Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities among students, and teachers are often the very first to notice dyslexic students. It is therefore imperative that teachers be well-prepared to intervene appropriately and effectively once they encounter dyslexic students. The current study investigates teachers' knowledge about the disorder…

In this reflection article I examine language assessment literacy initiatives and their possible impact on teachers, and I discuss the connections that exist between language assessment literacy and teachers' professional development. I explain that training for language assessment literacy may primarily foster teachers' knowledge and skills and,…

This is a step-by-step guide to offering role plays that give learners practice in describing a problem, asking for advice, giving advice--and giving and receiving feedback from peers. The article includes numerous sample prompts.

New content standards integrate content and language in ways prior standards have never done. That's why it's so critically important that teachers attend to both content and language development when introducing new subject matter, especially for English learners. Here's your opportunity to get started tomorrow and every day thereafter: Alison…

An argument for the role of a structural syllabus as a means to promote "gradual mastery" of implicit second-language knowledge is refuted. The author responds with further discussion of the relationship between explicit and implicit knowledge. (Contains 13 references.) (LB)

In response to a need for curricular support, the Idaho State Department of Education gathered teams of exemplary educators from throughout the state to write courses of study related to all subject areas within Idaho's Achievement Standards. A need arose to assess areas not tested statewide in a performance-based manner. Teachers involved in…

Metacognition, an awareness of one's own thought processes, plays a central role in explaining and describing the learning process. As it shapes learners' beliefs about and attitudes toward learning which in turn affect their behaviours, it directly relates to language learning and teaching as well. Thus, cautious teachers should understand and…

A study in college-level English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction investigated (1) whether or not there is any relationship between the strategic use of explicit grammar knowledge, including metalinguistic concepts, in an attempt to recognize error, and the actual correction of error and success in academic ESL; (2) whether or not certain…

A study investigated the phenomenon of learner autonomy in six graduate students in a course in English for academic purposes. Students were developing skills in discourse intonation using a CD-ROM program, designed to encourage autonomous learning. Student interview data suggest that development of explicit knowledge of the language system can…

This book focuses on communication as the central feature in teaching and learning within second language classrooms. It examines the classroom as a unique communication context with highly regulated patterns of communicative behavior that are actively negotiated between teacher and students, and explores how and why these patterns of…

Interviews with two college faculty in linguistics and two in Spanish over three years probed attitudes about the nature of pedagogical content knowledge of new faculty. In each discipline, a core concept around which knowledge of teaching revolved was found: in linguistics, argumentation; in Spanish, production. It also emerged that direct…

Content-based instruction (CBI) challenges ESOL teachers to teach language through specialist content in institutional settings. This volume addresses CBI negotiation between ESOL teachers and subject specialists in higher education. Writers document and evaluate courses that support the subject discipline and meet the language needs of EFL and…