This paper posits that metaphor, in addition to embellishing language, promotes a comprehensive understanding of complex concepts and phenomena and provides teachers with a powerful way to talk about their work. The main body of this document, which includes an extensive review of the literature, considers the use of metaphors for mentoring in the…

This document consists of a discussion of the place and nature of evaluation within the autonomous learning scheme developed by the Centre de Recherches et d'Applications Pedagogiques en Langues (C.R.A.P.E.L.). The center's commitment to the development of an autonomous learning scheme dates back several years. It is the outcome of an attempt to…

After a survey of current methods of studying lexical acquisition, none of which are really suitable for studying how specific words are acquired and used by adult learners and how such usage differs from that of native speakers, a method is proposed for the study of such qualitative aspects of second language lexical acquisition. Learners are…

This essay considers three areas in Spanish grammar that generally cause difficulty to English-speaking learners: the use of "ser" and "estar," the difference in use between the preterite and imperfect tenses, and the use of the subjunctive. Like most problematic grammatical elements in any language, these points are difficult for non-native…

This pamphlet is the first in a series of ten stemming from the view that language is central to learning, that teachers can gain insights into their work and into learning by examining the language of the classroom, and that current language theory can be the means to such insights. The pamphlet contains a description of an informal study…

In this seventh-grade language unit, the study of semantics is introduced by an examination of the relationships between words and their referents, particularly in terms of changes of meaning and degrees of abstraction. Classroom activities are suggested to help students become aware of "language liveliness" and the processes of…

This ninth-grade unit on language differences is intended to increase "the student's awareness or sensitivity to the ways in which language varies with the differing backgrounds and interests of those who use language," to develop his "abilities to adapt his language behavior to more effectively meet the demands of a variety of…

Because of changing attitudes toward culture, language, and the individual student, marked changes in the attitudes of English teachers toward teaching have occurred in Britain during the last 12 years. "Culture" as a set of acceptable things to do and say has given way to a concept which stresses the ability to respond personally to the…

Most of what has been taught in the language classroom for a long while has been generally a reflection of the particular concept of language popular among linguistics at the time, but recently this trend has begun to break down. Recent texts are starting to be organized according to considerations besides linguistic criteria, for example,…

The Specialized Language Activities Program (ESEA Title 3 Project) to motivate students to improve their oral language was conducted in an essentially rural section of Maine with an experimental group and a control group of 80 ninth-grade students with an I.Q. range of 85-100 and poor language usage. Sixty-seven percent of them had repeated at…

This unit is intended to help teach and test the prepositions outlined in the "English as a Second Language Guide" of the Milwaukee Public Schools. The text is sequenced to develop listening and understanding skills first, then speaking and writing skills, and finally reading comprehension without visual clues. Review and testing sections are…

This teacher rating scale was sent to principals of alumni. The first six variables concern personality; the next 10 are directly associated with teaching. A factor analysis is being made. No statistical test of validity was made due to lack of a criterion measure. However, rater bias and test unreliability lower validity. (See TM 001 300 for…

This collection of articles includes: "Implementing Discourse Analysis for Intermediate and Advanced Language Learners" (Maria Palmira Massi); "A Comparison of Front-Page News in Japanese and British Quality Press Newspapers: Cultural Differences Reflected in the Press" (Christopher Bond); "Have You Ever Heard of Ogino…

Describes junior high school students' understandings of some common non-technical words used in science classes and compares results for students in Botswana and England. Finds that considerable concerns remain about the way in which teachers use words in science. Concludes that the greatest problems occur with second-language students in…

Summarizes research on educational programs that use stigmatized varieties of English in the classroom, and reviews relevant theory and research in psycholinguistics and second language acquisition. Research on educational programs shows that using the stigmatized variety in formal education seems to have a positive effect on the acquisition of…