Hyper-accountability, corporatization, deficit ideology, and Ruby Payne's preparation of teachers to comply with these and other atrocities are not merely markers of philosophical shifts in education. They are manifestations of a neoliberal remaking of public schooling into a private and corporate enterprise. Collectively, these trends are seen…

Social studies educators are constantly teaching concepts. From culturally universal concepts in the early grades to highly contested concepts such as "democracy" in later grades, good social studies instruction often centers on helping students form key concepts. As anyone who has spent time in twenty-first century social studies classrooms…

Teachers who are not well prepared for ELL students struggle to address their needs in the classroom: How can I teach the students if I don't speak their language? What do I do when the students don't understand? If myths and misconceptions about those learning a new language are accepted, the type and quality of instruction for ELL students can…

In this article, I examine the role of teacher racial identity on teaching strategy and the treatment of race in classroom discussions. I explicate how the pattern of minimizing the negative racial comments made to English language learners played out in participants' teaching and how it is reflective of socially constructed notions of race and…

This article considers the notion of "academic vocabulary": the assumption that students of English for academic purposes (EAP) should study a core of high frequency words because they are common in an English academic register. We examine the value of the term by using Cox-head's (2000) Academic Word List (AWL) to explore the distribution of its…

The complexity of teaching comparisons in Southeast Asian second-language classes is described, and misleading presentations in many grammar and course books are cited. (LB)

The process of matching teaching materials and methods to the student's learning style and ability level in foreign language classes is explored. The Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) model offers a diagnostic process for the identification of style. This process can be applied to the language learning setting as a way of presenting material to…

Smith's approach to reading comprehension is used as the basis of an activity related to the Use of English Exam in Hong Kong. The eight-step activity is described and shown to combine sound reading theory with an academic, test-oriented syllabus. (3 references) (LB)

Self-instruction, more likely applied to adult learners, depended on the extent to which learners more or less consciously make decisions about aspects of the learning situation and control them. Issues of control are discussed and examples of relevant learning situations are offered, including group work and computer-assisted learning. (16…

It is argued that, although materials are an important form of support to language classroom activities, they also constitute a constraint that can undermine the value of those activities for the processes of learning. (three references) (LB)

Theories of learning, views of language, program design, methodology, and psychosocial factors related to foreign language teaching are discussed. Learning theories are examined with reference to acquisition and learning, errors and mistakes, and input and intake. Regarding views of language, in general there has been a shift from concern over the…

Culturally specific compounds in Chinese could be more effectively studied from a cognitive approach, using the underlying idealized cognitive models defined by Lakoff. It is argued that the formation of Chinese compounds are systematically guided by idealized cognitive models and compounds are semantically compositional. (seven references) (LB)

Postsecondary level study presents current opinions on and pedagogical uses of translation. The choice of texts, ways of using translation, preliminary analysis of text, monothematic texts as aid to translation and problem of evaluation are discussed. (LET)

Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most complex aspects of both theory and practice of foreign language teaching and learning. A content-based approach to curricular development is advocated that incorporates four elements: starter (brainstorming), treatment, "good language learner" awareness training, and critical analysis. (Contains…

Characteristics and types of role-play for the language classroom are discussed. Sample activities for grades K-3 and for grades 4-6 are offered. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/LB)