Discusses the Military Language Tutor (MILT), a language-tutor authoring system, examining the development of a proof of principal version of MILT's two-dimensional Arabic microworld, which uses speech input to control an animated agent in solving an authored problem and describing an evaluation of the speech-driven microworld at Fort Campbell,…

Offers a course design framework--the Genre-Aligned practices framework--for teaching English for specific academic purposes in higher education. Outlines the three research foundations on which the framework is based.(Author/VWL)

Describes a project for first-year German that combines integration of standards with computer technology. Based on ongoing curricular changes in German programs, the focus on language instruction increasingly includes German studies approaches that introduce content-based and culture-oriented instruction as early as possible. Suggests using the…

Reports on a study exploring patterns of discourse organization in seminar-type discussions. Analysis was made of patterns of sequential organization in discussions between English for academic purposes students in university seminars in the United Kingdom. Analysis revealed two patterns of organization: simple exchanges of pre-formed ideas and…

Investigated the effects on vocabulary acquisition of student participation in authoring a multimedia institutional module. Sixty-two subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, and each group was randomly assigned to one of two treatments. Showed evidence that students learn vocabulary significantly better when they participate in the creation…

Two programs that have been successful at integrating a number of suitable conditions for learning a foreign language in the online environment are Spanish at Rio Salado Community College in Tempe, Arizona, and French at Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, California. Discussion includes instructional delivery; course lab experience;…

This article discusses the strengths of gifted visual-spatial learners and their struggles with simple concepts. Strategies for teaching visual-spatial learners are provided including general strategies, strategies for making material more meaningful, ways to help such students during lectures, foreign language strategies, math strategies, and…

Explores the process of implementing the Nebraska Foreign Language Frameworks in an urban, Midwestern school district. Participants were two elementary, two middle school, and two high school teachers; the languages taught were French and Spanish. Findings show that the six teachers implemented the frameworks differently, depending mainly on…

Most education systems prepare their students to function in the national language and at least one additional language. However, only one-third of U.S. elementary schools offer students language-learning opportunities. Multilingual societies have competitive advantages over monolingual societies in international trade. Ameliorative steps are…

South Africa's public education system is going through massive transformation, moving away from limited educational opportunities based on race and poverty levels to social and educational inclusiveness. While there is still work to be done, the country's education officials are committed to increasing access to a quality education for all…

Current educational reform efforts in Arizona involve three major federal and state language and assessment policies: (a) AZ LEARNS (2001), Arizona's high-stakes testing and school accountability program; (b) No Child Left Behind (2002); and (c) Proposition 203 (2000), which places restrictions on programs for English language learner (ELL)…

This article reviews the current policy context in the state of Arizona for program options for English language learners and produces a meta-analysis of studies on the effectiveness of bilingual education that have been conducted in the state in or after 1985. The study presents an analysis of a sample of evaluation studies (N = 4), which…

This article describes El Salvadorian immigrant, Esperanza Marquez's experiences dealing with the inaccessibility of ESL and special education services at her children's schools, through an interview with the author. Throughout the nation, Latino immigrant parents like Esperanza do not only have to adjust to a new life in the United States, but to…

Research with ESL students has begun to show that Chinese students experience particular challenges in English academic listening. This study focuses on their challenges as reported by Chinese ESL students in understanding English lectures. Seventy-eight Chinese ESL students at an American university participated in this study. This paper focuses…

We used a multiple baseline across students design to evaluate the effects of an intervention program consisting of vocabulary instruction, error correction, and fluency building on oral reading rate and comprehension of five English-language learners who were struggling readers in a primary school. During the first intervention condition (new…