Examines how low achieving Australian students fit into the foreign language classroom beyond Year 7, and whether the course content or teaching method should be altered. Reviews the students' reasons for continuing language study, their feelings about certain teaching and learning strategies, exercises and activities, their perceptions of their…

Describes the learning experiences that occurred when a third-grade Spanish class participated in a pilot e-mail project. Highlights include the Internet learning community; social studies and language learning activities; multicultural learning opportunities; using e-mail for other content areas; project management; and benefits of the project.…

Examines issues in introduction of an ebonics-based curriculum in public schools in response to the crisis in academic achievement of African American students. Outlines the cultural role of African American Vernacular English, concerns about learning levels of students not proficient in Standard English, and implications for supporting diversity…

Discusses the recent influx of non-native English speakers at Portland Community College and the resulting quantity-versus-quality dilemma of ESL education. Provides policy recommendations for effective and inclusive ESL instruction. (YKH)

The communication between three mothers and their preschool children with language impairments was examined in a three-year qualitative study. The mothers had developed a communication system within the family that consisted of idiosyncratic signs and signals that conveyed intentional messages. The mothers found it difficult to change these…

Recommendations are provided for the development of multicultural competence in order for collaborating teachers to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students who are at risk of failing. Four general competencies are identified: understanding one's perspective; using effective interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving…

Two studies focused on concurrent validity and instructional decision making in using alternative reading measures with elementary regular and special education students. The first study examined the relation of oral reading performance to several other reading measures; the second study investigated teacher decision making, using quantitative and…

A new South African testing approach designed to assess potential university students' ability to cope with English-medium academic education is also designed to take into account the effects of educational disadvantagement and minimize reliance on students' content-based secondary school experiences. The approach incorporates principles from…

Five parents of children with language delays and emergent behavior problems from low-socioeconomic backgrounds were taught to support their preschool children's communication skills and manage their behavior. Parents learned the strategies, generalized these strategies to interactions at home, and maintained positive changes 6 months after the…

Provides four fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in art, social studies, reading, and language arts. Library media skills, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each activity. (LRW)

Peer response groups contribute to students' effectiveness as writers in any field, but cultural differences in communication affect interactions within the group. Culture-based dimensions on which communication may differ include individualism/collectivism, power distance, concept of "face," and communication style. Recommendations are…

International students have identified problems in the college classroom that hinder their learning, including listening difficulties, lack of understanding of differences in cultural background, poor oral communication skills, insufficient vocabulary, and poor writing skills. The students suggest both general and specific ways in which professors…

Basic communication skills should be required for all college students. Effective methods of instruction include specific communications courses, integrated across-the-curriculum instruction, on-going assessment, and classes in advanced skills. Competent communication requires knowledge, skill, and motivation. Advanced skills could be taught…

Describes a project in which an inquiry approach to learning and teaching in an urban first-grade classroom resulted in a student-created database. Illustrates how computer integration in reading/language arts instruction caused students to participate more in group inquiry, using their individual abilities to contribute to group projects; it also…

Examines the perceptions of European teenagers living in Europe regarding that continent. The study focuses on their declared knowledge sources, attitudes towards a European identity and second language learning and future aspirations. The article discusses the role of schools, the media, and the home environment in shaping the perceptions of…