Language-related Study Abroad (SA) experiences can be catalysts for learner transformation in the areas of cognition, socialization, and/or affect by virtue of the location and experience. An Open Architecture Curriculum Design (OACD) framework can support, promote, and enhance such transformation, as evidenced in eight programs for young adults,…

In this paper, I will report on the progress made in designing a curriculum for intensive language training, in which one-on-one instruction is combined with online exercises and drills to achieve an optimal blend of expertise and technology enhanced language learning. The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) has become a crucial tool for…

A curriculum is a form of politics (Apple, 1993). The politics of a curriculum defines what is legitimate and valued and what is not. In Taiwan, the objectives of vocational high school (VHS) education are to prepare students to acquire relevant professional knowledge and practical skills and to integrate them into their future career development.…

The MLA Report on "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World" has been criticized for focusing its proposals on large German programs. This article attempts to show how some of its recommendations can also be implemented in smaller language programs. These programs exist within a network of relations to other…

This action research examines experiences that students in a grade 10 EFL class had with redesigning a grammar-unit into a topic-based unit. Strategies were formulating significant learning goals and objectives, and implementing and reflecting on activities with three dimensions of Dee Fink's (2003) taxonomy of significant learning: the human…

The specific purpose of education is to "prepare" children so that they are able to maximise their potential and participate in the society or community around them. In order for many Third World nations to access information technology, the provision of language programs, particularly English, has become necessary. However, in the…

The Australian Language Levels (ALL) Project, begun in 1985 to develop an organizational framework and curriculum guidelines for language instruction in elementary and secondary education, offers a coherent model for curriculum design drawing on recent research on teaching and learning. The first volume in the four-volume series outlines the…

There is now a need, just like in industry, for quality assurance in education, for injecting systematically planned and formal processes, precise definitions, objectivity, and measurability in education. The demand for educational excellence in industry is "out there," and companies in more advanced countries are partnering educational…

A comparison of core French curriculum guides for Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick reveals emerging trends in objectives, program structure, and methodology and a sense of consensus on French language instruction curriculum guide content. Findings may be of special interest in light of the proposed framework for a national…

An Italian program integrating second language instruction into the elementary school curriculum is described. The program is seen as a forward-looking effort but lacking in important cultural content. Discrepancies between objectives and classroom reality are discussed. (MSE)

The three-year Spanish program curriculum guide for Alberta public high schools outlines: (1) program objectives reflecting the basic education goals as well as a rationale for including Spanish in a school program; (2) specific minumum expectations for each language skill (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and for cultural understanding…

The Australian Language Levels (ALL) curriculum is being developed as a learner-centered, activities-based approach to second language instruction at all levels. It is activities-based in that learners use the target language in specific activities for specific purposes. Each activity integrates content with process or method, and activities are…

Offers an account of the teaching of French and German in English elementary schools between 1872 and 1904. Argues that French and German became established in the curriculum during this period. Examines the decline of modern language study at the elementary level relative to the Board of Education's policy. (KO)

Based on widespread teacher perceptions that British upper secondary school students entering advanced language courses are poorly prepared, an approach for making the transition to advanced language instruction is suggested. Teachers are invited to use existing syllabuses creatively to develop language awareness as well as language skills. Four…

The National Core French Study had the objectives of defining and developing four syllabuses and assessing their applicability in Core French classes in Canadian elementary and secondary schools. The language syllabus presented here is an inventory of the principal language units that the student must acquire to communicate in French in natural…