This annotated bibliography presents information related to content standards for adult learners of English as a Second Language (ESL), suggesting documents that adult ESL professionals can consult as they peruse the issues of standards and accountability in adult ESL education. The bibliography defines content standards as what students should…

A text-editing approach to composition in the foreign language classroom is set forth. In a 15-week composition course meeting three times each week, students prepare a weekly composition that they will revise after an in-class text-editing session involving several student papers. The third day is devoted to grammar work. Criteria for evaluating…

Each year, thousands of men and women from English-speaking countries go abroad as English teachers through volunteer agencies such as the Peace Corps or Voluntary Service Overseas, or through myriad other church, government, business, and academic organizations. For these novice teachers, the challenge of learning what to do in the classroom is…

The number of limited-English proficient (LEP) students in U.S. schools has increased dramatically in recent years. One type of instructional approach that offers promise in helping LEP students develop academic competence while also developing English proficiency is sheltered English. Students in these classes are "sheltered" in that…

Despite much rhetoric, foreign language teacher education lacks a substantial research base. Teacher education programs in general consist of subject-matter coursework, general education requirements, and specialized educational content, domains that have remained relatively unchanged in two decades. However, recent reform movements may have a…

A guide to the use of literature to teach English as a second language (ESL) begins with a discussion of the role of literature in ESL and the rationale for using it. Subsequent chapters discuss specific issues in using poetry and short stories in the ESL classroom, including the benefits, main aspects of the genres, points of entry, instructional…

An examination of foreign language syllabus design reviews current literature on six syllabus types and discusses the process of choosing and integrating syllabi for classroom use. The six syllabus types are structural, notional-functional, situational, skill-based, task-based, and content-based, characterized as differing by increasing attention…

Exploratory language courses are self-contained, nonsequential, interdisciplinary courses designed to introduce students to a variety of languages and cultures. They are usually offered in middle and junior high schools, to give students in the young adolescent stage of development a chance to explore a range of academic and vocational fields.…

A discussion of numeracy (the ability to cope confidently with the mathematical demands of everyday life), focuses on provision of numeracy instruction alongside English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for learners with low literacy skills. It looks first at considerations and methods for assessing student numeracy needs, including the…

Three essays focus on integrating subject matter and the English used to communicate it as a technique for teaching limited-English-proficient students. "Integrating Language and Mathematics Learning," by Theresa Corasaniti Dale and Gilberto J. Cuevas, discusses the vocabulary, syntax, semantics, and discourse features of mathematics;…