3) that the computer's facility in…

This book is one in a series of practical guides for teaching foreign languages. Designed for future teachers of Spanish in high school or at the undergraduate level, as well as for practicing teachers who are interested in keeping up with the latest material in their field, this book re-evaluates foreign-language teaching methodology in the light…

In general, the lower-class student has been considered scholastically inferior to the child of middle-class origins. More specifically, such a child has frequently been explicitly or implicitly denied the benefits of a foreign language learning experience on the basis of his/her inability to cope with the difficulty level assumed to be inherent…

Most of what has been taught in the language classroom for a long while has been generally a reflection of the particular concept of language popular among linguistics at the time, but recently this trend has begun to break down. Recent texts are starting to be organized according to considerations besides linguistic criteria, for example,…

An experiment in programed language instruction based on the "Basic French" method of T. Mueller and H. Niedzielski is reviewed in this paper. Seventy-two civil servants participated in the program which provided for 60 hours of taped instruction. Experiment description, objectives, modifications, and a review of the structuring of lessons 1-20…

The purpose of this volume is to bring together various materials dealing with the psychological aspects of foreign language learning and bilingualism. The materials have been arranged for the use of persons interested in foreign language "Compensatory Instruction," which involves the notion of adjusting the teaching activities to the needs of…

Language instruction, particularly in the elementary school, should be reinforced through the use of visual aids and through associated physical activity. Kinesthetic experiences provide an opportunity to make use of non-verbal cues to meaning, enliven classroom activities, and maximize learning for pupils. The author discusses the educational…

Chapter 1 in this teacher's guide to the teaching of reading to non-English speakers presents an overview of the pre-reading level and makes suggestions to teachers who are preparing pupils for beginning reading instruction. Chapter 2 defines the relationship between oral and written language, gives some of the learning theories which apply to…

A review of a three-day conference on language teaching policies, methods, instructional materials, and teacher training in Canada is presented in this report. Articles and commentary focus on: (1) Canada's needs in language teaching, (2) language programs in the United Kingdom, United States, and the Soviet Union, (3) research in teaching…

This paper describes the TALK (Technician/Apprentice Language Kit) model for "blue collar" Peace Corps trainees. The model seeks to overcome the low language aptitude of such trainees in academic learning situations by emphasizing their demonstrated task-oriented language learning ability. It also seeks to address the problem of…

Discussion focuses on the widespread alienation of students from the foreign language experience while referring to methodological factors underlying this syndrome and to the uncertainty of the status that foreign language instruction has today in the classroom. A causal relationship is suggested to exist between students' alienation and the…