Ofsted's (2021) Curriculum research review for languages (OCRR) draws conclusion on what 'high-quality language education' may look like. This opinion piece problematises the status of these conclusions as 'features' or recommendations. Before delving into a selection of identified 'features' in more depth, the author highlights the complexity of…

In this article, Charlie Taylor offers a commentary on Yang et al.'s 2021 "Reading in a Foreign Language" article, "Text Difficulty in Extensive Reading: Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation." In their study, Yang et al. analyzed the effects of text difficulty on the reading comprehension and motivation of high school…

This article briefly outlines the current major search engines' approach to teachers' web searching. The aim of this article is to make Web searching easier for teachers when searching for relevant online teaching materials, in general, and UK teacher practitioners at primary, secondary and post-compulsory levels, in particular. Therefore, major…

As the twentieth anniversary of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda approaches, Mark Gudgel argues that we should face the challenges posed by teaching about Rwanda. Drawing on his experience as a history teacher in the US, his experience researching and supporting others' classrooms in the US and UK, his training in Holocaust education and his knowledge…

The Academic Word List (AWL) is now widely used in English for academic purposes (EAP) classrooms in many countries, in a wide range of materials, in vocabulary tests, and as a major resource for researchers. In this article the author reflects on the impact of the AWL by looking at commonly asked questions about the list: What is the AWL? Is the…

This article contains results from a study based on locally produced planning and evaluation texts from 10 preschool settings in a Swedish middle-sized town. The texts were mainly from 1999 to 2005, a period during which Swedish preschools were implementing their first curriculum and were subject to several changes including decentralisation,…

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic has included a few social science disciplines in the list of the Educational State Standards, though the content of these subjects and teaching methodologies are still weak. One of the problems, which I constantly face in Kyrgyzstan when developing a new…

Discusses teaching packages, which contain a variety of media resources, and how they can be evaluated through a surrogate teacher model. Evaluation strategies are reviewed, including content analysis, field tests, and pupil reports; the evaluation report is described; and use of this strategy in the United Kingdom is discussed. (Contains 30…

Presents a critical review of a cooperative project in West Germany that is concerned with the introduction of educational technology into medical training. The production and distribution of audiovisual teaching materials are discussed, documentation and evaluation methods are described, and failures and successes of the project are noted. (13…

Indonesia's efforts to develop new texts and revise the syllabus for English as a second language have included writing the texts with a communicative orientation but with a prominent structural component. Bahasa Indonesia is used to guarantee that the students understand the meaning of all the structures and forms as well as their functions in…

Notes an extreme shortage of Vietnamese teaching resources available in Australia. Recounts how a migrant teacher from Vietnam had to go back to Saigon to buy video tapes and illustrated books for LOTE and bilingual programs. (NH)

Suggests that the value of strategy games in the primary curriculum should not be underestimated. Shows how strategy games can be linked to national profiles by tracing the history of the strategy game Mancala. (Author/CCM)

Discusses problems associated with designing illustrations to be used abroad. Includes guidelines related to developing countries, industrialized nations, behavioral norms, religion, gender, and idealization. (JOW)

Examines the kinds of materials used in the Finnish school system and discusses how learning materials can be developed to promote a higher quality of learning. (JOW)

Because few health workers in Latin America are trained in how to produce effective and appropriate health education materials, the Pan American Health Organization developed a method to teach the design, use, and evaluation of health education materials. This article describes the development of the methodology, the basic operating principles,…