This article provides a rationale for and gives a detailed description of the use of student-improvised dialogues in ESL classrooms. The focus is on techniques suitable to small classes of students with advanced English proficiency. (CHK)

This book offers a much needed alternative to the more traditional texts used to teach writing instruction. Grounded in history, the book clarifies changing theoretical and practical approaches to teaching writing, critically assessing each approach in relation to the social and political movements of the day, both within and beyond the…

An intervention framework for the management of communication disorders in learning disabled children is presented. The model is comprised of three components: communicative intentions (what a speaker wants to convey), presupposition (a speaker's message in relation to specific information needs of a listener), and the social organization of…

Describes alternative procedures to audiovisual methods, which may stifle student participation in second language learning. The pedagogical bases of these exercises are broader than that of patterned sequence drills. Specific exercises are discussed, along with the shortcomings of the audiovisual method that they overcome. (PJM)

Suggests use of dramatic sketches and conversation sequences for introducing new language material. With situational and stage material, the teacher can avoid the fragmentation of language knowledge, and also join imitative with cognitive learning. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Examines learning in the domain of sentence parsing and syntax tree-diagram construction to assess whether subjects could learn "vicariously" from recordings of interactions between a previous student and a tutor. Findings indicate that reusable dialog is a useful resource for the vicarious learner and that unannotated animated diagrams…

The development of reason has long been an important aim for education. This is possibly reflected in the emphasis on the importance of explicit verbal reasoning in definitions of "Exploratory Talk", a concept that has had some influence on classroom teaching. In this paper I argue from transcript evidence that, while Exploratory Talk is a…

Recordings of various sound effects may be used to stimulate dialogue in foreign language classes. Examples are given. (CHK)

Describes a project at Massachusetts Institute of Technology concerned with making computer-assisted instruction more "human," communicative, and interactive for students learning a foreign language. The goal of the project is to create prototypes for beginning and intermediate courses in French, German, Spanish, Russian, and English as…

Analyzes a segment from the Austrian radio series "Grammar with a Smile," dealing with the future tense. Criticizes the dialog as not true to life and lacking in motivating power. Ends with suggestions for alternatives. (IFS/WGA)

This article focuses on two elements of the dialogue: the "real-life" quality of the language (where to find "real-life" language, how to check its authenticity, how to record it) and the element of unpredictability (how to create "real-life" dialogues with unexpected responses which necessitate well-developed listening skills). (CFM)

Notes that information presented in dialog form in a foreign language lends itself more easily to conversation than does intricate narrative prose. Using background information on Halloween, the article adapts the text to present information about the target culture as well as to humorously present facts about the North American festivity.…

Defines continuous role playing in foreign language teaching suggestopedia (as practiced in Bulgaria); discusses how to achieve and sustain it; and considers its advantages, disadvantages and relevance. The article notes that the balancing role of the teacher is crucial to the techniques employed in the classroom dialogs. (10 references) (CK)

Describes the use of dialogues in teaching introductory women's studies courses. Discusses interior, textual, and verbal dialogues. Suggests that teaching in this manner challenges traditional processes of knowledge production and evaluation. Argues that journals and peer support groups widen the scope and nature of exchanges within feminist…

Emphasis on competency-based teaching and outcomes oversimplifies teaching and learning. Reducing a complex and highly political process such as dialog to a series of orderly steps falsely presents the classroom as predictable and implies that success lies in efficient delivery techniques without regard for context. (SK)