A creative solution is offered for the problem of finding good quality recordings of classroom events for a master's TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) course on classroom observation: short excerpts from television programs and films where classroom scenes take place. Three instruments are applied to the excerpts. (21…

Discusses the use of American films and television programs for teaching English. To develop fluency, teachers must provide students with structured activities and discussion used in combination with the videotaped material. Recommends using viewing sheets that consist of easy, multiple-choice questions that students answer as they watch the…

In 2003 multimedia-based English Trailers (www.english-trailers.com) joined the vast array of web sites dedicated to language learning enabling students, either autonomously or in a CALL classroom, to study English via movie commercials. To assist students in comprehending 10 trailers found on the site, the authors created the Short Readings…

The study of SLA began around the beginning of the 70s with the emergence of both theoretical and empirical studies. Undoubtedly, the acquisition of tense/aspect, besides other topics, has attracted much interest from researchers. This study investigated the use of telic and atelic verb forms in the oral production of Turkish speakers of English…

A series of short articles are presented featuring aspects of the American Bicentennial and stressing classroom activities and projects suitable for foreign language students and teachers. (Author/CLK)

Colleges and universities across the country are seeing an overwhelming interest among students in learning about the Middle East and Arabic languages. The most popular courses, professors say, are Arabic language, Middle Eastern politics and the dynamics of the Israeli and Arab relationship. Also in demand are courses on comparative religions and…

Discusses the use of television in university-preparatory schools. The exercises are supplementary to "Deutsch 2000" (M. Hueber, Munich), and deal with land and culture. Three short films are presented, for use in free comment. Examples of grammar, vocabulary and dictation exercises are given. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Analyzed development of past tense verbal morphology in second-language Spanish among 20 college-level native-English speakers. The study was based on the analysis of oral movie narratives collected at two different times, two months apart.(VWL)

In an effort to facilitate students' understanding of films in the target language, many instructors turn to films with English subtitles. Viewing films subtitled in English does not encourage learners to use their previously acquired listening skills, but rather allows them to rely on reading English instead of making the extra effort required to…

In order to derive the greatest benefit from French texts, instruction should be in three phases: Discovering the text and collecting information; sorting and practicing language items; integrating old and new vocabulary and language. Examples of discussion and test questions relating to certain texts are included. (CHK)

Describes an experiment with an innovative foreign language teaching method whose focus is on increasing the students' fluency and interest by deemphasizing the role of the teacher as drill-master and stressing student communication on a one-to-one basis. (Author/CLK)

This exploratory study compares the narratives of three Korean speakers living in the United States with those of two native English speakers. The subjects viewed the film, "The Red Balloon," and were given three tasks: to recount the events in the movie, to describe what they would relate to their friends about the movie, and to…

Examines the efficacy of a weekly movie class through students' in-school achievement, a general proficiency test, and surveys about their cultural awareness and interest in English. An experimental group watched movies with viewing guides every week for 2 months. They improved significantly more than the control group in their in-school…

One of the most controversial issues in foreign language (FL) teaching is the age at which language learning should start. Nowadays it is recognized that in second language contexts maturational constraints make an early start advisable, but there is still disagreement regarding the problem of when to start or the best way to learn in foreign…

Financed by the Council of Europe, a course in the German language was conducted for the benefit of Italian workers destined to work in the Federal Republic of Germany. Designed to contribute to the alien workers' integration into Germany's social structure, the course emphasized comprehension and speaking. Candidates were personally interviewed…