For many years, educational practitioners have been implementing multicultural literature about African-American, Asian, and Latino families. Teachers have also presented literature about great leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Helen Keller. However, the same cannot be said about literature depicting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and…

This study investigated how the context of a Primary 3 (P3) teacher of Luganda in Uganda influenced the teacher's literacy instructional decision-making, beliefs, pedagogy, and practices before and after she was provided with supplies and literacy instructional procedures that helped produce reading materials for her students. The contextual…

The case study of James, a semiliterate 16-year-old delinquent, illustrates (1) the importance of learners' language strengths, (2) the importance of learners' perceptions about the nature of assigned tasks, and (3) the need to examine reading instruction as a possible contributor to delayed literacy. When James was asked to tape record a story,…

When the author's family spent a year in Germany, two of the children attended German schools, where they were forced to learn German for all communication. On the basis of that experience, it is suggested that classrooms employ situations similar to total immersion in language teaching. Teaching and learning for communication depend on three…

This paper describes a method of language teaching known as counseling-learning, which attends to the psychological and emotional needs of students. The traditional approach to language instruction has generally underestimated this aspect of learning and its importance. The counseling-learning method relies on untapped sources within the student…

Investigates the characteristics of Beijing's community English language programs as well as those of the participating students. Findings reveal that community English as a foreign language (EFL) programs provide a needed component to EFL instruction in China. It is concluded that these programs offer an effective educational experience to…

Learning to write in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) provides learners with a voice in their new culture and enhances language acquisition. There are two general approaches to teaching writing: free writing, which is not necessarily edited or revised, and process writing which is revised and edited and shared with a wider audience. In addition,…

Creative dramatics can be used effectively by the elementary teacher to help motivate students to become involved in various language arts activities. Dramatic play, pantomime, story dramatization, imagination exercises, creative movement, improvisation, and other structured activities encourage students to relate new experiences to old. As they…

The effects of a language-based reading approach on the reading strategies of first grade children were examined in a study involving a total of 40 children. Half of the students were placed in an experimental group that was exposed to the language-based reading approach, and half were placed in a control group that was taught to read by a…

Describes a study conducted to determine how adults view literacy and themselves in relation to literacy. The authors concluded that programs for adults need to be built on the collective knowledge of scholars from many fields. They discuss the language experience approach and development of control over the visual dimensions of print. (CT)

Of 10 participating inner-city school teachers, five used a modified basal series, and five used the language experience approach for reading instruction. Monthly training sessions were held, and the Medley and Smith's Observation Scale and Rating-Reading was used to lend objectivity to the monthly observations of each teacher. The following…

Too often adult literacy programs seem based on the assumption that, if learners work hard on skills for six months, they will have "acquired" literacy, as though it is a set of skills adults can "get" from a tutor (Kazemek, 1985). One study of 20 adult literacy classes in eight U.S. states found basic (not higher level) skills the predominant…

A program based on the use of printed materials available in the community was successful in improving language skills and student attitudes. (JH)