This report describes a program for increasing student effort and achievement through the use of motivational strategies. The teaching staff at a high school in an upper-middle class urban area in Illinois noted that many students in a second-year high school Spanish class appeared unmotivated, demonstrated minimal academic effort, and earned poor…

This paper is divided into three main sections. The first part focuses attention on an examination of Japanese training techniques and analyzes issues relating to the internationalization of Japanese institutions and the reverse movement of American institutions to Japan. Companies from both countries are compared, and differences in approach and…

A cooperative program was conducted by the Connections Program of Catholic Charities of Richmond, Virginia, the Chesterfield and Henrico County Schools and the Richmond City Schools to provide bilingual education for high-school-age refugees. In Chesterfield and Henrico Counties, Connections provided the project director, bilingual assistance,…

The use of language for real communication is of primary importance in bringing a foreign language to life for students. Native speakers can make a class come alive, and teachers should explore the possibilities for bringing exchange students and teachers into the school. Realia and foreign language children's books are also interesting to…

Foreign language listening comprehension instruction too often relies on brief selections read aloud or sporadic teacher talk interspersed with native language (NL) utterances, which fail to provide sustained listening practice. NL is overused for grammar-related talk, reducing target language exposure, encouraging translation, and hindering…

Fourteen teachers from four California school districts developed this practical guide for teachers faced with a growing number of adult nonliterate students in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs. The guide is organized as follows: student goals and objectives, student characteristics, student identification, classroom activities,…

Six annotated bibliographies prepared by graduate students address topics related to methodology for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Each bibliography defines a topic area, gives pedagogical criteria for selecting entries, and provides brief annotations for relevant recent citations. The six…

Delaware's state standards for the Latin curriculum in the public schools are presented. An introductory section outlines the goals of the Latin program for reading, cultural awareness, grammar, writing, and oral language and briefly discusses the philosophy of and approaches to Latin instruction in elementary and middle schools. Three subsequent…

The stated objective of this handbook is to provide guidance in foreign language curriculum planning and teaching. Although written specifically for Arkansas educators, most of the resources and ideas are applicable to any foreign language program. Topics covered in the handbook are: (1) student competency goals; (2) descriptions of various…

An analysis of Korean language textbooks currently used by Korean children and of nationally-administered reading comprehension test items for high school graduates reveals a text-oriented reading comprehension approach in South Korea. Text orientation--seeing individual words, phrases, and sentences as semantically unified into a meaningful…

A collection of eight papers from the first part of the conference focuses on the applications of language and cultural studies to business. The following are included: "Foreign Language Skills are Survival Skills in Today's Business" (Jack Troyanovich), "Increasing International Business Opportunities through Improved Cross-Cultural Training" (L.…

A collection of 10 papers from the second part of the conference on the applications of foreign languages and international studies to business focuses on the development of programs in foreign languages for business purposes. The papers include: "Foreign Languages for Global Vocations: From Theory to Practice" (Rochelle K. Kelz), "A Grim(m) Fairy…

In this article, the author shares vocabulary development activities for young learners. These activities channel students' energy and make learning more effective and fun. The author stresses the importance of giving young learners a good language-learning experience, and the challenges of teaching young learners who are not literate in their L1.…

This article describes the author's experiences coping with the challenges of teaching English in an Indonesian university, such as classroom conditions and large numbers of students at different proficiency levels. The author suggests five activities that are designed to involve students in learning with little dependence on materials and little…

Research on schema theory in general and its specific application to reading in non-native speakers of English has important implications for the second language classroom. Studies show that readings with an unfamiliar background, including an unfamiliar cultural background, are more difficult to understand. Understanding inferences and…