Assessed differential contribution of personality to the explanation of variance in achievement in the mother tongue and mathematics at high school level in 1,200 Afrikaans-speaking students. The results indicated that personality, as measured by the High School Personality Questionnaire, aided the explication of variance in achievement in the…

Noting that some educators are calling for a whole language approach to teaching Spanish reading to replace the traditional word approach, reviews various methods of teaching Spanish reading and summarizes research that supports a psycholinguistic view of reading. Suggests specific guidelines and materials to help teachers move toward a whole…

Provides statistics on school failure and presents methods used to teach language and second language courses in Belgian primary schools. Included are the aims of language courses, the principles of instruction, and descriptions of specific instructional strategies employed. (JDH)

Demonstrates that computers can be used to develop literacy among very young children (in this case Spanish speakers) regardless of their initial ability to read and write. Argues that creativity can be reinforced by having adults act as facilitators and that computers should be available in the classroom rather than only in computer lab periods.…

Advocates the use of the vernacular language, not only as an important vehicle for learning, but also as a means of enhancing the native speakers' feeling of self-worth. Presents several ways of extending the use of the vernacular, as well as the problems that can arise. (EKN)

Discusses results of comparison of immersion and minority language programs. By promoting use of the mother tongue inside and outside of school, providing literacy experiences for children who may not have had them, and using culturally relevant teaching approaches and materials, schools can make education a worthwhile experience for members of…

The Indigenous Language Institute (ILI) collaborates with indigenous language communities to combat language decline. ILI facilitates community-based language programs, increases public awareness of language endangerment, and disseminates information on language preservation and successful language revitalization programs. In response to numerous…

This paper develops a speaker-centered view of language as an alternative to the monolithic decontextualized abstractions favored by modern linguistics, and suggests the application of the speaker-centered view to indigenous language renewal. The paper contends that the modern notion of languages as homogeneous stable "things" that are…

The materials in this document discuss the Alberta (Canada) public school curriculum for French native language instruction for 5-year olds in preschool, intended for implementation in September 2000. The first part outlines the rationale and organization of the curriculum model and its five guiding principles. The second part describes the seven…

This guide provides Texas teachers and administrators with guidelines, goals, instructional strategies, and activities for teaching Spanish to secondary level native speakers. It is based on the principle that the Spanish speaking student is the strongest linguistic and cultural resource to Texas teachers of languages other than English, and one…

This CD-ROM is part of an interactive and dynamic multimedia package of information and games for learning K'iche' and Ixil. Groups of students from each of the four teacher training schools re-enacted various Mayan traditions and documented them in this multimedia CD-ROM. The following presentations are included on the CD-ROM: Uxe'al nutinamit…

Analyzes the linguistic devices and styles employed in advertisement writing. Illustrates the use of rhetorical figures and gives examples of word creation, of puns based on polysemy or paronyms, of alliteration, and of rhyme. Concludes with the suggestion that advertisement texts could profitably be put to use in the classroom. (MES)

Discusses the discrepancies between French phonology and spelling, particularly where the letter "e" and the roles of the accents are concerned. Analyzes the distribution of the three vowel sounds represented by "e" and proposes some rules for the use of the acute and the grave accent with this letter. (MES)

Examines whether instructing Nigerian primary children in science in their mother tongue (Yoruba) is any more efficacious than instructing them in science in the English language. Also assesses and compares the levels of cognitive development of two groups of Yoruba-speaking children, one instructed in Yoruba and another in English. (CS)

In a remote Aboriginal Australian (Kunibidji) community, three touch-screen computers containing 96 Ndjebbana-language talking books were made available to children in informal settings. The computers' popularity is explained by the touch screens' form and the talking books' intertextual and hybrid nature. The Kunibidji are transforming their…