Listening and speaking, the most used language skills in the classroom, are critical for functioning in an English language context, and are logical starting points for language instruction for low-literacy learners. Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving, and processing information. A…

Experience and research on the appropriateness and reliability of various criteria used in oral language tests are discussed. It is concluded that global marking schemes, which are less detailed, may enable the scorer to better evaluate communicative effectiveness, which includes both linguistic and paralinguistic factors. (MSE)

A teacher/storyteller recommends story creation by students to encourage creativity and pleasure in developing language skills. Suggested exercises include combining random nouns (e.g., "le fer et le bois") and creating a proverb about them, creating a story using names of consumer products, and developing a story using only body-language idioms…

This study investigated the acquisition of speaking skills in an online distance education course of 19 first semester Spanish learners. The possibility of oral development in a strictly online course was examined based on students' pronunciation production in two types of recorded speaking activities and in two real-time conversations. Students…

A survey of 32 Japanese and 44 native English-speaking teachers of English as a Second Language investigated how the two groups evaluate the English speech skills of Japanese students. A 59-item questionnaire was designed to elicit comparative information on definition of oral proficiency, criteria (including newer ones derived from instruction…

This study investigated changes in the speech patterns of Japanese college students in an intensive English language course when using a microphone, focusing in part on possible links to "karaoke" activities common in Japan, in which participants sing along with music using a microphone. The researcher first observed several karaoke…

This syllabus and curriculum guide were developed for a 12-week course in workplace Spanish for clinical workers at the Claretian Medical Center on the south side of Chicago. The purpose of the class was to provide basic communicative abilities in Spanish to the medical staff---registered nurses, triage nurses, and laboratory technologists--such…

A discussion of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction begins with a review of the English language teaching situation in Singapore today and goes on to examine issues in the production of ESL instructional materials. The focus is on oral language instruction. The first section, concerning Singapore, outlines the structure of syllabuses…

The responses of four scholars in the field of second language education to questions about language anxiety in second language learners are presented. The four respondents were Stephen Krashen, Alice Omaggio Hadley, Tracy Terrell, and Jennybelle Rardin. The formats of the interviews included telephone interviews on questions presented beforehand,…

The Ohio Program of Intensive English, a version of English for Specific Purposes, is described. The English for Specific Purposes program strives to make international students conscious of cultural differences. Often the students are axious to continue their study of science and technology and have little interest in language per se. However,…

These guidelines, designed to aid schools in developing their own curriculum and courses, set out objectives for the development of the four language skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing--and for an understanding of culture in the teaching of French in secondary schools. The guidelines assume that language learning is a communicative…

These guidelines, designed to aid schools in developing their own curriculum and to assist teachers in planning courses, set out objectives for the four language skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing--and for an understanding of culture in the teaching of German in secondary schools. The guidelines assume that language learning is a…

These guidelines, designed to aid schools in developing their own curriculum and to assist teachers in planning courses, set out objectives for the four language skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing--and for cultural education in the teaching of Spanish in secondary schools. The guidelines assume that language learning is a…

Three classroom activities for development of second language conversation skills are described. First, each student keeps a "talk workbook" for use in an exercise in which pairs of students record their brief conversations according to specific guidelines. The workbook enhances student awareness of the importance of the conversation, illustrates…

Commercially produced films and videotapes are recommended as effective tools for developing speaking, listening, and writing skills in English as a second language. It is suggested that their use with content-area instruction, where films and videotapes provide relevant schema background, makes language relevant and comprehensible. Practical…