The Communications Skills Laboratory Program, an ESEA/Title I project in the Atlanta, Georgia, public schools, presented a language skills course for underachieving eighth-grade pupils. Pupils had reading achievement scores below sixth-grade level, had reading potential scores above this level, and had a 70 IQ or better. Small group or individual…

An experiment in which secondary school French, German, and Spanish classes at a large comprehensive high school were conducted in three different kinds of classroom settings is described, with emphasis on student rating of machine-guided language practice. Classroom settings included (1) a conventional classroom with a few weekly half-periods in…

This concise report, one of a series, focuses attention on the topic of correlation of work in the foreign language class with drill in the language laboratory. Viewing the attitude of the language teacher as the critical factor in this problem, the author presents fundamental material on: (1) selection of appropriate materials, (2) the use of…

The basic mechanical functions of the foreign language laboratory described in this report enable utilization of authentic target language, linguistically effective learning devices, visuals, and facilities for monitoring and testing. Brief descriptions of 11 laboratory functions include: (1) isolation (physical, acoustical, and psychological),…

This contrastive listing of the possibilities and problems of the language laboratory is intended for the elementary and secondary school teacher. In this article, the author emphasizes the oral nature of language and the need to treat methods, materials, and machinery as a trinity. (RL)

In order to gain some insight into the issue of optimum age for second language learning, the experiment described in this report was based on the negative hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the ability of randomly selected subjects, kindergarten through grade six, to imitate critical sounds and sound clusters embedded in words…

After finding that the English Pronunciation course required at Regensburg University reduced errors by only 14 percent, a course was developed in recognizing errors (one's own and others'), with emphasis on vowel reduction, speech rhythm, elementary intonation and liaison. As a result, errors were reduced by 67 percent. (IFS/WGA)

This issue contains the following articles: "Progressive Decontrol through Deletion," by Robert C. Weissberg; "The Scrutable Chinese," by Jason B. Alter; "Gadgets: Some Non-Verbal Tools for Teaching Pronunciation," by Judy Gilbert; "ELI and English Skills in JFS Library-Media Complex," by Curtis Fawson; and "Aural Comprehension: Mini Lessons in…

THE AUTHOR STATES THAT THE AUDIOLINGUAL REVOLUTION IS BEING SUBJECTED TO A COUNTER-REVOLUTION IS APPARENT IN SUCH RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AS THE 1966 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE, WHEN CARROLL, FERGUSON, AND CHOMSKY DENIED THAT PSYCHOLOGY AND LINGUISTICS PROVIDE DIRECT SUPPORT FOR AUDIOLINGUAL TEACHING, THE WRITINGS OF RIVERS, HAYES, BELASCO, AND VALDMAN WHO…

Language laboratories are especially neglected at the intermediate and advanced levels of foreign language learning. Teachers fail to avail themselves of an important teaching tool at a critical point, when the more mechanical aspects of assimilating the target language should give way to gaining an actual communicative competence in it. At the…

New group-discussion language laboratories and the implementation of a subject-language interaction method are described. The use of the language equipment emphasizes free oral intercourse and allows the subject and language or other didactical questions to be dealt with in turns, rather than simultaneously. The laboratories allow students' 14…

A textbook of audiovisual materials describes the use of items for classroom display, the blackboard, and flat materials (flash cards, projectionable materials, films). There are separate chapters on the audial materials and techniques (phonograph and radio), tape recorders, television, and the foreign language laboratory. An extensive appendix…

The theme of this conference, "New Directions in Foreign Language Teaching," is introduced by Theodore Buebener and is expanded in the five papers comprising this volume. The papers included are "New Directions in the Teaching of Foreign Languages--An Evaluation" by Peter M. Boyd-Bowman, "An Appraisal of Audio-Lingualism in Historical Perspective"…

The five parts of this book reflect a number of important issues and concerns that have emerged in the past decade. Part one ("Principle and Theory in Language Teaching") reflects the profession's concern with acquiring a stronger theoretical base for its practical operations. This section covers second language learning, theoretical models of the…

Films are becoming recognized as an important medium of foreign language instruction. Although there is a lack of instructional films in German, an abundance of excellent feature films is available through the German Embassy and various consulates. Well-edited scenarios are needed, however, in order to make using these films an effective teaching…