Preservice foreign-language teachers are adults with well-established beliefs. They start teacher-education programs with traditional beliefs about language teaching reflecting their own experiences. The field of foreign-language teaching, however, underwent a paradigm shift from grammar-based to communicative foreign-language instruction.…

Several brief outlines of minicourses for German classes focus on developing student awareness of the phenomenon of his own immigration, cultural contributions, and influence. Topics include: (1) phenomena of German immigration, (2) areas of settlement, (3) cultural contributions of the 18th and 19th centuries, (4) cultural contributions of the…

A pilot course was designed to give immigrant adult students of English as a second language (ESL) training in English conversation skills and in life skills. The students, who came from different ethnic and social backgrounds, were required to have a certain level of proficiency in English to take the course. Emphasis was placed on group activity…

Curricula for interdisciplinary courses that enable second language classes to employ the arts are proposed. At the University of North Dakota, mini-courses provide one-semester credit and are given for 2 hours 1 day a week over a period of 8 weeks. Some of the courses are cross-listed with other departments. Two of these courses, Joan of Arc and…

The curriculum guide is designed to promote understanding of Irish Americans and their culture in their homeland and in America. It is part of a series of guides about ethnic groups in America and in Connecticut. Written for grades nine through 12, the material is adaptable for younger readers or adults. A 15-question quiz to test students'…

This 11-unit curriculum guide on Puerto Rican culture is intended for both Puerto Rican and and non-Puerto Rican teachers and students living in Connecticut. Although the materials are written for use in grades six through nine, they can be adapted for older or younger students. Topics include Puerto Rican history, ethnology, geography, economy,…

Of the liberal movements dominating the thought of the world today, the greatest of all is the sweep of education. No phrase or dissertation can compass the entire scope or catch all the essential elements of the newer education that is shaping itself. But everywhere one direction is apparent: The trend of education is toward the people in mass…