Examined the beliefs and practices of special education, credentialed bilingual, and bilingual-waivered teachers of Latino language-minority students. Found that no group supported a single view of literacy instruction or assessment. Differences between groups (primarily bilingual and special education teachers) were evident in beliefs about…

Reports on three studies of the learning strategies of adult students of second languages. The research identified two distinct approaches to vocabulary learning that differed in aspects relating to independent study, self-initiated learning activities, recording of lexical items studied, review of these records, and practice of vocabulary outside…

Advocates that language anxiety can play a significant causal role in creating individual differences in both language learning and communication. This paper studies the role of anxiety in the language learning process and concludes that the linguistic coding deficit hypothesis errs in assigning epiphenomenal status to language anxiety. (57…

Examines the assumptions and values of Chinese learners of English, focusing on the cultural, historical, philosophical, linguistic, social, and educational attitudes held by such learners that influence the way they learn English. The appropriateness and effectiveness of specific teaching methods with Chinese students is discussed. (21…

Discusses teaching methods and techniques for use in English for Special Purposes classrooms, focusing on conversation and speaking exercises for medical students and professionals that combine medical terminology and everyday usage. Examples include doctor-patient dialogues and group discussions of general interest topics. (15 references) (MDM)

Surveys United Kingdom local twinning links with the aim of obtaining a detailed picture of the extent and scope of twinning activity and its perceived benefits. Twinning can bring an increasing awareness to the public at large of the benefits and delights which can result from acquiring foreign language skills. (CK)

Discusses a summer program conducted to retrain North Wales French teachers. It is suggested that French teaching in North Wales will be enriched by the enthusiasm of the teachers who took this course. (three references) (CK)

Discusses Krashen's monitor model and input hypothesis of language acquisition, focusing on the implications of this hypothesis among Hispanic bilinguals in an English speaking-teaching-reading-problem-solving environment. The hypothesis maintains that individuals acquire more language only when they are exposed to comprehensible input that is a…

With the appropriate software, it is possible to create a pedagogical environment where children can learn to read and write at their own pace; by using the software Fairy-Tale-World, children can print their drawings and texts and learn foreign words easily. (AEF)

Discusses a project to implement an alternative system for university admission based on clearly defined competencies in several subject areas, i.e., culture, writing, speaking, listening, reading and transferable skills (provisional). Developing national standards will inform this project, assisting in the creation of common goals in foreign…

Presents an update on a university's articulation work. The university aimed at collaboration in specifying the skills and knowledge expected of elementary and secondary students, motivating these students for higher education, setting standards and providing feedback to school districts. Progress in articulation is slow but discernible. (seven…

Reflects the experience of teachers who attended a course on managing change. They used their new knowledge to introduce change in their own teaching or their own departments. Successful change implementation requires agreement on the change target(s), starting with a small, manageable target, and monitoring of the resulting change. (one…

Discusses reading and writing activities in a foreign language. Implications of emergent literacy research for foreign-language instruction focus on when to initiate these activities, what sorts of literacy materials to use, what kinds of tasks to utilize and how to direct novice foreign-language learners. (46 references) (CK)

Focuses on the use of dialog journals to foster self-reflection in student teachers, to help the supervisor highlight their experiences, and to create a collaborative atmosphere so that both parties can construct meaning out of the experience of teaching adult second-language learners. Portraits of three novice teachers are presented. (12…

Middlebury College (Vermont) has initiated a program to develop computer and information networking competence among language faculty in many institutions so that they can better understand the relationship between technology and language pedagogy, become comfortable with multimedia materials in the language classroom, and collaborate on…