In Madagascar, secondary and adult English as a foreign language (EFL) classes commonly have limited resources and inadequate teacher preparation. Schools often have few or no textbooks and dictionaries. Computers with Internet access are a rare luxury. Teachers themselves may be underprepared, with no English teaching credential, minimal…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of material teaching aids as enhancement tool for teaching essay writing in secondary schools in Ebonyi State. A 4-point Likert-scale questionnaire was used as the instrument. A trial test was conducted and tested for reliability and a value of 0.75 was obtained from the test. The instrument was…

The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach has been broadly adopted and extensively researched at different educational levels across European contexts. It is also becoming popular in Asian settings due to its dual focus on developing both language skills and content knowledge. It aims to empower learners with high mobility and…

Often, teachers must adapt existing textbooks or produce their own materials in order to accomplish what they want in class. This paper describes how one English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at a Japanese high school developed materials to address the problem of helping learners distinguish between two grammatical forms: "used to" and "be…

A foreign language teacher talks of his special first-year circumstances which ought to be the norm for every probationary teacher: many free periods, one classroom to teach in which is not used by anyone else, access to a central equipment area for all language teachers, and staff support. (CFM)

Investigates the effect teachers trained with American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages oral proficiency interview-type training has on student performance, instructional methods, and classroom materials in the secondary foreign-language classroom. Results of teacher interviews and questionnaires supported the hypothesis that trained…

A discussion of the use of cartoons and humorous vignettes in French instruction is presented. It is suggested that there exists a wealth of such material but little guidance in using it. Problems of cultural context, understanding the use of pictures, and potential for classroom discussion are considered. (MSE)

Lists suggestions for activities incorporating the use of video in French instruction. An extensive list of distributors of video materials is presented, and a select bibliography on teaching with video is provided. (CB)

America's elementary schools are again ready for foreign language instruction. When commitment to such programs exists, funding can usually be found and creative use of existing materials and personnel resources can ease the budget. Provincialism is a greater obstacle. Foreign language programs can help to eradicate the anti-language attitude that…

An overview of English language education in Nepal is provided, and a discussion of a study focusing on the English language education situation in Nepal is presented. The investigation sought to answer the following questions: (1) What kind of English curriculum does Nepal have? (2) Who designs and prescribes curriculum, curriculum materials, and…

This paper examines some of the problems that are faced by teachers and students in the teaching and learning of English for special purposes (ESP) in multilingual nations such as Papua New Guinea. A survey of 125 students recently admitted to the University of Technology in Papua New Guinea found that although 98 percent knew that English was the…

An intensive summer training course in Mandarin Chinese designed to help currently employed language teachers introduce exploratory Mandarin Chinese courses to their schools is described. Training current staff eliminated three common barriers to exploratory program introduction: needs for (1) additional teaching staff; (2) additional funds; and…

A description of the context for teacher training in Burkina Faso illustrates how a proposal for curriculum renewal can foster a more active role for teachers of English as a foreign language in developing objectives, structure, tasks, and material, as well as administrative and university support. (CB)

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 survey was completed by 194 secondary school English teachers in Switzerland. Data indicate that: (1) a relatively small number of teachers have degrees from universities outside Switzerland; (2) the study of English generally does not begin until the age of 15; (3) the great majority of English classes meet for three or four hours a week; (4)…