Addresses the challenge of using the target language as the medium of instruction to teach a second language to secondary learners. The article examines teachers' concerns regarding teaching in the target language and suggests practical teaching strategies, including instructing students to listen closely, to watch for visual cues, to watch each…

Examines debate over educational language policy in Botswana and Tanzania. Proposes that descriptions of classroom practice are necessary for effective educational language planning. Describes bilingual code switching and reliance on teacher-centered recitation routines. Argues that more creative and effective teaching and learning can be…

Examines problems in external university evaluation associated with a small country, such as Lithuania, including lack of resources, lack of competition, language of instruction, and program condensation as part of the transition from communist rule. Perceived needs include specific international academic standards, performance indicators, and…

Argues that to achieve the desired change in multicultural South African higher education, and to support change in South African society, the system must: integrate academic education and technical training, adopt flexible modes of instruction, facilitate student and faculty mobility, and collaborate nationally and internationally in resource…

Explores what is important when choosing a mathematics word problem and when modifying it to suit particular students' backgrounds and cultures. For example, potentially good problems have multiple entry and exit points which can have several right answers, blending of different mathematical ideas, linkages to problems in other situations, and…

Mathematics teaching and subject matter acquisition were studied with 66 linguistic minority children and 104 dominant language speaking students in a monolingual second-language class and a traditional bilingual education model in Oslo (Norway). Results indicate that linguistic minority students benefit from bilingual mathematics teaching. (SLD)

Describes the Local Languages Literacy Project in the Southern Sudan; delineates the most important educational, socioeconomic, and linguistic variables affecting the success of large-scale literacy programs in Africa; and questions the widely held assumption that indigenous language literacy is essential to subsequent literacy in the prestige…

Describes curricular changes in a private Japanese university's English department, and explores the curricula typical of such programs. The new program's three major features, including a freshman English program, a content study, and graduation papers and theses are highlighted. (12 references) (Author/CB)

Classroom observation of 13 college language courses and analysis of student questionnaire and teacher interview responses indicated that teachers varied widely in use of target language with a mean of 67.9 percent; language type, departmental policy, lesson content, and teacher training affected target language use; and students were generally…

Longitudinal study of literary acquisition among first-graders (N=166) from two distinct linguistic communities in a rural Moroccan town showed that the significant differences in Arabic (first literacy) reading achievement between Berber- and Arabic-speaking groups disappeared by the fifth grade. (Author/CB)

Describes several preschool, elementary, and high school Maori immersion and bilingual programs in New Zealand, focusing on how the programs define and establish Maori space in the schools, local and tribal concerns, and the basis for the revitalization of the language. (29 references) (Author/CB)

Practical ideas for classroom management, environment, and communication to make the first year of French teaching easier and more effective are provided for new teachers. Hints address classroom and instructional organization, student and teacher speech, grouping, and developing student motivation. (MSE)

Reports a study comparing various combinations of the English language with the local language for science instruction in three Kenyan primary schools. Concludes that science concepts were acquired more effectively when English was used in combination with local language and recommends implementation of a language of instruction policy. (LS)

A questionnaire and interview survey shows that Gaelic is no longer the language of the home for a majority of parents of preschool children, who are nevertheless very positive that their children should be bilingual by the end of primary school. About half seemed prepared to enroll their children in Gaelic-medium units if provided. (22…

Summarizes a 4-year longitudinal study of over 2,000 elementary students. Compares three alternative instructional programs for Spanish-speaking, limited-English-proficient (LEP) students: structured English-immersion strategy; early exit bilingual programs; and late-exit bilingual programs. Primary language instruction seems beneficial to LEP…