Projects related to the European Language Portfolio (ELP) carried out at the Language Centre of the University of Trieste are concerned to examine whether and to what extent "can do" descriptors can be extended to courses in Languages for Specific Purposes. The project reported in this article had two aims. The first was to explore what…

Discusses design issues raised during an in-house review of undergraduate English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing courses at the University of Nebraska. Issues covered include the purpose of teaching ESL in a university environment, the autonomy of instructors, focus of the writing curriculum, and the value of student effort versus student…

Describes an INSET course and the participating teachers' reactions one year later. Few of the ideas presented during the course were taken up as anticipated by the tutors because of the mediating effects of the participants' beliefs about teaching and learning. A course given to effect lasting change in teachers' practice must deal with these…

The grammar course objectives at Brigham Young University's English Language Center (ELC) are a list of grammar structures for each level that students are expected to be able to master. These objectives currently are only measured by pencil-paper grammar tests, providing information regarding receptive grammar ability only. Therefore, there is a…

English as a Second Language (ESL) composition textbooks were compared with freshman composition textbooks through a national survey of U.S. universities. A detailed content analysis of nine ESL and eighteen English composition texts was conducted. A questionnaire was sent to selected universities asking the faculty to answer textbook-related…

The application of an approach to language and language learning to the design of an eight-week summer course in English for Saudi Arabian students is described. Given at the Institute of English Language Education in Lancaster, England, the course consisted of three introductory mini-units, each providing one day's material, and six main units,…

This article proposes a new approach to teaching English as a Second Language, based on five "uncommonsense" premises, among them encouraging genuine interchange with native speakers and teaching students how to learn and cope in an academic environment. (10 references) (KM)

Detailed analyses are given of the most effective teaching techniques in each of four major basic skills areas: writing, reading, English as a second language, and mathematics. Six basic questions are addressed for each area: (1) What are the objectives of skills programs in this area? (2) What are the different skills levels of entering students,…

The rationale behind the approach taken for an academic writing course, "Communicate in Writing: the English of Academic Study," is discussed. The first step was to provide a theoretical framework for the analysis of specimens of appropriate texts in functional terms. This analysis was made in order to identify the most frequently occurring…

Reports on the case of a university student studying English as a Second Language who disliked the informal writing of dialogue journals. Implications from the case suggest the need for researchers and practitioners to consider students' perspectives when employing nontraditional writing assignments. (53 references) (Author/CK)

This master's thesis proposes that students experience optimal learning of a second language in a literature-based curriculum and when multiple methods of teaching are employed. The document includes a statement of the problems and challenges of second language learning, an overview of historical and theoretical aspects of teaching a second…

Workshop reports of 35 committees meeting at the Conference on College Composition and Communication are included. Nine reports discuss types of composition courses or programs which emphasize either rhetoric, literature, language, or communication. Five reports discuss the needs of and programs established for special students--superior,…

Research indicates that four criteria should be considered in developing methods for teaching learning strategies to foreign language students: explicitness of purpose; content; evaluation; and integration of learner training with language training. Five English as a second language settings using learner training activities are described. (CB)

The need to adapt or modify the use of given textbooks and other language teaching materials to fit the requirements of particular learning situations, and even particular students, is widely recognized. This volume presents a systematic approach to adaptation useful for methods courses as well as for the experienced teacher or curriculum planner.…

A technique to help English as a second language students master the basic elements of expository prose is considered in terms of course objectives and the types of assignments used to accomplish them. A characteristic of many highly verbal students entering a college program is their propensity to "talk on paper" in an informal, ungrammatical,…