Discusses goals of teaching French as a foreign language as set forth in the "Recommended Statement of 16+ National Criteria for French" and compares them to the goals of Ontario's bilingual immersion program. Discusses the feasibility of accomplishing these goals within the framework of the compulsory education system in Great Britain.…

Discusses the fundamental principles of evaluation to show that the conventional approaches to testing have led to a situation where procedure requirements overshadow the objectives of the learning process. Advocates instruments that address realistic communication goals and states criteria based on the learner's need for continous, constructive…

The coordination, articulation, and implementation of informed teaching techniques and objectives will help to overcome the anarchy and confusion that characterize higher education advanced-level foreign language classes, and will begin to produce a pool of highly competent foreign language speakers and writers. (33 references) (CB)

The replacement of the grammatical syllabus with a communicative syllabus is discussed in terms of foreign language teaching practice. A syllabus is a device to assist in effective teaching and an administrative tool which involves generalizing about the nature of learning and specifies a progression to a stated set of goals. Developments in…

Argues against the thesis that a thorough study of the language used in the relevant professional environments is necessary and sufficient to produce adequate instructional materials for special purposes language courses. Maintains that this purely functional approach to language teaching ignores fundamental communication needs and impairs student…

Describes a French introductory course that prepares students to travel in France and relies entirely on materials and themes related to such travel. Use of realia and props helps the instructors to stage real-life situations. Emphasis is placed on comprehension and oral language communication. (MES)

Discusses general principles of language testing, stressing objectivity and reliability as the key terms. However, maintains that it is impossible to obtain a direct measure of linguistic competence and consequently questions the value of standard grading procedures. Instead, proposes an evaluation system based on the achievement of specific…

States that a major source of frustration for the second language teacher is the difficulty of bridging the gap between the formal aspects of language and the exploitation of the language in authentic situations. Suggests steps that can be taken to overcome the problem and to meet students' expectations. (MES)

A consensus has emerged on many issues in communicative language teaching, but one question that needs attention is the question of what ought to constitute the appropriate starting point in the design and implementation of a second language program. Two positions to consider are the following: first, the development of communicative methodology,…

Attempts to identify those dimensions lacking in most adolescent/adult English-as-a-foreign-language coursebooks whose objectives are to foster developmental language learning in instructed social contexts and to assist students in communicating in and learning English. Findings indicate that most coursebooks fail in these objectives. (27…

The beneficial aspects of introducing objectives for foreign language teaching based on functional or communicative principles are discussed. Functional objectives make the learner the center of interest and aid in the process of deciding what to include in a syllabus. Functional objectives offer more guidelines for the teacher in the classroom…

The notion of a communicative approach has developed considerably since it first began to influence teaching practice and as teacher-researchers have refined their understanding of the concept of communicative competence. At present, adopting a communicative approach has two aspects: (1) it means formulating teaching/learning problems in terms of…

Discusses the need to use the "communicative approach" to teach French grammar in French immersion classes in Canada. Emphasis is placed on the value of using a "needs-based syllabus" that considers the immediate and long-term employment needs of each individual, as well as the psychological and developmental needs. (18…

Presents a case study of the business Japanese program for intermediate and advanced students at the University of Utah. Notes that when offering courses in Japanese, colleges are challenged on how to cope with diversification for the purpose of study, specifically in business Japanese courses. Concludes that it is imperative that American…

Experience in adult English as a second language (ESL) programs in recent years supports the claim that they are always intended to meet specific needs of the learners. Six program models for adult English for Special Purposes (ESP) courses are identified and described. These are: (1) Survival and Coping Skills ESL, (2) Literacy ESL, (3)…