Focuses on problems encountered in an English language teaching program by examining the use of journals. Although the usefulness of the journal as a learning tool and a vehicle for self-reflection may be overestimated, the problems associated with journal writing are not insurmountable. Research on administrative tasks and the journal genre…

Examines a content-based English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) research class focusing on Anne Frank because of the dramatic story of her life and the literary quality of her diary's contents. The students were required to write about the character of Anne Frank and to use the same sources for their research journals. The course was a vehicle for…

Two minipresentations by second-language teachers describe their classroom efforts to instruct their students. The first article focuses on using computers to help students improve their writing skills. The second zeroes in on incorporating speaking activities into the daily life of the classroom. (CK)

This study identifies the characteristics in several models of curriculum design that may be appropriate in the teaching of modern foreign language students for school practice. The study concludes that no one mode is ideal and that an eclectic approach is desirable. (15 references) (CK)

Argues that the cultural content of a course derives from official language policies and national educational ideology, and that cultural studies in the classroom center on a balanced relationship between foreign and native cultures and include the management of attitudes towards foreignness and the construction of a new perception of learners'…

Describes the development of a graduate business communication course that emphasized technology and intercultural communication without ignoring fundamental skills. Explains course objectives and design. Describes the conduct of the course itself. (SR)

The emphasis in gifted programs should be on the interests and needs of the students, rather than on preparing them to perform some social function, such as solving world problems, which require commitment of everyone rather than necessarily requiring intelligence and technology. This approach places unrealistic expectations on gifted students and…

Describes a course on information gathering and evaluation that is required for journalism and mass communication majors at the University of Minnesota. Search strategies and the search process are emphasized; weekly assignments and requirements for the final project are explained; and goals and objectives of the course are discussed. (LRW)

Discusses the Graded Objectives for Adults Learning (GOLF) Russian program. The aim of the GOLF program is to have four levels, with Level Four being considered equivalent to a good GCSE pass, at which stage students will have a good working knowledge of the language and a wide vocabulary. (CK)

Discusses the focus of foreign-language graduate programs on preparing students for their careers. The article argues that the spread of teaching-methods courses and the interest in the utility of education has transformed these programs into hybrids that lack intellectual discipline. The article concludes graduate programs in foreign languages…

Describes an essay activity used in freshman English-as-a-Second-Language classes to teach observation of detail. Components of the approach include the following: (1) students must learn how to observe; (2) they must begin with a realistic, clearly defined task; and (3) they must work through the process of generating and organizing ideas…

Based on a collective case study of the use of an economics Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tutorial-based package, WinEcon, in 3 British schools, this article examines the activity structures that exist in ICT-mediated lessons situated within their broader sociocultural contexts. Activity theory and its highly developed ideas of…

The practical learning experience that internships provide can be effectively incorporated into the sport management curriculum as a way to link classroom theory to professional practice. The authors stress the importance of establishing and maintaining academic rigor within internship experiences. The article addresses specific learning outcomes…

This article reports a small-scale study into the functions of the plenary session. It offers information about the ways that plenary sessions are being understood and implemented in one school, and offers an example of the usefulness of small-scale, school-based projects for enhancing reflectiveness and sharing perspectives among a staff group.…

End-of-course examinations are only as good as the assumptions used in designing them. What is a course's "essential" content? And what does it mean to master it? The end-of-course examinations developed by ACT are derived from assumptions that offer unique and challenging answers to these questions. This brief explains the process used to develop…