Human raters are normally involved in L2 performance assessment; as a result, rater behavior has been widely investigated to reduce rater effects on test scores and to provide validity arguments. Yet raters' cognition and use of rubrics in their actual rating have rarely been explored qualitatively in L2 speaking assessments. In this study three…

Language camps that provide language immersion and cultural experiences for high school students outside of the classroom are described. Descriptions of 49 camps in 26 states are arranged alphabetically by state and provide the names and addresses of sponsors and facts about the program activities and fees. Two of the language camps programs are…

Outlines initial training and continuing education opportunities for foreign language teachers at the elementary and secondary level in Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and the United States. (MDM)

This handbook serves as a guide to "Talk Time," a technique for volunteer facilitators to use to help newcomers to the United States practice English in a comfortable, non-threatening setting. Talk Time provides language practice activity often not found in traditional English-as-a-Second-Language classroom settings. In Talk Time, no one…

Outlines a CRADLE (Collections, Reflections, Assessment, Documentation, Linkages, and Evaluation) approach to portfolio development and use in English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms. This approach focuses on a long-term commitment to portfolio usage by teachers, students, parents, and administrators. (MDM)

A strategy for expanding business foreign language course offerings at the college level is described. At one institution this involves adding a business component to some sections of three language courses: second-semester intermediate level; third-year composition; and contemporary culture and civilization seminar. Content is concentrated in…

Teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) can use prewriting activities at the earliest stages of instruction to help their students acquire good language skills. Prewriting involves energizing student participation in thinking, talking, group interaction, and skeletal writing activities that become components of a writing task. Concentration…

Describes practical guidelines constructed by the staff of a large-scale self-access English language instruction project in Malaysia, focusing on the production of self-access materials in a situation where staff have limited resources, where both quantity and quality are required, and where there is a need to provide an in-house look to the…

This paper describes the development and implementation of an after school program designed to introduce the Spanish language to children between the ages of 5 and 9. The program consists of 8 to 10 weekly units, each lasting 50 minutes, that provide students with basic vocabulary and grammar in an interesting and motivating format. Each unit…

This booklet, based on a nationwide study of elementary school foreign language programs, addresses the following topics: (1) why students should learn a foreign language; (2) information that may help persons select and initiate a specific type of program; and (3) a detailed description of three elementary school approaches used in the country…

A national video teleconference addressed the failure of basic skills and rote instruction to engage students in learning and to promote understanding in ways consistent with the realities of an information-based society. Focusing on instructional strategies that actively engage students in what they are learning and that help them connect…

Designed for faculty who are new to the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE), this handbook is intended as an orientation and basic reference guide. The OPIE is described as a program established at Ohio University in 1967 to offer intensive or semi-intensive English language training for non-native speakers who need English for academic study…

This article examines the teacher training program at the Canada-China Language Centre in Beijing, China, and the communicative teaching methodology that it employs in helping scientists, government officials, and other professionals improve their English language skills. The staff consist of both Canadian and Chinese teachers of English, who…

This guide lists electronic discussion lists, bulletin boards, and conferences related to second language teaching and learning that may be of use in the second language classroom. It also offers suggestions for the use of these resources in teaching. The guide has three main sections. The first, devoted to electronic communication in a single…

El Arco Iris is a supplementary pre-school program for Hispanic 4- and 5-year-old children and their parents. The Brownsville (Texas) Independent School District operates the program. Ninety-five percent of the kindergarten children in this district begin school speaking little or no English and median family incomes are among the lowest in the…