Suggests classroom activities for improving listening comprehension skills in beginning and intermediate students. A passage of connected discourse from a native speaker of Spanish is provided as a model for realistic monologue. Sample test items and suggestions for suitable testing techniques are also given. (LMO)

Data are presented to illustrate how confirmation and comprehension checks and clarification requests develops second-language skills (comprehension and production). Absence of these interactional features in the classroom reflects the unequal participant relationships which are shaped by classroom activities. Two activities (in appendix) were…

Argues that a truly learner-centered approach in second language teaching should be concerned with allowing learners a greater role in the management of their learning by providing opportunities for learner choice in the method and scope of study. Reports on experiments in this approach at the University College of Bahrain. (SED)

This book contains 44 chapters and an appendix of pictures for teachers to use with Arab learners in Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) classrooms. Each lesson describes goals, materials needed, and the activity. Many lessons offer sample worksheets, answers to anticipated problems, alternative uses, and suggestions for optimal utilization. With…

This annotated bibliography of children's literature presents 74 books and stories that can be used in the classroom to introduce literature in French to children in fourth through sixth grades. The selected texts (51 titles in fiction and 23 titles in non-fiction) were chosen for their age-appropriate language and themes, as well as their…

Describes the use of contrastive rhetoric theory as a framework for a methods course in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Specific examples of problem areas are discussed, examples of contrastive rhetoric between several languages are examined, and classroom activities to help students understand contrastive rhetoric are outlined.…

Argues for the use of poetry reading in second language classrooms. Reviews literary and linguistic theories of poetry and synthesizes these theories within a psycholinguistic model of poetry reading, according to which the central aspect of poetry reading is the conscious negotiation of the formal structures of language for comprehension…

Examines the academic and linguistic needs of writers for whom English is a second language within the context of current research and publications on second language acquisition, affective variables that influence acquisition, the development of audience awareness, collaborative learning, "sheltered" content courses and…

Describes a step-by-step process for conducting a small-group activity for intermediate students of French as a Second Language in which the students are asked to create a print advertisement for a new, nutritious snack. The steps include contextualization, brainstorming, establishing criteria, planning the activity, language, and reflection on…

Presents the results of a research project involving language teachers in Italy, their use of the target language (TL) and its interrelationship with collaborative and independent learning. The investigation was conducted by asking 21 Italian teachers of English to fill in a questionnaire concerning their beliefs regarding classroom use of TL. (15…

Studied the effect of grading classroom communicative activities on student performance at two different levels. Results indicated no significant difference in scores between the experimental and control groups at either level. (10 references) (VWL)

Examines students' views of an Initial Teacher (IT) Training component of a modern language course and their resulting attitudes toward the use of computers in the language classroom. Most of the students developed a positive attitude towards this use of computers and intended to use them in their future posts. (eight references) (CK)

This paper explores issues of teaching and learning Chinese as a heritage language in a Chinese heritage language school, the Zhonguo Saturday School, in Montreal, Quebec. With a student population of more than 1000, this school is the largest of the eight Chinese Heritage Language schools in Montreal. Students participating in this study were…

In its position statement, the International Reading Association states that technology needs to be an integral part of literacy instruction. This article describes two ways of integrating technology into an EAP curriculum that focuses on building students' reading and writing skills. In essence, the goal of the article is to demonstrate that…

This paper analyses the language practices of a teacher in an Italian bilingual class. The children were learning Italian in Year One of elementary school. The teacher consistently spoke Italian with the children. The description of the teacher's talk shows how she used Italian for classroom management, for instructions, for teaching subject…