Discusses the challenges and rewards of incorporating a course on the literature of the Holocaust into the undergraduate German curriculum. Focuses on informing interested faculty members of the issues involved in organizing such a course and on providing a syllabus and bibliography. A syllabus on the literature of the Holocaust is appended. (12…

Theory and research suggest three ways grammar instruction might assist second-language acquisition. These include the following: as an advance organizer; as a meaning-form focus in communication activities where there are many examples of a single meaning-form relationship; and through monitoring, if learners can acquire their own input. (41…

This article describes how a course viewing East German literature from the perspective of the new Germany can be planned and taught, with special attention to text selection, class activities, and testing strategies designed to raise linguistic proficiency of students of different language levels in one literature class. (Author/AB)

Examines techniques for generating positive test washback to teachers and students, and their relevance in the teaching of Italian as a second language. A sample Italian test is offered to demonstrate how the criteria for positive washback can be met in an exam that challenges students to develop all four language skills (listening, speaking,…

The significant increase of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States raises complex questions about how to provide these students with access to high quality education that can improve both their content knowledge of school subjects and their English proficiency, particularly their academic English proficiency. The development of…

A study surveyed 207 students of English as a Second Language, aged 11-57 and at all levels, in a Brazilian English institute to derive a student profile for curriculum development. Subjects were questioned concerning: motivation for starting and continuing English language study; perceptions of the language lessons in terms of activity types,…

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'…

In designing a foreign language curriculum, the needs and abilities of the students should be considered. Slow learners need mostly to be taught listening comprehension, while better learners should be taught good reading skills and have a good knowledge of "non-textbook" aspects of the language. (AG)

An examination of Great Britain's declining language enrollment focuses on the disproportionate decline among boys taking languages. The literature and public policy decisions concerning equal educational opportunity for the sexes and students' curriculum choices are reviewed. The extent of the enrollment imbalance at the levels of secondary,…

FOR THOSE COLLEGES FACED WITH A CROWDED CURRICULUM, INFLEXIBLE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS, AND POORLY-PREPARED FRENCH STUDENTS, A ONE SEMESTER COURSE IN OLD FRENCH IS SUGGESTED. SUCH A COURSE WOULD FIT INTO A FLEXIBLE AND CONTINUOUS SEQUENCE OF CENTURY OR GENRE COURSES (WITH THE HASTY SURVEY COURSE ELIMINATED). COURSE OBJECTIVES SHOULD INCLUDE (1)…

The report outlines the administrative setting and describes the experimental design to be used in field testing the Mark II model of the Automated Pronunciation Instructor (API) system. It presents the draft instructional curriculum for the Spanish-English and the English-Mandarin Chinese language pairs, and describes the hardware, pedagogical…

Describes the present program of the German Department at Brown University. The language requirement was abolished at the university in 1969; consequently the program had to be redesigned with special attention given to student motivation. (TL)

Discusses issues in functional approaches to language teaching and describes two experiments on the social factors involved in the language functions of requesting, thanking, greeting, and taking leave. Considers what the data from the experiments mean for second-language learning and teaching in terms of syllabus design and teaching techniques.…

The making of a minute, color videocassette tape on winemaking is described. The tape is bilingual with Spanish and English on separate audio tracks and is accompanied by a complete script. Pedagogical and production considerations in the making of the tape are discussed. (RM)

Discusses three obstacles to interdisciplinary cooperation in education: (1) compartmentalization of teachers and teaching, (2) reluctance of educators to tackle the problem, and (3) difficulties in intraschool and intrasystem communication. Recommends collecting, expanding, and sharing curricular components to achieve the goal. (PMJ)