An African American teacher of English discusses her own experience with black English as a barrier to academic success, her efforts to assure that her own students speak standard English and to understand why many teachers do not stress this and the need to understand why many African American students do not use standard English despite its…

The narratives of three Mexican immigrants to El Rincon, a fictitious name for a California town, illustrate the process of empowerment fostered by education. Narratives include those of a mother, a fourth-grade teacher, and a high school student aspiring to an engineering degree. Cultural context, working conditions, and the role of language in…

British Columbia's first cohort of 58 students to complete their schooling in French immersion graduated from secondary school in June 1985. A survey used student attitude and opinion scales to assess the graduates' attitudes toward various aspects of French language and culture and their self- perceptions of their knowledge of French. A student…

Reports on a study of cultural images of people in 5 nations by 24 10- to 13-year-old children of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Finds that 10-year olds focused on the thoughts and feelings of people whereas the 13-year olds included more knowledge abstracted to the country level. (CFR)

International students face a variety of challenges related to language difficulties, immigration issues, and culture shock. Asian students are less likely to seek help for their emotional and interpersonal problems than their American counterparts, due to culturally different help-seeking preferences. A study examined levels of anxiety among…

Suggestions for individualizing language instruction for students in England with learning problems are offered. Following an introduction, the second section looks at techniques for involving students in the presentation phase of a lesson through use of visual aids, mime, rhythmic chanting, and song. The third section discusses ideas for creating…

The purpose of these working papers is to reflect the current activities of members of the Centre for Language in Education at the University of Southampton, England. They include: (1) "Inaugural Lecture: Is Language Education or Is Education Language?" (Christopher Brumfit); (2) "Teachers' Views of Language Knowledge"…

This book focuses on communication as the central feature in teaching and learning within second language classrooms. It examines the classroom as a unique communication context with highly regulated patterns of communicative behavior that are actively negotiated between teacher and students, and explores how and why these patterns of…

Techniques and arguments are provided for teachers interested in promoting second language program development in British schools. An introductory section presents an exercise for gauging and initiating an awareness of language needs and attitudes in department staff. The first section of the guide then outlines salient arguments, including those…

The discussion of reflective techniques for second language teaching is intended for teacher trainees and in-service teachers and focuses on practical applications of the reflective method. Each chapter presents an important dimension of teaching and poses questions for classroom observation, investigation, and critical reflection. The suggested…

Results of a provincial survey of Manitoba's French immersion program graduates are reported. The two most recent cohorts of graduates (1987-88 and 1988-89) from nine secondary schools were surveyed, with 225 respondents. Three introductory sections describe the study's background and purpose, methodology, and interpretation. The fourth section…

A study of the role of the modern language program at Michigan Technological University looks at perceptions of administrators, faculty, and students concerning the program and language learning needs, and student motivation in studying languages. Concludes that despite language enrollment and retention problems, modern language courses are both…

The collection of papers was written by teacher researchers from an adult migrant English program, and consists of reports and discussions of action research on teaching heterogeneous learner groups. Papers include: "Disparate Groups: Exploring Diversity in Practice through Collaborative Action Research" (Anne Burns, Susan Hood); "A Profile of…

This guide, designed for second language teachers and teacher trainees, addresses central practical, methodological concerns in effective classroom management and decision making. The first chapter provides background information and assumptions. The second chapter discusses the planning process (lesson preparation, pre-instructional…

This journal is intended to assist language educators in Hong Kong schools in developing and maintaining high standards of instruction in both English and Chinese. The 11 issues presented here contain articles, some in English and some in Chinese, on a variety of language education topics, including: language education planning; instructional…