Describes an innovative Japanese elementary school foreign language (FLES) program introduced at the Laboratory School of the University of Pittsburgh. Lessons focused on thematic vocabulary presented within a context, a language function associated with the context, and some attention to the grammatical or syntactic structure necessary for…

A tutorial program in English as a Second Language, in which the tutors were prospective teachers, is described and evaluated for general procedure, scheduling, teacher-student contact, use of instructional materials, oral practice, error correction strategy, and student attitudes and performance. (MSE)

Examines the interactive potential for teaching four language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) in the context of what is available across a range of multimedia technologies, from CD-ROMs to the World Wide Web. Identifies three levels of interactivity in the multimedia environment and notes the advantages that multimedia…

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to examine the effects of a preschool emergent literacy program on young African American children from a low socioeconomic background. The preschool is located in an urban setting in North Carolina. All students participating in this study were identified as at-risk for school failure. The behavior and…

A study investigated the communication strategies used by students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in electronic mail interactions with native speakers of English. Subjects were 22 university students in Taiwan paired with a like number of pre-service EFL teacher trainees in the United States. The discourse of 87 e-mail entries by the…

A study investigated the role of the Aboriginal Student Enclave, one of five campuses of Edith Cowan University (Australia) as a discourse community. The relatively small but cohesive university subcommunity is designed to provide additional support for Aboriginal students enrolled in standard programs and an environment in which the students are…

Emphasizing that language arts and reading are "binding agents" for all kinds of learning and should be integrated throughout the elementary curriculum, the guiding philosophy of this book is that the best teachers are those who continue to learn along with their students. Each chapter in the book ends with a "Teacher as…

By discussing commonly held myths and misconceptions about second language learning, this discussion attempts to clarify a number of important issues concerning the ease and rapidity with which children learn a second language, the optimal age at which to begin second language instruction, the importance of the extent of exposure to the second…

In this collection of essays, a group of innovative teachers and writers describe the approaches and techniques they have incorporated into their own language teaching. The articles are designed to help classroom teachers make language classes more participatory and communication oriented. The book is divided into three sections: (1) What Is…

This issue presents works in progress by students and professors at the University of Pennsylvania. Papers are generally based on research conducted for courses offered in the Language in Education Division of the Graduate School of Education. This issue contains the following papers: "Do Second Language Learners Need Negotiation?"…

The proficiency-based German program in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University occupies an essential and integral but not central role in the overall foreign service program. It includes three years' instruction, in addition to the two years required for admission. Three levels are offered, and although students may take the…

Prepared as part of a regular series on the status and progress of studies on the nature of speech, instrumentation for its evaluation, and practical applications for speech research, this compilation contains 14 reports. Topics covered in the reports include the following: (1) phonetic coding and order memory in relation to reading proficiency,…

The goal of the Pre Teacher Assessment Center is to give college sophomores a diagnostic assessment of their potential teaching skills across 13 skill dimensions felt to be prerequisites for teaching. The pre teacher assessment provides students with detailed information about potential teaching strengths and weaknesses and helps remediate…

Providing both rationale and technique for practitioners, this book emphasizes the influence of visual literacy upon the reading, writing, and creative development of learners. The nine chapters of the book are arranged into three sections, with the first setting forth the basic components of visual literacy and how they manifest themselves in…

Interpreting, or oral translation, can be used in undergraduate second language study as a technique for developing oral skills. The technique can produce both sound linguistic judgment and confident oral and written performance that last beyond testing. It integrates four essential elements of oral/aural skills: comprehension, phonology/fluency,…