This paper considers three critical areas in language learning--motivation, communication and affect--and then presents a teaching methodology that is compatible with the pedagogical principles derived from the theoretical discussion. While presenting the structure of the "fantasy" methodology, attention is given to classroom applications to…

This article surveys a sample of first-year college Spanish textbooks published in the 1970s. The textbooks are analyzed on the basis of the following components: grammar, exercises, pronunciation, language skills, vocabulary, review sections, culture, dialogues, special features, workbooks, and contents of the instructor's manual. (CFM)

A special reading system was developed for elementary school children learning to read for the first time in their second language, English. This paper describes the reading system and traces its success over a four-year period as measured through standardized testing instruments. (Author)

This article discusses an English course based on correspondence teaching and self-instructional materials offered by the University of Linkoping in Sweden. A fundamental feature of the program is the telephone tutorial, which supplies the spontaneous discussion that should be an essential part of any language program. (CFM)

Describes a model for communication that can lead to the development of many classroom activities which focus on yes/no questions and information questions. (CFM)

This article describes creative drama workshops designed to improve the oral facility of immigrant children in Toronto. The aims of the program were: (1) to help the students become less self conscious; (2) to create opportunities for students to develop self-confidence; and (3) to implement evaluative instruments to prove the hypothesis that…

Some English as a second language students are not literate in their own language and require special instruction. Teaching procedures and activities are outlined for reinforcing the following reading skills: phonetic analysis, structural analysis, sight words, use of context clues, and comprehension. (SW)

Relates the difficulties of teaching a college business writing course when the majority of the students are foreign. (NKA)

Forty-eight adult learners from three intermediate-level ESL classes participated in a study investigating the effects that differences in learners' out-of-class contact with the second language might have on proficiency. Results indicated that learners' informal contact interacted with differences in instruction to produce variation in…

Errors in the spoken French of immersion students, reflecting a fossilized interlanguage and language transfer, are attributed to an erroneous assumption underlying immersion instruction: that students acquire the second language in the same way they acquire their native language. An improved syllabus aimed at second-language learners is…

Suggests that the European perspective on adult second language learning provides important background information for adapting such instruction for American adults. Factors discussed include: adults' specific learning biographies; motivation; learning styles; individual differences; teacher-student partnerships; language skill development and…

The phonology/pronunciation course of the Canadian government's advanced language training program emphasizes activities which generate student motivation and optimism in overcoming "fossilized" pronunciation (pronunciation highly resistant to change). Activities include: oral reading, feedback, recording of reading, and self-directed…

The usage of technology in adult ESL classrooms needs to be examined as it is creating new opportunities and added challenges. The purpose of the study was to explore how technology was being used in such environment and what factors contributed as supports or hindrances to technology use. Interviews, questionnaires, and observations were used to…

A review of the literature investigated how computers have been used in relation to the teaching of reading over the last 20 years, how effective those endeavors and research studies (mainly conducted at the college level) have been, and what computer instructional programs in the area of reading need to address. Various efforts have been made to…

This paper discusses the use of storytelling as a pedagogic tool in Malaysian kindergartens. By listening to stories, the children learn to tell stories that involve communicating meaning. This is an effective learning technique, because stories and storytelling feed the children's imaginations, hone their listening skills, extend their…