This book applies a psycholinguistic perspective to instructed second language acquisition, seeking to bridge the gap between second language acquisition research and language teaching practices. It challenges the traditional divide between conscious and unconscious processes, or explicit and implicit learning, and re-envisions this as a continuum…

The 2023 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages was held in Columbus, Ohio on March 9-11. This year's theme, Empathy, Equity, and Empowerment is reflective of the vital work educators do in classrooms every day across the country. The Wikipedia definition of empathy is "the capacity to understand or feel what another…

Learners' success in language learning always has implications for curriculum and instruction. Thus, it is important to take into account the kinds of learning experiences that these learners will find helpful in learning English as a foreign language; and, highlight them when planning a curriculum and adapting classroom activities. This study,…

This descriptive and exploratory case study focused on a specific Content-Based Language Teaching (CBLT) curriculum within the context of higher education in China. The researcher investigated the rationale behind the current design and students' and teachers' perceptions about the curriculum, as well as, their perceived motivations and challenges…

Teaching students the intelligent behaviors they need to succeed in school and later in life is much easier when you have this collection of stories and observations from teachers who have used the principles of ASCD's book "Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind" in their classrooms. Through these first-hand accounts, learn how the habits of…

Four vocabulary instruction problems are addressed on practical and theoretical levels: how to select vocabulary, organize it effectively, convey the meaning of words, and improve retention of new words through meaningful practice. Suggestions are given for using creative activities that are both educationally and linguistically sound. (MSE)

Language classroom activities fall into three categories: (1) citation, or samples, intended to exemplify the language system; (2) simulation; and (3) replication, activities with a definite nonlinguistic outcome, with communicative success or failure measured by the outcome, not by the language output itself. Instruction that relies primarily on…

An important category of culture to include in second language curriculum is functional culture, defined as the elements of surface and deep culture as well as civilization that must be learned to function while traveling, living, studying, or working in a foreign culture. Elements of functional culture include acting appropriately in everyday…

Teaching Japanese as a second language is relatively new in the United States. The learning experience of the Japanese language learner is typically quite different from the learner of a European foreign language. It is also more challenging for the teacher, because the support and experience base for teaching Japanese is not nearly as rich or…

The communicative approach is the most appropriate for teaching foreign languages to mixed-ability classes, because traditional grammar-translation, audiolingual, and audiovisual approaches to language instruction focusing largely on correctness of form and language use have appeal for only the most able learners and require abstraction of the…

German poems chosen for inclusion in high school second language curriculum in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia are presented along with suggestions for classroom activities, analysis, and discussion. Student reactions to the poems, both conventional and unconventional, are examined. (MSE)

Courses in business Italian have an important place in the traditional foreign language curriculum because they expose students to broader cultural areas in which they can exercise their foreign language skills. Guidelines for course development and some classroom activities are described. (CB)

Principles and techniques important in the integration of real communication skills and practice in classroom activities within a student-centered curriculum are outlined and discussed. The need for a classroom environment promoting real communication is stressed, and materials design principles are noted. The role of explicit grammar instruction…

Briefly discusses children's second-language learning and ways to teach Spanish to young children. Provides suggestions and practical activities for teachers. (BB)

Reports on English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) curriculum renewal in African secondary schools, where teachers identified student interests, posed problems for discussion, and used the language generated by the discussions to develop language learning activities. The article describes the steps in developing problem-posing lessons. (26 references)…