A decade ago, Klapper (2003: "Taking communication to task? A critical review of recent trends in language teaching", "The Language Learning Journal" 27: 33-42) created the opportunity to reflect on the assets and limitations of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in comparison with more established communicative language…

It is widely assumed that the British are poorer modern foreign language (MFL) learners than their fellow Europeans. Motivation has often been seen as the main cause of this perceived disparity in language learning success. However, there have also been suggestions that curricular and pedagogical factors may play a part. This article reports a…

Discusses a questionnaire sent to 300 teachers in the United Kingdom regarding teachers' opinions about teaching in the target language (TL). Findings indicate that teachers generally favor TL teaching, although considerable anxiety exists about TL testing. Additionally, teachers are concerned about less able pupils not achieving their full…

Examines the reasons underlying ignoring of dictionaries as a language resource in the teaching of modern foreign languages (MFL). Notes the audio-visual and audio-lingual emphasis on learning strategies focused on minimizing error. Concludes that the ability to produce better language through dictionary use is worth the effort of referring to one…