The need for a contrastive approach in foreign language teaching has long been recognized, but in the construction of textbook materials and in classroom practice it has rarely been realized. For pedagogical purposes a useful distinction can be drawn between difference and contrast. Differences can be taught as new items of knowledge, whereas…

Paper prepared under contract with the Defense Language Institute, English Language Branch, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and presented to the staff and faculty of the Institute in May 1972. (RS)

This collection of 10 essays on the nature of second language learning focuses mainly on distinctions between the audiolingual and the cognitive-code theory of learning and also on the interrelationships between psychology, linguistics, and second language learning. A synthesis which cuts across divisions in methodology, caused by superficial…

Presents a plan for the first hour of a Beginning English class for Germans, introducing the large number of English words already known to them, the historical relationship between the two languages, and the problem of cognates. Suggestions are given for subsequent learning activities. (IFS/WGA)

The last decade has witnessed considerable advances in the development of hardware for foreign language teaching; yet advances in the production of software, which demands tremendous outlays of time, imagination, and energy, have not kept pace. In order to tap the potential of instructional machines, educators must attempt to obviate the economic…

Article extracted from A Practical Guide to the Teaching of French/German/Spanish'' (three separate books), Oxford University Press. (DD)

It is hypothesized that free, spontaneous interaction cannot be easily attained in language courses which are rigid and mechanical. For this reason, the author urges the development of instructional materials which facilitate a smooth and natural transition from "skill-getting" to "skill-using." Discussion of Jerome Bruner's theory of language…

This book is one in a series of practical guides for teaching foreign languages. Designed for future teachers of French in high school or at the undergraduate level, as well as for practicing teachers who are interested in keeping up with the latest material in their field, this book re-evaluates foreign-language teaching methodology in the light…

This book is one in a series of practical guides for teaching foreign languages. Designed for future teachers of German in high school or at the undergraduate level, as well as for practicing teachers who are interested in keeping up with the latest material in their field, this book re-evaluates foreign-language teaching methodology in the light…

This book is one in a series of practical guides for teaching foreign languages. Designed for future teachers of Spanish in high school or at the undergraduate level, as well as for practicing teachers who are interested in keeping up with the latest material in their field, this book re-evaluates foreign-language teaching methodology in the light…

Test design and content and course design and content are mutually influential. In accordance with changing trends in foreign language instruction--individualized learning, independent study, small group instruction, peer teaching--testing should likewise be revamped to reinforce and inform the learning process. Tests must take into account…

An examination of changing student attitudes and behavior and current foreign language programs leads the author to propose strategies for developing new attitudes toward teaching, curriculum planning, and second language learning. Noting the characteristic unrest of today's youth and the bases for it, a plea is made for teachers and…

Special emphasis is placed on the potential of dialog learning in a discussion of a sequence of activities and materials appropriate for developing the recognition and selection levels of activity involved in listening to a foreign language. Also referred to are the (1) procedural features of presentation, (2) emotional problems possibly resulting…

This volume includes the following seventeen essays on foreign language teaching: (1) "Rules, Patterns, and Creativity"; (2) "Talking Off the Tops of Their Heads"; (3) "From Linguistic Competence to Communicative Competence"; (4) "Testing and Student Learning"; (5) "Contrastive Linguistics in Textbook and Classroom"; (6) "From Skill Acquisition to…