Teacher training in gender differences can help prevent schools from failing AYP. Teachers who understand how the learning style of boys differs from the learning style of girls can leverage that knowledge to boost test scores by applying it across all four subgroups, which are defined by race/ethnicity, income, disability, or English-speaking…

Chinese characters are used in both Chinese and Japanese writing systems. When literate speakers of either language experience problems in finding or understanding words, they often resort to using Chinese characters or "kanji" (i.e., Chinese characters used in Japanese writing) in their talk, a practice known as "brush talk" ("bitan" in Chinese,…

This study aims to report an attempt to design and organise a content-based EAP reading course in political science and economics at a university in Japan, and to shed some light on learners' actual practices and preferences through the use of survey- and interview-based research participated in by 438 students. A principal axis of this project…

In recent years, an increasing number of university students in Canada speak a home language other than English, which can put added pressure on the kinds of linguistic, cultural, and academic support they may require in their tertiary education and in the workplace. Indeed, communication difficulties can surface in the workplace for students…

The traditional approach in teaching the Japanese copula is shown to be linguistically and pedagogically defective. An alternative analysis of -da and -desu and a practical method of presenting them is demonstrated. (HP)

For second-language learners, "academic" language and "social" language are inextricably interwoven. Using examples from several primary classrooms, the author critiques current conceptualizations of second-language learning that distinguish between basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). She…

This study analyzes the use of role-play as an elicitation device for the evaluation of a nonnative speaker's oral language. In this analysis of role-play as a methodology to generate data for assessment purposes, the study examines the role that interlocutors play in two types of interactions. It raises questions about the validity and…

Although explicit grammar instruction has been a source of considerable debate in second-language teaching, increasingly educational linguists assert instruction in academic language is critical, given the current assessment reform in K-12 contexts. Of particular concern is that contemporary English-Language-Learner (ELL) instruction focuses on…

Between 69 percent and 90 percent of English language learners (ELLs) in middle and high schools were born in the United States and have been in U.S. schools since kindergarten still have not achieved the academic proficiency to succeed in an all-English mainstream program. Various ELL program options are available for school districts to…

Although the foreign-language profession routinely stresses the importance of technology for the curriculum, many teachers still harbor deep-seated doubts as to whether or not a hybrid course, much less a completely distance-learning class, could provide L2 learners with a way to reach linguistic proficiency, especially with respect to oral…

The English immersion teaching approach adopted by SEIB of GDUFS in China was developed on the basis of the immersion theory which was originally developed in North America. Its purpose is to create a learning environment in which the students acquire knowledge in business with English as the main carrier. The adoption of this approach aims to…

Language competences are based upon the accumulation, assimilation and utilization of the learnt language, whose acquisition depends upon the practice amount and practice opportunities of the language, so students are supposed to plunge into the activities of language practice actively and habitually by acting on their initiative. I think…

Describes a model unit from the new basic German course for the Defense Language Institute designed to teach appropriate language and responses for everyday situations. (EKN)