In English for Specific Purposes (ESP) education, the synergy between autonomous learning, gamified Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platforms, and self-directed learning (SDL) frameworks is underexplored. Despite recognizing autonomous learning's significance in language education, there is a lack of in-depth analysis of their interaction within…

The 'Global Student Collective' is a telecollaboration project on the International Foundation Year (IFY) programme at the University of Southampton. IFY students were connected with volunteers in Brazil, India, Hungary, and Italy online in order to find out more about their countries. The project required the students to exercise multiple…

Summarizes research developed from a model of teacher effectiveness and student achievement which focuses on: (1) the amount of time allocated to particular curricular content, and (2) the level of students' active learning time during instruction on that curricular content. (Author/AMH)

Describes a method whereby students of French apply small increments of grammar and vocabulary immediately in daily 15-minute writing sessions in which they write brief, structurally sound compositions and focus on language use rather than on translation of ideas from English to French. (MSE)

Suggestions are presented on how to avoid "dead spots" in a language class, including how a routine activity can be altered to become part of a lesson and also a lengthy illustration of how a normal lesson can be upgraded to offer students a richer blend of instruction. (LB)

A solution is proposed to the traditional, unexplained use of optional backshifting in teaching past tenses of English verbs. The solution is based on correct and explicit formulation of the past tense examples used, so that optional backshifting would be unnecessary and inappropriate. (MSE)

Language teachers are encouraged to find innovative ways to teach vocabulary, particularly illustrating the relationships between words and spatial and temporal relationships in meaning. The concept of the teachable moment is also discussed briefly. (MSE)

Two studies, one in Puerto Rico and one in Japan, assessed the effects of pauses and hesitation markers on listening comprehension of university students who were learners of English as a Second Language. In one, 61 students of basic English were assigned to three groups to hear monologues under three conditions: (1) normal speed; (2) with…

While most people know how conversations, narratives, and other types of discourse are created in their native language, it is difficult for students to know how they are created in a second language. To deal with texts in a new language, the learner needs extensive exposure to a variety of language in realistic situations. The immediate recall…

The Classroom Pairing System (CPS) for second language instruction is a simple pattern practice technique that allows students to practice orally with a partner. An advantage of the technique is that it allows maximum time on task for each student in a large class. Students hold picture cards in their hands, and the partners ask and answer…

The concept of comprehensible input in second language learning is applied to the teaching of English as a Second Language. Techniques for teacher adaptation of materials and classroom presentation are outlined. The first step is assembly of topic-appropriate pictures and the production of simple third-person statements to accompany them. Leisure…

A technique for rapid teaching of the Cyrillic alphabet uses a five-phase mnemonic strategy: attending to the materials, developing connections in class, practicing recall, using the information memorized as a basis for acquiring new information, and testing recall over time. The technique is based on current theories of information processing.…

The guide is one section of a resource kit designed to assist Peace Corps language instruction coordinators in countries around the world in understanding the principles underlying second language learning and teaching and in organizing instructional programs. This section contains a collection of pictures that can be used as visual aids in…

The Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field continues to experience increased valuing of experiential practitioner knowledge. A welcome result of this evolution has been the broadening of research perspectives. The 16 practitioner narratives in "Insights on Teaching Speaking in TESOL" are written by…

It is suggested that, only by changing the context in which French as a second language is taught or bilingual education occurs, making better use of classroom space and time, learning will be improved significantly. Two imaginative approaches are suggested. (MSE)