Some aspects of planning second language programs along communicative lines are examined, and a framework for planning communicative classroom activities is described. The problem of determining whether to start planning with methodology and materials or overall curriculum design is discussed at length. A practical solution, a teacher's handbook…

Many teachers feel that the primary goal of language education is the development of communicative rather than linguistic competence. This shift in focus has affected syllabus design. However, no single syllabus appears satisfactory by itself. The grammatical syllabus is effective to instill in learners automatic production of accurate structural…

Despite the diversity in syllabus design and teaching methodologies for English as a second language, and for second language instruction in general, communicative proficiency is the underlying common goal. Some of the most influential ideas supporting this trend come from the fields of sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, and second…

An experimental one-year course in English for freshman nonmajors at a Japanese university is described and discussed. Classes, comprised of over 50 students, met once a week for 90-minute lessons. The syllabus focused on the thorough learning of short, humorous stories and activities developed from the stories. In class, English was used as much…

Two aspects of a 9-month intensive course in Indonesian are outlined: the component introducing language use in Indonesian social situations, and the choice of instructional materials. The language of social situations is introduced systematically in a series of combinations of speaker, location, and topic, and includes a substantial segment on…

A college second language program compared the effectiveness of traditional second language instruction and a communicative approach in second year French, German, and Spanish courses. The communicative classes used only authentic materials, thematically organized and prepared for classroom use by the instructors. Similar topics were addressed in…

This study of the notional-functional approach to second language teaching reviews the history and theoretical background of the method, current issues, and implementation of a notional-functional syllabus. Chapter 1 discusses the history and theory of the approach and the organization and advantages of the notional-functional syllabus. Chapter 2…

Second language classroom techniques and activities promoting oral proficency are suggested and discussed. The suggestions are based on a course organization that focuses on basic communicative goals and uses frequent conversation between paired students. The activities include retelling partner responses and situational role-playing. Approaches…

The first part of a discussion of curriculum for advanced business Arabic outlines the need for development of such a course, arguing that traditional courses do not meet the vocational needs of the growing audience for Arabic instruction. The second part describes a methodology for a newly designed course that uses problem-solving and guided…

The teacher's guide for the required curriculum in French as a second language for all elementary English schools in Quebec is presented. An introductory section outlines the program structure, articulation with secondary level programs, the framework for presentation of the terminal objectives within the curriculum, and use of the objectives…