In Portugal's monolingual school system, foreign students are expected to succeed just like Portuguese native students, despite their linguistic and cultural needs and differences. This study characterized the attitudes and motivation of four 9th grade foreign students toward Portuguese and English language classrooms in two Portuguese public…

This edited volume of conference papers includes the following: "The Mystery Photo Album: Defining a CALL Paradigm" (Ken Keobke); "Lexicon-Driven Learning on the Internet: A Design Strategy for a World Wide Web 'Virtual Language Learning Classroom'" (Chris Greaves); "Giving Students Something To Do with Concordance…

A program designed to improve the oral second language skills of high school students in second-year Spanish is reported. Initial analysis attributed the students' low level of oral Spanish skills to lack of motivation and insufficient practice of oral language. Three major interventions were implemented: incorporation of more oral practice of…

This paper considers how teachers can deal with stereotypes in the classroom as they relate to foreign language learning goals, specifically the negative ethnic and cultural stereotypes held by Mexican university students about Americans and Canadians. It presents data concerning the emergence of stereotypes from various studies carried out in…

The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) is a professional organization dedicated to the improvement of language learning and teaching in Japan, and this monthly magazine, containing articles and announcements, is a vehicle for promoting the exchange of new ideas and techniques in the field of language teaching. In addition to articles…

This document is a narrative of one experienced English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher's struggle to improve the English language learning skills of her beginning level students. She found this difficult to do in a situation where the learners spent only 4 hours a week in class, and only 2 of those in her class. Rather than focus on how to do…

As a teaching aid in high school Italian courses, guidelines for the use of games, graphic projects, and puzzles are offered. Specific examples include word puzzles, mazes, a map of Italy, dialogues, and idiom exercises. (JB)

Highlights the importance of the dynamics of the learner group in shaping the second language (L2) learning process, and overviews the most relevant aspects of classroom dynamics. Argues that group characteristics and processes affect any success or failure in the L2 classroom and that teachers could benefit from an awareness of the principles of…

Describes activities in Spanish language classes inspired by popular movies and television programs such as "Evita,""The Sound of Music,""The Wizard of Oz,""Carousel,""I Dream of Jeannie,""I Love Lucy," and "Charlie's Angels." Notes that these programs' familiarity establishes a familiar context in which to practice grammar, vocabulary, and other…

Four activities for the French language classroom are described, including exploration of the relationships between the perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect tenses; an introductory French geography activity; vocabulary development through creation of new words; and exercises to enhance comprehension of the titles and subtitles of newspaper articles.…

Four activities for the French language classroom are described, including a comprehension game based on the cow's digestive system, a group journal exercise using current events, an economics vocabulary development activity, and a grammar exercise focusing on the use of determiners in news articles. (MSE)

Examines the role of reading in the acquisition of French in context, and shows how, in the area of reading, the computer can be transformed into a highly pedagogical teaching/learning tool because of the text retrieval program TACT. (32 references) (Author/CK)

Describes an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) freshman composition course in which students read a mystery novel, "The Alienist," and researched and wrote about its historical setting. Reactions to the course are described by the students, who were experiencing content-based instruction for the first time. Activities applicable to…

Because most language teaching in China is focused on national tests, language is treated as a knowledge subject and development of communicative abilities is often ignored. This article describes activities that one English-as-a-Foreign-Language teacher used to teach oral English to university students in China. (Author/VWL)