The articles and papers included here all relate to the issue of Chinese characters and the continuing debate over whether it is difficult or easy to learn and to use them. (RM)

Describes the authors' experience in training teachers of native Canadian Indian students in British Columbia. The training occured in two contexts: one was a university-sponsored course; the other was a workshop-based inservice course. Describes the work done with the students and provides examples of their materials and teaching plans. (SED)

This teacher's guide is intended for the instruction of both French as a first language and French as a second language in an immersion setting. It provides a host of strategies for teaching listening skills in the classroom in Grades 6 through 12. The first section is designed to bring the teacher's awareness to the training procedure. It…

This annotated bibliography of children's literature presents 85 books and stories that can be used in the classroom to introduce literature in French to children in fourth through sixth grades. The selected texts (64 titles in fiction and 21 titles in non-fiction) were chosen for their age-appropriate language and themes, as well as their…

In this monograph, convergent pedagogy, which is a foreign language education approach to develop functional bilingualism in students, is described as a new approach to teaching language in bi- or multilingual contexts. Convergent pedagogy was introduced to the Mali educational system as a language education experiment in 1987. This monograph is a…

While most primary school education in Hong Kong (China) is in the native language, Cantonese, and most university-level instruction is conducted in English, the language of secondary school instruction has begun to shift from English to Cantonese. The decision to increase Cantonese use is controversial. Four studies of this situation are…

The idea that an individual's basic perceptions and experiences can create a resistance to learning is applied to native and second language instruction. It is suggested that general pedagogy and language pedagogy be decompartmentalized and, similarly, that native and second language instruction be decompartmentalized to expose their commonality…

Proposes a model of immersion strategy based on an emphasis on communication and on the use of a great variety of teaching techniques. (AM)

Group bilingualism, the contact situations which lead to it, and the role of language in maintaining ethnic boundaries are examined. Emphasis is laid on minority languages in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South Africa. The insistence of these groups on maintenance bilingual education rather than the acceptance of transitional assimilation…

Analyzes the transcript from a round table of elementary school teachers and school of education professors, to determine the teachers' needs with respect to inservice education and to study their evaluation of existing training programs. The round table participants had recently attended the Montpellier teachers' institutes. (MES)

With an advisory committee of native community members, elders, educators, and students, the Center for Hawaiian Language and Cultural Studies has successfully founded, within a mainstream institution with strong religious foundations, a cultural center that teaches native values and language. The center creates cultural/educational projects that…

At the first Conference on Navajo Orthography held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1969, participants agreed upon a uniform orthography for Navajo developed by William Morgan and Robert Young and recommended development of a Navajo adult literacy program. Participants included representatives of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Tribal Council…

Examines the often-cited crucial relationship between international education and the study of languages. Argues for a balanced approach to student identity, rather than privileging native identity over foreign identity. Presents a new version of language placement in the IB Diploma Hexagon, arguing for balance there as well. (Contains 22…

Examines sociolinguistic and historical context in which a dramatic increase in literacy (from 5 percent literacy in 1945 to 75 percent literacy in 1980) occurred in Indonesia, focusing on use of Bahasa Indonesian, the national language, and current efforts to extend literacy through nonformal education programs and to expand reading and writing…

It is possible to provide culturally appropriate education for native Canadian Indian and Inuit children within the framework of the European schooling model by finding a balance between building on the children's native experiences and taking from English language and pedagogy what they can use appropriately in their own culture. (25 references)…