With the purpose of highlighting the lessons to be learned from immersion programs, this digest presents selected findings from research carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of immersion programs in Canada and the United States. These lessons are related to the importance of: (1) integrating language with content instruction (when second…

A discussion focusing on whether American Sign Language (ASL) should be accepted in fulfillment of university foreign language requirements attempts to dispel misconceptions about the language; and to show that ASL can provide the same benefits as the study of more traditional foreign languages, including the opportunity to communicate in another…

Increasingly, adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners have access to computers, whether it is in a language lab once or twice a week or in the classroom. This report provides an overview of the types of ESL software and includes guidelines for the appropriate use of software in the adult ESL classroom. Individual sections address the…

This digest provides a basic introduction to the national standards in foreign language learning, essentially a set of content standards that define what students should know and be able to do in foreign language instruction in a K-12 sequence. First, background on the development of the standards is provided, and a description of the standards'…

This digest focuses on reforming mathematics instruction for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students who have had limited or interrupted schooling in their first language. These students--referred to as ESL literacy students--must learn in a linguistically and culturally unfamiliar environment, construct understanding without the background…

The ability to communicate in a foreign language requires more than linguistic accuracy. To understand and be understood by others requires the ability to recognize cultural differences. For example, polite behavior in one language may not be the social equivalent in another language. In order to acquire cultural competence, students have to…

Essays on cooperative learning focus on the use of this strategy to address the special needs of linguistically and culturally diverse student groups in elementary and secondary education. The volume contains several essays on theory, principles, and techniques of cooperative learning and a series of model instructional units for a variety of…

This resource book addresses many of the factors involved in establishing and maintaining an elementary school foreign language program. Chapter 1 provides information on various program models. Chapter 2 addresses program issues, such as establishing a program rationale and choosing the language or languages to be taught, in order to provide…

A discussion of adult learners of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) with special needs draws on what has been learned in an Australian program of adult immigrant ESL education and acculturation. It summarizes research undertaken within this program to identify groups of adult learners with special needs and the learning barriers that face them,…

In response to the need for dynamic foreign language materials with a communicative focus, this report addresses the relationship between learner characteristics and success in language learning. It suggests that a self-pacing individualized option should be available to students to deal with unique problems. The problems may be dealt with by…