Foreign language enrollment at every level is dropping, and French courses in particular have felt the effects of this reduction. Teachers must begin to see the importance of considering the students' basic attitudes, and they must actively seek to get the students interested in learning a language. Success depends on the teacher's ability to…

The need to broaden the perspective of foreign language study in order to make it available to the majority of secondary students and the place of foreign languages in the curriculum are discussed. This paper suggests that foreign language study be considered a social study. The evidence cited here supports such a conception of foreign language…

Basic assumptions implicit in course design for foreign languages are examined. The course must first satisfy the basic needs of the learner, later his sociolinguistic or psycholinguistic needs. Relevance of materials is looked at in terms of framework of a course, role of situational teaching, and conduct of the lesson. (SCC)

A thorough revision of present syllabus-design practices is necessary to achieve the goal of enabling the learner to use the target language with relative fluency in simulated speech transactions. Four new orientations are suggested that lead more directly to language use than do monolithic and paradigm-oriented linguistic features. (Author/RM)

Proposes five principles that build toward a research and curriculum development model of teacher training, in which reflection on curricular problems and practical "know-how" for developing and presenting language learning experiences are goals. The principles deal with the following inquiry and problem solving: a supportive environment,…

The content and objectives of the Pacesetter Spanish course, developed by the College Board, are compared with those of the "National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the Twenty-First Century," published in 1996 and are generally adopted by the foreign language teaching community. The comparison begins with the…

Courses in linguistics should be included in teacher training programs for future teachers of English as a second language but they must be taught with the practical needs of the classroom teacher in mind. (CFM)

Presents a rationale for designing an authentic arts-based curriculum (AABC) that will facilitate the scholastic achievement of second-language learners. The article offers proposals for the implementation of such a curriculum, discusses the design of AABC positioned within a Vygotskian framework of learning, and synthesizes applicable findings…

Argues that social language should be delayed in a second language course until a core of factual language has been built up. The article presents an account of verb-form clustering and of some of the problems caused by discrete treatment of verb forms. It also suggests how to implement verb clustering within the context of syllabus design. (11…

Presents questions that those planning TESOL curriculum change might ask before deciding on the objectives of such change in their own contexts. Suggests that answers to such questions can help provide information about how key players (classroom teachers) are likely to experience the implementation of the objectives. (Author/VWL)

Describes the first semester writing curriculum of a second-year university German course based on the proficiency guidelines of the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages. Notes that a traditional review grammar gives students practice with words and sentences while films provide a context for creative writing. (41 references)…

Focuses on the role of learning style and individual differences in English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language (ESL/EFL) learning. Discusses ways to help ESL/EFL educators and program designers gain a better understanding of the human differences in learning and to assist them in selecting classroom teaching strategies when designing curricula.…

Responds to an article on learning disabilities and foreign language learning. Discusses assumptions about students classified as learning disabled (LD) with foreign language learning problems, and the assumption that students classified as LD need a different approach. (Author/VWL)

Responds to an article on learning disabilities and foreign language learning. Highlights the distortions and omissions in that article. (Author/VWL)

Investigates the integration of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) into the curriculum for occasional use, for independent study, for developing particular skills, and as the focus of a course. (Author/VWL)