Foreign language teachers who study abroad need language instruction that will increase language proficiency and develop fluency and refinement in language use. Cultural learning can be part of study abroad through community assignments. Literature and other courses must be preceded by courses which establish a certain level of proficiency in…

Syllabus designers and materials writers in developing nations must treat English for specific purposes as a language-policy solution to language-policy problems. They must familiarize themselves with sociopolitical factors affecting course design and subsequently the relevance of courses produced. Examples are illustrated through a case study of…

This document provides guidelines for the inclusion of English Language Learners (ELLs) in K-12 assessments. Twenty questions and answers are provided, along with a list of references. The following are appended: (1) Placement Tools for English Language Learners; (2) Definitions; (3) Typical Bilingual Program Designs; (4) Typical ESL Program…

In this report, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) provides a summary of its FY 2005 accomplishments. Also, in recognition of the 25th anniversary, some of the significant cases that OCR has resolved over the years are highlighted. The last quarter century was eventful and challenging for OCR. Major U.S. Supreme Court decisions, such as "Grove…

Purpose: A pilot study of the "Language, Literacy, & Vocabulary!" program was conducted by Learning Gauger, Inc., for National Geographic School Publishing, in spring 2006. The program evaluation examined the classroom adoption approaches used by participating teachers and the subsequent impact of the "Language, Literacy, &…

Adapted from a speech to Japanese high school students in an English track program, this essay responds to the common question, "What is the best way to learn English?" First, it is noted that English can not be learned directly from dictionaries and grammar books, by empty repetition of words and phrases with passive attitude, with fear of making…

This guide is a companion to its predecessors, "Linguistically and Culturally Diverse: African American and Hmong" and "Language Sample Analysis: The Wisconsin Guide." It focuses on children from American Indian and Spanish speaking populations. It provides information pertaining to: historical background, including legal and…

This book provides educators and education policy makers a picture of where the field of teaching adult English language learners is today in order to build a more effective delivery system for the future. It places adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) in the broader context of the U.S. education system (K-12 and adult education), then…

This collection of papers examines what it means to teach culture as an integrated part of language from both the language learner's and the language teacher's perspectives. The 11 papers include the following: "Teaching Cultures as an Integrated Part of Language: Implications for the Aims, Approaches and Pedagogies of Language Teaching"…

This booklet describes key principles of and research on teaching additional languages. The 10 chapters focus on the following: (1) "Comprehensible Input" (learners need exposure to meaningful, understandable language); (2) "Language Opportunities" (classroom activities should let students use natural and meaningful language with their…

This paper addresses the issue of the relationship between critical pedagogy and English as a foreign language (EFL) in Venezuela. Teacher-researchers have come to see the issues confronting nonnative educators in ELT as a more important issue than in previous years. They are particularly concerned about the current situation in Venezuela,…

This collection of conference papers includes the following: (1) "Four Decades of Foreign Language Education: Are We Still at Cheese Station N?" (T. Bruce Fryer); (2) "Teaching French with the Internet: What the Students Want vs. What They Do" (Jean-Louis P. Dassier); (3) "Learning Behind the Screen: Computers,…

This book provides a descriptive discussion of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), examining its origins, scope, and directions and looking at its connections to other disciplines. It also incorporates results of a survey of 104 CALL practitioners in 18 countries. The first two chapters set CALL in historical and interdisciplinary…

Classroom techniques for teaching Chinese to students in the United States are presented for four areas of instruction: pronunciation; writing; grammar; and culture. A discussion of Chinese phonology offers comparisons with English phonetic patterns and articulation, and advises emphasizing pronunciation of individual syllables. It is also…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the acquisition of discipline-specific literacy in a second language, specifically how English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) nursing students learn to write successfully in the B.S. nursing program at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is hoped that lessons from this longitudinal study…