The techniques used in teaching spoken and written English must be re-evaluated, and more effort should be directed toward helping individuals develop adequate ways of acquiring language skills. Classroom models that confront students with texts they cannot read effectively, and that compel them to repeat words and sentences in a chorus should be…

This report discusses three recent developments in foreign and second language education. The first is the "proficiency movement," which is leading teachers and curriculum planners to find effective ways of measuring functional language proficiency and of bringing students to pragmatically useful levels of speaking, listening, reading,…

The study described in this report reviews adult education relevant to immigration and multiculturalism in Australia. The report is presented in three parts. The first part examines the background and context of adult education programs intended for immigrants and for a multicultural society. The first of two chapters presents the historical and…

Three major issues in the second language instruction of migrant primary school children in Brussels are discussed: (1) how to develop communicative competence; (2) how to ensure correct pronunciation; and (3) how to improve nonverbal communication. In the case of pronunciation, a "soft" method without explanation about articulation or…

A classroom-based ethnographic study investigated the use of process writing techniques with English as a second language (ESL) writers. The primary purpose of the study was to establish a context where the strategies and methodologies that have been generated by the last 15 years of research on the composing process of native speakers could be…

Past perceptions of the role of grammar in the second language syllabus have been limited by the attitude that grammatical content should be addressed directly in the language classroom and that it is limited to language items and rules with definable boundaries. However, language has properties crucial to its use for communication that are not…

Progress in second language instruction requires both new materials and a change in teacher attitudes, but the materials are easier to come by than the attitude change. The paper describes classroom exchanges occurring in two lessons given in Austrian sixth and eighth grade English classes respectively that illustrate the differences between a…

The use of videotapes in college-level Hebrew instruction is discussed. A distinction is made between (1) prerecorded materials, commercially produced or educational, and (2) student-produced programs. The advantages, problems, and purposes of the use of each type of tape are explored. An introductory level instructional tape series and commercial…

An overview is provided of the history of English as a second language (ESL) instruction, including a discussion of second language acquisition and the characteristics of ESL instructors and students. The first sections provide an overview of the major language learning methodologies that have been most often associated with the adult as a…

In English as a second language/English as a foreign language classrooms where teacher-fronted instruction is still the norm, small group work tends to be avoided because conversational activities among nonnative speakers are generally thought to be of little use. The validity of small-group work among nonnative speakers is defended with both…

A discussion of the practice and theory in the teaching of language for specific purposes (LSP) focuses on the ways in which the LSP experience, and especially experience in English for specific purposes (ESP), compels a new evaluation of certain theoretical positions in applied linguistics and second language learning. It concludes that: (1) the…

A discussion of the types and uses of stories in second language instruction argues that the inclination to narrate is an omnipresent human phenomenon, whether attributed to nature or to culture. The story is a means of self-expression and communication that describes different forms of narrative, both literary and nonliterary. The uses and…

A collection of works on the role of cultural identity in second language learning and teaching includes: "Linguas estrangeiras e ideologia" (Roberto Ballalai); "Cultural Identity and Bilinguality" (Josiane F. Hamers, Michel Blanc); "Foreign Language Teaching and Cultural Identity" (Lakshmie K. Cumaranatunge);…

A self-paced, individualized program of instruction in eight languages (French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish) that has proven successful at San Jose State University (California) is described. The format of the program, options for individual scheduling and guidelines for class attendance, tutoring, and testing…

The language laboratory could make a larger impact than it does on undergraduate language study. The growth of attractive new technology makes even more important the careful evaluation and exploitation of existing technology. A major obstacle in doing this is the lack of careful and rigorous research about the effectiveness of the language…