The term "syllabus" usually refers to an outline statement of what is to be taught and learned in a particular course. Among the several types of statements for language-teaching syllabuses are the grammatical, notional, and situational. These statements are not in themselves syllabuses but can be called pre-syllabuses. A grammatical…

This report covers six areas related to the development of French second language (FSL) programs in Alberta: (1) background information on recommendations of the Curriculum Policies Board, including the plan for curriculum revision; (2) characteristics of newly developed French programs; (3) premises underlying the program development,…

A DIVERSIFIED SELECTION OF ARTICLES CONTAINING DESCRIPTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS OF TEACHING TECHNIQUES, PUBLISHED FROM 1961 TO 1967, IS PROVIDED IN THIS PACKET. INCLUDED ARE--(1) "TOWARD BETTER CLASSROOM TEACHING" (GREW), (2) "GOOD TEACHING PRACTICES--A SURVEY OF HIGH SCHOOL FL CLASSES" (HAMLIN AND OTHERS), (3) "LISTENING COMPREHENSION" (RIVERS), (4)…

Global education encompasses all disciplines in the curriculum on all levels. It provides foreign language teachers with an opportunity to construct curriculum from the ground up rather than from the other direction. Because most middle school and junior high school teachers can provide foreign language teachers with necessary knowledge about the…

This framework provides guidelines for use in planning, implementing, and evaluating foreign language instruction. The emphasis is on the following topics: (1) goals, benefits, and rationale of foreign language study; (2) the need for foreign language learning as a catalyst for human interaction in a multicultural society; (3) organizational…

This article examines the range of language and area studies courses now offered in British universities and polytechnic institutes. Four types of language programs are reviewed: (1) the conventional "culture" model, (2) basic skills courses, (3) joint honors programs, and (4) an area studies model. Advantages of the area studies…

Foreign language teachers should exploit the American affinity for television and movies by using foreign language feature films and shorts in the classroom. Social and political history and literary trends illustrated in the films may be discussed and absorbed along with the language. The author teaches such a course in the Department of Italian…

The traditional secondary school language program with a sequential four-level format is being questioned; an alternative is a series of mini-courses elected by students after the second level of language study. Such courses are topic-oriented and may cover any field, from everyday conversation and journalism to an overview of literature or…

This survey is a result of the decision of the British Department of Education and Science to provide a long-term forecast of national needs in modern languages. The overall aims of the project were to describe levels of teaching and standards of achievement in French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish in terms of (1) what is required for…

The rapid growth of two-year colleges and their emphasis on transfer programs appear to have stimulated changes in modern foreign language curricula. Although curricula still depend on senior institution requirements, innovations emphasizing student needs and practical aspects of language learning are taking hold in curriculum design. (Author)

The absence of a uniform system of education in the United States is accompanied by freedom in testing. Two types of testing procedures are described: the multi-level standardized tests produced by the Educational Testing Service and experimental use of the cloze procedure. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

This article outlines the second language teaching method based on "capitalizable units" as proposed by Trim. The method is aimed at adult students and is based on: (1) student needs, and (2) the language functions that permit the student to operate effectively in a given speech community. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

An analysis of the status of university level foreign language teaching and a projection for the future. Topics discussed are: reasons for the growth in professional language schools, the uneven quality of language instruction, the general second language incompetency of Americans, the importance of literature, and articulation between levels.…

Presents a research project focusing on the problem of linking computer-based materials with the teaching unit as a whole. Describes the kind of programs developed at the University of Wuppertal, which is one of the few places in Germany currently investigating various approaches to computer assisted language learning. (SL)

Stresses importance of student input in field of computer-assisted language instruction. Provides an overview of student input, its recognition, and some uses of its recognition. By understanding the potential of student-computer interaction, those who are considering the computer for use in their foreign language curriculum may be able to…