Suggests use of semantic memory as "pre-text" method for preparing ESL and ESP students for reading passages with a mental set conducive for further learning. (BK)

Guidelines are offered for speech-language pathologists who seek to evaluate and enhance idiom comprehension in language-disordered students. The long-term goal of the treatment approach is for the student to acquire a specific comprehension strategy for determining the meanings of unfamiliar idioms. (Author/JDD)

Arguing that the failure of instructional materials is frequently due to misconceptions held by their developers concerning the nature of comprehension, this chapter examines the factors involved in comprehension and relates them to the design of instructional materials. Three types of errors in comprehension are discussed, and ways to avoid them…

A high school English teacher explains the use of a programed text in Latin to enable students in her gifted classes to unlock the meaning of many English words through a knowledge of their Latin origins. (PHR)

The article describes the application of the box method for teaching English skills with hearing-impaired students. The method employs teaching steps which make use of sequential fading techniques to achieve a low error rate. Examples demonstrating improvement in English syntax, morphology, and semantics of two profoundly hearing-impaired…

Discusses how semantic mapping can be used in educating students who are deaf or hard of hearing by making important concepts visual and by helping students find connections among ideas and subject areas. Examples are given of how semantic mapping can be used to teach science and mathematics. (CR)

It is argued that dictation is a neglected technique for second-language training. Students' error patterns at three levels are presented to show how the technique can be used effectively for both teaching and testing, and to develop integrative skills and accuracy in both listening and writing. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the role of visual aids in second language teaching, focusing on their ability to represent sounds or structures; portray cultural features; provide situational awareness; and elicit verbal output, both controlled and free. (39 references) (MDM)

This study is intended to assist teachers of advanced second language students with the problems of vocabulary errors. The aim is to help avoid the formation of incorrect hypotheses about vocabulary when it is first presented, and more importantly, to help teachers deal with errors as they occur. (SL)

The process of getting a thought out of the mind and onto paper can be divided into five major categories: (1) discovering the word, (2) excavating the mythic word from the subconscious, (3) perceiving the word in the conscious, (4) verbalizing the expressed word, and (5) comprehending the unsaid word. When humans experience anything, their minds…

This paper discusses five language roots of reading: phonology, syntax, semantics, short-term and long-term memory, and auditory segmenting. Teachers are urged to focus early school experiences toward development of these five skills to reduce the incidence of reading difficulties. Specific teaching suggestions are offered. (Author/DB)

Characteristics of DART (Didactic Augmented Recursive Transition), an ATN-based system for writing intelligent computer assisted instruction (ICAI) programs that is available on the PLATO system are described. DART allows writing programs in an ATN dialect, compiling them in machine code for the PLATO system, and executing them as if the original…

Teaching organizational strategies to language-disordered children can improve comprehension and formulation of written language. The semantic organizer approach involves activating and organizing prior knowledge, understanding text structure, and developing organizational strategies with both a verbal component and a graphic-structure component.…

Discussion of Gal'perin's theory of step-by-step formation of mental actions includes descriptions of experimental applications of this activity approach to teaching foreign languages. Constructing and understanding sentences are discussed, and activities for the construction of a sentence and the orientation base of action (OBA) for German,…

This paper discusses the factors that either facilitate or inhibit vocabulary learning and suggests practical classroom techniques for beginning and more advanced students. Vocabulary acquisition is related to the learning situation and to the form, meaning, and grammatical role of the new item in the target language. The focus of the teaching…