The demand for Spanish for specific purposes (SSP) university courses in the United States has prompted widespread curricular change in language departments over the last two decades (Klee, 2015; Sánchez-López, 2013). However, many instructors lack the tools and training needed to design SSP curricula that meet learners' communicative needs in…

Discusses a graduate course that prepares language teachers by emphasizing ways to tailor instruction to learners' needs and demonstrates multiple forms of collaboration. Course participants discuss their collaborative learning experiences and their expectations for using such approaches in their own teaching. (14 references) (Author/CK)

The existing methods for the teaching of literature in colleges and universities in India are summarized with reference to the aims of such programs. Lectures, tutorials, and seminars do not promote the learning of literature or critical thinking because teachers are not adequately prepared to be specialists in different periods or styles of…

Examines the requirements of instructors of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) by surveying professors at four institutions of higher learning. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that U.S. instructors' lecturing styles are becoming more interactive, a trend placing new expectations upon students. (31 references) (Author/CK)

Current developments in the field of language testing are synthesized with emphasis on their practical application in the classroom. The main areas of concern are: (1) the role of testing in the schools; (2) identifying and measuring teacher and student variables, such as, language proficiency of teachers; teacher effectiveness in the classroom;…

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.…

An informal guide to the self-evaluation of school and college foreign language programs is presented. Its purpose is to suggest guidelines to departments that have not yet developed their own full evaluative procedures. Questions relate to: (1) philosophy and goals; (2) curriculum, methods, materials, and facilities; (3) faculty training and…

Learning to swim and learning a foreign language are analagous activities, in that both are skills learned for different reasons. Few foreign language students will attain "near-native fluency;" nor will many of them become interpreters or teachers. Foreign language teachers must therefore revise priorities, restructure courses, adjust methods,…