The teaching of grammar is discussed from an instrumental point of view: what beneficial effects does such teaching have for students' language abilities (especially writing)? Two ways of approaching grammar teaching are confronted with each other: the learning of explicit rules and meta-linguistic knowledge about language on one hand and learning…

This article gives the perspectives of three teachers of intensive French (IF) as they adjusted their thinking to teaching in a French as a second language (FSL) classroom that was very different from the core French classroom and developed teaching strategies to facilitate effective learning of communication skills by the students. Four major…

Speaking a second language is probably the most difficult skill to test in that it involves a combination of skills that may have no correlation with each other, and which do not lend themselves to objective testing. In addition, what can be understood is a function of the listener's background and ability as well as those of the speaker. Another…

This article describes a cognitive-behavioral treatment package for relapse management in adolescents who stutter. The package includes game-based training techniques in problem solving, communication skills, and assertiveness; coping responses for stuttering episodes; and realistic expectations for fluency and relapse. Follow-up results with…

Describes how the teaching of language and the teaching of subject matter knowledge can be brought together to empower students and to foster a positive attitude toward their own abilities. Illustrates a framework for integrating language development and the development of subject matter knowledge with a case study of one classroom in Vancouver,…

This paper describes the design of a new Maori, early childhood, immersion teaching diploma program at the University of Waikato (New Zealand). The program incorporates a strong focus on developing both the adult students' fluency in Maori, as a second language, and their skills for facilitating fluency in young children, many of whom will also be…

Ontario students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) face serious challenges and inequities. Students are ineligible for ESL support after having been in Canada for 3 years, regardless of their ability to communicate (although the government's own ESL curriculum states that students may require from 5-7 years to acquire sufficient English…

Interviews at the University of California, Berkeley, revealed various problems experienced by students from developing countries in using U.S. academic libraries, including insufficient English proficiency, open stacks, Library of Congress Classification, indexes, and U.S. concepts of plagiarism. Ways in which library staff can assist foreign…

Sets forth the five-year development history of Bay Mills Community College's Nishnaabemowin Language Instructors' Institute, which provided a pathway for regaining the Ojibwe or Chippewa language of the Anishnabeg people. Presents an early history of efforts to preserve the language and the development of a three-summer holistic curriculum for…

Many people in higher education are concerned about the declining numbers of foreign students attending New England colleges and universities. Restrictions on student visas since the September 11 terrorist attacks, along with increasing competition from higher education institutions across the country and around the globe, have both contributed to…

Kakela, a high school program for students who demonstrate giftedness in Hawaiian, has the goal of producing Hawaiian-fluent speakers with appropriate grammatical skills and knowledge of a large body of Hawaiian literature, culture, and resources. This paper describes the identification/selection process, the instructional delivery plan, the…

Despite several years of English language instruction, most Japanese students remain unable to produce nor comprehend more than rudimentary English. In order to overcome this problem, students must be motivated to participate in tasks designed to get them to use English communicatively--a difficult task in a country where students typically remain…

Describes a one-semester conversational course taught at Harvard University designed to teach basic oral communication skills in French with the main emphasis on teaching students to pause while speaking. (AM)

Focuses on the importance of developing the native language (L1), i.e., "Bahasa Melayu," as a firm foundation for the learning of a second language (L2) in Brunei and analyzes problems facing learners of "Bahasa Melayu" and English in Brunei classrooms. Saravanan's response focuses on the structure of the Brunesian bilingual…

Presents activities that demonstrate how productivity software can be used to motivate beginning middle-school foreign- language students (or elementary-school foreign-language- immersion students.) The exercises employ word-processing tools to increase language fluency, spelling, and agreement skills. (Author/LRW)